Totally not related to Bat, but just wrote my focus statement for a children's
literature assignment...


The Role of the Monster in Children's Literature

The monster is a recurring theme in literature across cultures. Hideous
beasts, demons, and dragons all fulfill this role in stories from various
countries around the globe. But what is the reason for this universality, and
what is it that the monster stands to represent? First and foremost, the
monster is a magical creature. And what is magic? Magic can be defined as an
attempt at an explanation of the unknown. To the child's mind, the shifting
shadow in their bedroom must be the work of some sort of malevolent mystical
creature, instead of simply the streetlight filtering through the tree outside
their window. Thus the monster becomes a representation of fear of the
unknown. The prevalence of monsters in children's literature can thus be
explained by the sheer volume of unknown factors in the child's world, as
their experience is limited, and frame of reference is narrow.

Things seem large when you are small. Perhaps it is for this reason that
monsters always seem larger than life. Conversely, from a literary standpoint,
the monster provides an opportunity for the author to weave a story containing
a simple dichotomy, that is, one of good against evil. The monster provides us
with an obstacle which needs to be overcome with our brains, and often times
brawn. To conquer one's monsters means we have to grow, and in the case of the
child, grow up.

...At least a little.