Children's literature and British identity : imagining a people and a nation / Rebecca Knuth.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Knuth, Rebecca, 1949-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

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

Children's literature, English.

Children--Books and reading--Great Britain.

Children.

Children--Books and reading.

Literature and society.

History.

Great Britain.

Literature and society--Great Britain--History.

Physical Description:

ix, 209 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2012.

Summary:

For more than 250 years, English children's literature has transmitted values to the next generation. The stories convey to children what they should identify with and aspire to, even as notions of "goodness" change over time. Through reading, children absorb an ethos of Englishness that grounds personal identity and underpins national consciousness. Such authors as Lewis Carroll, J. R. R. Tolkien, and J. K. Rowling have entertained, motivated, confronted social wrongs, and transmitted cultural mores in their works-functions previously associated with folklore. Their stories form a new folklore tradition that provides social glue and supports a love of England and English values.

In Children's Literature and British Identity: Imagining a People and a Nation, Rebecca Knuth follows the development of the genre, focusing on how stories inspire children to adhere to the morals of society. This book examines how this tradition came to fruition, exploring the works of such authors as:

Evaluating the connection between children's literature and the dissemination and formation of identity, this book will appeal to both general readers and academics who are interested in librarianship, English culture, and children's literature. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction

Creating 'good' children

Socialization: duty and self-sacrifice

Creating manliness and the boy hero

Romanticizing childhood and England

Being playful and emotionally alive

Small adventures and happiness

Autonomy and affirmation

Into the story-pot: Harry and heroism

A modern English folklore.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780810885165

0810885166

9780810885172

0810885174

OCLC:

774500465