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Child CharactersinClassic Adult Novels |
| This illustration is by Arthur A. Dixon from the first edition of Child Characters from Dickens |
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| Social History of Children's Literature Page |
Read or reread a classic (or at least well-known) adult novel from among the titles listed. Think critically about the work from the singular point of view of how the nature of the child and the condition of childhood are represented via the child character or characters. Consider questions such as: Is childhood characterized as a halcyonic or nightmarish period? Are there striking or subtle autobiographical references to the author's life? Is the child exceptional, proto-heroic or more in the normal range? Is the portrayal of the child character(s) predominantly external or internal? Is the view of childhood represented by the novel appropriate to the date of composition and/or to the fictional time setting? Does this work evoke comparison to or contrast with any children's book(s) of the same time period in its perception of the child and of childhood? Is the portrayal realistic for a child of the class, society, situation, and time? It might be helpful to examine Gillian Avery's work in relation to the your exploration of these novels: Avery, Gillian E. (1994). Behold the Child: American Children and Their Books 1621-1922 Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
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