History and the Construction of the Child in Early British Children's Literature

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Children&
Cover of the book History and the Construction of the Child in Early British Children's Literature by Jackie C. Horne, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jackie C. Horne ISBN: 9781317121688
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: April 22, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Jackie C. Horne
ISBN: 9781317121688
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: April 22, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

How did the 'flat' characters of eighteenth-century children's literature become 'round' by the mid-nineteenth? While previous critics have pointed to literary Romanticism for an explanation, Jackie C. Horne argues that this shift can be better understood by looking to the discipline of history. Eighteenth-century humanism believed the purpose of history was to teach private and public virtue by creating idealized readers to emulate. Eighteenth-century children's literature, with its impossibly perfect protagonists (and its equally imperfect villains) echoes history's exemplar goals. Exemplar history, however, came under increasing pressure during the period, and the resulting changes in historiographical practice - an increased need for reader engagement and the widening of history's purview to include the morals, manners, and material lives of everyday people - find their mirror in changes in fiction for children. Horne situates hitherto neglected Robinsonades, historical novels, and fictionalized histories within the cultural, social, and political contexts of the period to trace the ways in which idealized characters gradually gave way to protagonists who fostered readers' sympathetic engagement. Horne's study will be of interest to specialists in children's literature, the history of education, and book history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

How did the 'flat' characters of eighteenth-century children's literature become 'round' by the mid-nineteenth? While previous critics have pointed to literary Romanticism for an explanation, Jackie C. Horne argues that this shift can be better understood by looking to the discipline of history. Eighteenth-century humanism believed the purpose of history was to teach private and public virtue by creating idealized readers to emulate. Eighteenth-century children's literature, with its impossibly perfect protagonists (and its equally imperfect villains) echoes history's exemplar goals. Exemplar history, however, came under increasing pressure during the period, and the resulting changes in historiographical practice - an increased need for reader engagement and the widening of history's purview to include the morals, manners, and material lives of everyday people - find their mirror in changes in fiction for children. Horne situates hitherto neglected Robinsonades, historical novels, and fictionalized histories within the cultural, social, and political contexts of the period to trace the ways in which idealized characters gradually gave way to protagonists who fostered readers' sympathetic engagement. Horne's study will be of interest to specialists in children's literature, the history of education, and book history.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book China's Policy towards the South China Sea by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book Toward Resilient Communities by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book Bahrain Through The Ages - Archa by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book Iran-Europe Relations by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book French/English Business Correspondence by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book Q&A Equity & Trusts by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book ASEAN Regionalism by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book Nationalism, National Identity and Democratization in China by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book Bion's Sources by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book The Security Governance of Regional Organizations by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book Developing Hospitality Properties and Facilities by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book Essays in Twentieth-Century Southern Education by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book Reciprocal Frame Architecture by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book Family and the State in Early Modern Revenge Drama by Jackie C. Horne
Cover of the book Social Psychology by Jackie C. Horne
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy