Chapter 3
Messy assemblages
Interplay of the organic and the inorganic in children’s toy stories
Children’s books often feature toys coming to life and present an exciting interplay between the organic and the inorganic. Relying on the theoretical framework of posthumanism and vital materialism, this chapter explores how the material body of the toy is simultaneously real and artificial, tugging at the binaries by which humanity is circumscribed. My readings of The Velveteen Rabbit, The Indian in the Cupboard and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane describe the toy stage in the life course of objects. Toys in these narratives upset the boundaries of real/unreal, organic/inorganic, human/nonhuman that were drawn between these categories to validate the supremacy of human subjects.
Article outline
- Reading toy narratives and invoking posthuman play
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The Velveteen Rabbit
: Crossing ontological divides and becoming “real”
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The Indian in the Cupboard
: Exerting thing-power and becoming “alive”
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
: Entering assemblages and “living forever”
- Conclusion: Thinking and doing after childhood
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References