Realistic Fiction--Dicey's Song

Although children's literature may be one of the less developed areas of literature in the academy, there are textbooks out there that seek to define children's literature and all of its sub-genres. One such useful book is David Russell's Literature for Children. He discusses both realistic and historical fiction in one of his chapters, and I thought his definition of realistic fiction might be helpful to our discussion of realism in relation to Dicey's Song. He says that realistic fiction "attempts to portray the world as we know it--filled with real people engaged in real-life activities" (209). He also identifies the bildungsroman as a common type of realistic fiction. We did not specifically call Dicey's Song a bildungsroman in class today, but I think that one could definitely make that argument as we see Dicey mature and learn about letting go while still holding on and reaching out. Dr. McMillan talked about how he thought the ending of the book was profound because of the insight it gave. It seems that these ideas are linked; perhaps the realism of a bildungsroman, of the coming-of-aged that we all do, is part of what makes this work profound. That's not to say that fantasies cannot be coming-of-age stories or that they cannot be profound, but perhaps a realistic bildungsroman is particularly profound or meaningful because of the truth it gives us in every-day circumstances. For me, it is more striking or profound that Dicey learns in matures in her unglamorous, unexciting circumstances of school and work and siblings than if she had magical powers to assist her.

Russell further classifies Voigt and the Tillman series with domestic and family stories or realism. Russell points out that Voigt, along with other writers of the past fifty years or so, have made an effort to show different kinds of families. Partly, this effort has been made because it is more realistic than only supplying children only with Leave it to Beaver families. Fantasies and historical novels can display alternative families as well, but I think that this novel at least makes particular effort to show the day-to-day realities, joys, and trials of the family unit. Harry Potter, for example, comes from an unusual family that is certainly not ideal, but he escapes from them and instead of eventually adjusting to or incorporating himself into the Dursley family, he escapes into the magical community. Dicey has no alternative to escape to, so instead she gets a job, get involved, and adjusts to Gram's moods and rules.

There are many elements of this novel that make it realistic, but I think two striking aspects of its realism are Dicey's maturity and her family interaction. What makes this novel realistic to you? Why does it matter?

Works Cited:

Russell, David L. Literature for Children: A Short Introduction. 4th Edition. New York: Longman, Inc., 2001.