Material Objects and Subjectivity in American Children’s Literature: Three Case Studies My dissertation explores how material objects—such as toys, furniture, and artifacts—shape psychic development in contemporary American children’s literature. Combining theoretical inquiry with material frameworks, I use psychoanalysis, particularly the works of Jacques Lacan, to examine how these objects reveal contradictions within subjectivity and reality. While recent scholarship often embraces speculative ontologies, I argue for a more grounded approach that acknowledges both human perception and the agency of objects. Analyzing works by Ezra Jack Keats, Lemony Snicket, and Kristin Cashore, my project reconsiders the relationship between children, objects, and storytelling, offering new insights into narrative meaning and environmental ethics.