Abstract
In this paper, I explore how treehouses operate symbolically in tandem with culture. Through an analysis of British and American print culture, I argue that the treehouse building project became bound to boyhood at the turn of the twentieth century as the naturalist movement spread and youth organizations embraced treehouses as part of their vision for the development of boys. Parents and youth leaders intend for treehouse projects to build self-reliance, independence, imagination, and courage in their boys. Congruously, this activity associated with a child’s personal growth takes place in an actual growing organism. I analyze how treehouses juxtapose humans and nature, civility and “savagery,” and civilization and the wild, allowing treehouse builders to play at being colonizers or become cultivated by nature. I highlight how the castaway novels Swiss Family Robinson and Robinson Crusoe contribute significantly to the appeal of treehouses for children through their promotion of adventure and self-reliance. I analyze the implications of the treehouse project for children, observing how the meanings associated with treehouses typically contrast by gender: boys escape to adventure, while girls perform domestic duties. I incorporate treehouse history from ancient Roman times, Renaissance Europe, and the Romantic period to demonstrate how throughout history, treehouses have served as an exploration of nature and elite space for entertainment.
Degree Date
Spring 5-19-2018
Document Type
Distinction Project
Department
English Literature
Advisor
Timothy Cassedy
Number of Pages
58
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
McKinney, Courtney, "Treehouses: Civilizing the Wildness of Men and Nature" (2018). English Undergraduate Distinction Projects. 1.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_english_distinction/1
Included in
American Art and Architecture Commons, Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Architectural History and Criticism Commons, Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, Cultural History Commons, Early Childhood Education Commons, Elementary Education Commons, History of Gender Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Outdoor Education Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons
