Reading and Childhood: An Overview of Children’s Literature in England

1. Reading and Childhood: An Overview of Children’s Literature in England By Anna Wing Bo, TSO MPhil in Gender Studies Graduate School of Humanities The University of Birmingham

2. Objectives • Examine the definitions of children’s literature, and • discuss the transmission of cultures in children’s literature during different periods of time in England.

3. What is Children’s Literature? “[T]he definition of children’s literature depends on the involvement of its audience – children…The concept of childhood shifts constantly from period to period, place to place, culture to culture – perhaps even child to child.” (Peter Hunt, 1995: ix)

4. What is Children’s Literature? • If children’s literature is understood to be literature for children, then to what does ‘for’ actually refer?

5. Children’s Literature: Developmentand Transmission of Culture “The most common view of the history of children’s literature is that the books have progressed steadily from didacticism to freedom, or from strictness to corruption.” (Peter Hunt,1995: xii)

6. Transmission of Culture in Children’s Literature in England The Puritan Influence: • Mid-17th century • The rise of children’s literature • Highly didactic • Books about fairies, magic and witches were banned • Books that taught and reinforced Puritan values and moral development were designed for children

7. Transmission of Culture in Children’s Literature in England The Enlightenment’s Influence: • 18th century • The Lockean view of childhood - the child’s mind as a tabula rasa - children’s books should be easy and pleasant enough to suit children’s levels and tastes • Childhood as a critical stage in life • Children’s literature as entertainment and education

8. Transmission of Culture in Children’s Literature in England The Romantic Movement’s Influence: • 18th – early 19th century • Childhood as an ideal • Growing up into adulthood signifies the loss of innocence • Children’s literature as a nostalgic representation

9. Transmission of Culture in Children’s Literature in England The Victorian Influence: • Two conflicting constructions of the child: - Children regarded as innocent and spontaneous - Children were considered tainted by original sin • A shift from moral education to reading for pleasure • Gender specific: - Stories for boys - Stories for girls

10. Transmission of Culture in Children’s Literature in England The First Golden Age: • Mid-1860s onwards • The rise of fantasy fiction • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) • Subversive notions introduced • Imagination and moral ambiguity embraced

11. Transmission of Culture in Children’s Literature in England The Second Golden Age: • 1950s - 1960s • At first, childhood and family life were portrayed as happy and secure • Controversial issues were avoided • In the 1960s, the public became more conscious of the growing diversity of cultures • Adult authority eroded, and children became more outspoken in the stories

12. Transmission of Culture in Children’s Literature in England Children’s literature today: • Religion is replaced by the doctrine of existentialism, morals are replaced by sociology and psychology • Repressed issues and taboo subjects are reflected and explored • Children’s literature as an early exposure to society’s harsh problems • Fantasy remains as one of the most popular genres