“Pony” phenomenon in the children’s mass culture
The article deals with the analysis of the “Pony” phenomenon in the children’s mass culture. The notions “pony” and “horse are compared in different languages and cultures. The author singles out the differences of the symbolic meaning of a horse/pony and a unicorn. The evolution of ponies and unicorns in the children’s mass culture is described. On the one hand, the article shows a traditional view on the image of a horse in the children’s mass culture in Pony Books. A typical plot of this type of fiction contains a girl from quite a poor family and a pony. First, the girl doesn’t have a horse but her main dream is to become a perfect rider. Then she finds a pony suffering from its previous masters. She saves it and they become friends. An adult, who was a good rider in the past, trains her and soon she becomes the winner in horse-riding competitions. The girl is always wise, broadminded, has got a lot of hobbies (for example, poetry), and loves all animals. The main idea of all Pony Books is to prove that friendship with a pony can change someone or something for the better. The author highlights that in British Pony Books the image of a pony is traditional, meaning its appearance, character, relationships with a mistress, this is a friend. On the other hand, the article analyses modern understanding of the image of a pony depicted in American filmmaking, which differs a lot from the British one. In contrast, in the series My Little Pony, which seem to be aimed at children, there is quite an unchildish plot with adult problems. The target audience is not only girls, but teenagers and adults and not only female. The series are based on mythology, traditions from different cultures, they reflect social structure and models of behavior. They attract many male fans called Bronies (from the words “brother” and “pony”). The article investigates the reasons of this interest and compares the arguments of modern scholars. The author concludes that the “pony” phenomenon is changeable in time and ambiguous in the world culture. The author declares no conflicts of interests.
Keywords
children’s mass culture,
American culture,
British culture,
children’s literature,
image,
pony,
horse,
unicornAuthors
| Gradaleva Ekaterina A. | Samara State Technical University | katerina-888@bk.ru |
Всего: 1
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