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Shifting Attitudes Toward Childhood In the West, the concept of childhood as a separate time of growth and development – as a time that should be set aside and given specific attention – did not emerge until the 16th century. The economic forces that led to the creation of a large, wealthy middle class combined with religious forces that placed a new emphasis on personal salvation and the result was an increased emphasis on education. In order to be financially sound and morally “right,” a person needed an education.
Shifting Attitudes Toward Childhood Prior to this era, children had been an integral part of the adult world. Through their employment as farm workers, apprentices, and servants, they were privy to adult discussions and were expected to exhibit adult behavior By the 19th century, the passage of mandatory education and child labor laws ensured that children were increasingly to be found in the classroom, rather than in the factory or in the fields. As such, different behavioral codes and expectations for children emerged, solidifying the divide between the realm of childhood and the realm of adulthood.
The Rationalist Tradition in Children’s Literature • In 1693, John Locke published Some Thoughts Concerning Education. • Unlike the Puritans, Locke did not believe in original sin. Instead, he believe in a concept called tabula rosa – the idea that a child’s mind at birth was a blank slate. • Locke felt that children were capable of rational thought, and that it was a parent’s duty to provide a child with a solid moral and intellectual grounding. • However, like the Puritans’ belief system, Locke’s ideas put pressure on parents to take responsibility for their children’s fates.
The Rise of Didacticism • Out of the Puritan and Enlightenment traditions came the didactic tradition in children’s literature. Didactic texts emphasize learning and instruction. • Most of the literature written during the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries was didactic in nature, such as Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678).
The Rise of Imaginative Literature • In continental Europe, however, another tradition was taking hold – the publication of folktales for the entertainment of young children. • In 1697, Charles Perrault published Contes de ma mère l’oye, or Tales of Mother Goose, which was translated into English and became very popular.
The Rise of Romanticism in Children’s Literature • In 1762, Jean Jacques Rousseau published Émile ou de l’education (Emile, or Of Education). • Rousseau disagreed with the idea of tabula rasa. He felt children were noble savages born with an innate understanding of right and wrong and a plan for orderly growth.
The Rise of Romanticism Rousseau argued that if a child grew up to become an unproductive citizen, it was the fault of the parents/society as much as it was the fault of the child. Followers of Rousseau came to view children as divine beings whose simplicity and purity placed them in stark contrast with the Industrial World.
Wordsworth’s Ode • In 1807, William Wordsworth, a leading Romantic poet and philosopher, wrote “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood,”“an influential Romantic statement on the beauty and sanctity of the child’s imagination and kinship with nature.”
The Rise of Romanticism • In American literature, Ralph Waldo Emerson agreed with Wordsworth’s ideas, writing in Nature (1836) “the sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child” (24). • As historian Hugh Cunningham notes, “the more adults and adult society seemed bleak, urbanized, and alienated, the more childhood came to be seen as properly a garden, enclosing within the safety of its walls a way of life which was in touch with nature” (43).
Development of fantasy • Like Mother Goose other folk (fairy) stories in Germany, etc. were handed down through the ages by oral storytellers. Collected and published in the 19th century by • The Brothers Grimm • Hans Christian Anderson • Children’s fantasy stories • Developed and became ever more popular during the 1800s • A few fantasy stories aimed at adults, but the genre considered to be lower quality than traditional literature
The Golden Age of Children’s Literature • Most scholars identify the period 1865-1910 as “The Golden Age of Children’s Literature,” an “era of popular, imaginative children’s books, many of which are still frequently read” (CC 996), including Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. • Note that many of these texts are set in another world – a “secret garden” or a fantasy world – where childhood can be removed from everyday adult concerns!
Fantasy overlaps with Science Fiction -“Time slips” and/or inter-dimensional travel • Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” 1843 • Lewis Carroll “Alice in Wonderland” • Mark Twain “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” in 1889 • Frank L. Baum “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” in 1900.
Questions • How were children treated in different cultures and historical periods? When did modern ways of viewing children begin and how did they effect the development of children’s literature? • Compare and contrast some examples of 19th century children’s stories with early science fiction. • How do John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau differ in their views concerning the education of children? • What kind of contributions to the realm of children’s literature were made by Wordsworth and Emerson?
