The making of the modern child : children's literature and childhood in the late eighteenth century / Andrew O'Malley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

O'Malley, Andrew, 1968-

Series:

Children's literature and culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Children's literature, English--History and criticism.

Children's literature, English.

English literature--18th century--History and criticism.

English literature.

Children--Books and reading--Great Britain--History--18th century.

Children.

Children--Books and reading.

History.

Great Britain.

Children--Great Britain--History--18th century.

Physical Description:

ix, 189 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2003.

Summary:

Today we often take for granted that childhood is a special time of magic and wonder, and this assumption is reflected in the children's fantasy literature we prize most. Our current conception of childhood is, however, a modern phenomenon -- one that emerged in the late eighteenth century alongside industrial capitalism and the ascendant middle classes. A book industry producing texts for and about children is, therefore, also a modern development.

The Making of the Modern Child investigates the timely construction of childhood and children's literature in late-eighteenth-century England. Examining the early history of children's literature in a political and ideological context, Andrew O'Malley traces the origins of our modern notion of childhood back to the dawn of the industrial age. He explores how social and cultural transformations -- notably the consolidation of the English middle class -- as well as scientific and medical advances led to the emergence of "the child" as a distinct subject category, with its own specialized book market. Close readings of pedagogical, pediatric, and literary texts of the period provide compelling evidence of the intricate connection between the development of childhood and the revolutionary changes in late-eighteenth-century English society. With unprecedented breadth of perspective and textual focus, this authoritative study illuminates at long last the complex making of the modern child.

Contents:

The coach and six : chapbook residue in late eighteenth-century children's literature

Class relations in middle-class children's literature : interacting with and representing the poor and the rich

The medical management of the late eighteenth-century child

Toward the self-regulating subject : teaching discipline in pedagogical systems and children's books

Molding the middle-class subject of the future : applied lessons and the construction of gender roles.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 165-180) and index.

ISBN:

0415942993

OCLC:

51886302