The Empire’s Old Clothes Ariel Dorfman’s The Empire’s Old Clothes is a one of a kind book that examines the hidden cultural backdrops of popular children’s literature. Though it is widely known that books such as the Little Prince have profound meanings underneath the basic storyline, it would be a shock for many to discover that even stories of Babar and the Lone Ranger convey hidden biases and cultural significance to …showed first 75 words of 640 total…

…showed last 75 words of 640 total…Brunhoff’s Babar is original and rich in history. Its episodes not only seek to entertain the minds of children, but also to incur a subliminal history lesson that they will later recognize. Disney, as compared with De Brunhoff, can only be considered mass-market entertainment. However, as made clear by Dorfman, children’s literature cannot help but contain cultural lessons, and both De Brunhoff and Disney, through their stories, convey perceptions of their respective cultures.