HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Before children could enjoy fantasy children literature without worrying about anything else, the purpose of this literature aimed for infants was purely didactic. This was the case at the beginning of the XVIII century when philosophers such as John Locke, warned parents and teachers in his Some Thoughts Concerning Education book, not to tell stories with “Goblets and Goblins” to their students or descendants. (BRITISH LIBRARY)
Nevertheless, in a whole century infinite changes can happen. Before the mid-XIX century, even though the purpose of children literature continued being didactic, helped children became adults, (DAVID SANDNER) and even though, in England, fantasy was considered inappropriate due to moral, science
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Popular fantasy stories for children started to be published such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) written by Lewis Carroll; Peter Pan and Wendy (1904) by J.M. Barrie; The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) by L. Frank Baum or The Wind in the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame, among many others. This period can be considered as the Golden Age of Children Literature.
Some of these stories within the Golden Age of Children Literature have something in common: a closure of the story with a return to reality. Sarah Gilead divides these into three different categories:
1st category, The Return as Bildung -German noun that means “Education” or “Formation”-: “The return completes a history of psychic growth and interprets the fantasy narrative as a salutary exposure of forbidden wishes and emotions. [...] the formerly fragile or threatened ego returns as a more fully formed social entity” (Gilead 278) An example of this can be Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. (Gilead
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ignoring its subversive force. This return simulates the closural effects of the first type but disrupts rather than smoothly concludes a linear socialization plot”(Gilead 278) Such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. (Gilead 278)
3rd category, The Return as Tragic Ambiguity, “the return neither normalizes fantasy as socializing therapy for the protagonist nor rejects fantasy as fostering neurotic avoidance of social and psychic realities” (Gilead 278) This third type takes as example Peter Pan and Wendy by J.M. Barrie. (Gilead
In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster claims that all literature stems from other literature and in fact all literature is a part of one large work. A large amount of authors borrow ideas from other literary works. Of course, the seemingly most obvious author to borrow from being William Shakespeare. On the contrary, Foster believes that most of the exceptional Shakespeare quotes are overused and referencing Shakespeare can lead to something which Foster calls the “high brow” effect which means that referring to Shakespeare can make the author seem pompous. Other authors and literary works can be borrowed from as well, but many are not as widely known or are well-known now but won’t be for long.
Growing up we 've read picture books that have introduced us to literature, wildly funny characters and taught us how to use our imagination. However, have you ever thought maybe these children books aren 't just for entertainment? What if they have hidden messages with racist undertones or represent political movements. Sometimes what we see is not always what you get so I 've studied two popular children 's figures, Curious George and Babar the Elephant.
This would also further play into the fear that a child would have due to the mature themes that they would not understand. To conclude, many kids would not understand the material presented in the book and start to have incorrect thoughts in their
Characteristics of famous children's books from this time include an ample amount of alliteration and rhyming, whole pages being occupied with pictures, and short simple dialogue to keep it easy for children to understand. The content of children’s books has evolved over time, and the culture around is has
Today, there is an all-too-common problem surrounding the censorship of children’s literature. The American Library Association (ALA) states, “parents challenge books more than any other group” (Szymanski 2007).
The protagonist progressed from being naive and blind to reality to eventually honing the
I study the interpretation of meaning in fairy tales—there is a pile of scholarly books on my desk in which are buried my worn-out fairy-tale books—and I apply what I’ve learned to my editing, teaching, and writing in intricate ways. To learn the history of fairy tales is to learn the history of myth, printing, childhood, literacy, violence, loss, psychology, class, illustration, authorship, ecology, gender, and more. My first three novels—scarce of word though they may k a t e b e r n h e i m e r 64
His imagination and creativity influences the childhood of multiple generations by helping children learn to enjoy reading. Geisel changed the face of children’s literature in the mid-20th century, and his success still lives on today. Geisel´s success only increased as he grew through
In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding the author portrays that children are not completely innocent. Golding’s representation of childhood and adolescence also shows us the attitudes children have towards participating in work. In Lord of the Flies Golding portrays that children are not completely innocent.
Some characters break the mold and, instead of treating disillusionment with hostility, step back into the illusion in which they once lived
Disney, alike many other popular storytellers, want these known stories to be friendly, animated, and with an intended audience of children. This is ironic because a retired professor of German and comparative literature from the University of Minnesota, Jack Zipes, directly compares this theme to a news interviewer that “the Grimm’s did not collect these tales for children. They collected these tales to show what life was like. And they wanted to reveal what they considered the divine truths of the tales.” It is obvious that Disney does not have the same motive as the Grimm’s did.
Similarities and Differences Between The Book and Movie of Alice In Wonderland In 2010 a movie adaptation of Alice in Wonderland was released directed by Tim Burton, based on the 1865 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The movie adaptation made significant changes to the book, although they still have many similarities. They both share many symbolic elements and characters such as the Mad Hatter and the rabbit hole, and both have the theme of being lost between childhood and adulthood. They differ in that the movie has a more defined plot with a clear antagonist, but the book does not.
Tolkien The form of a fairytale is such that it kind of offers a complete package – problem, trial, solution, judgment and punishment or reward. Also fairytales provide a narrative, which is a way of making sense and understanding, of imagining ourselves in extreme situations and be shown various possible actions and their consequences. There has been a lot of debate in the recent years over the importance of fairytales in the lives of children. There are parents who think fairytales are not good for their children, they believe fairytales are unrealistic and portrays such imaginative images that hamper the development of children and are not always values that should be followed. I believe fairytales are more than just imaginative creations for the enjoyment of children.
Thus, interest in children 's books was growing and fairytales turned into children tales which were carrying moral concern. Along with the 20th century, Walt Disney has changed the concepts of its tales. They were no longer carrying any social message and it put children in a total dream world. At first sight, many Disney tales look innocent but they fundamentally have strong images hidden. For example, Disney draws a female figure that is dependent, which unknowingly cause gender stereotype in society.
After studying various children’s texts, many themes, that most, if not all books shared, were noticeably alike. However, it is the lessons that children borrow from the portrayal of adult characters