The literature center will now look at comics and graphic novels and how they shape our youth

The University of Cambridge, the second oldest University in the UK and one of the most distinguished in the world, has recognized the influence comic books, graphic novels, video games, blogs and even fan fiction as having an impact on our youth, and as a result have made a point to study them at the University of Cambridge's Literature Center.
Professor Maria Nikolajeva, who is the [University of Cambridge's Literature] centre’s first director, said: “Everybody can remember a book or a film from their childhood that played a role in shaping the way they understand the world around them. “For children, these are often secret and sacred places that they can go to and we need to study them if we want to improve their education and development. It’s easy to say that these things are just kids’ fashions or that they’re trash, but I don’t believe that’s good enough.”
“We live in a multimedia society. If we just pretend these things do not exist, we could lose a very important dimension of children’s competence at interpreting stories. Even to be a video-game player you need to learn something.
“Children’s literature and culture are not created in a vacuum: you need the social context. If what we regard as trash is popular with young people, we need to know why and whether, as researchers and teachers, we can offer them something that addresses the same needs but also deals with these themes in a critical and ethical way.”
