Defining Children's Literature (Preface)

We learn many things from the preface. One such item is the origins of children's literature. Readings for young people started off as books teaching Latin, manners, and morals. The first book to be truly considered a children's book is "The Orbis Sensualium Pictus" by Johann Amos Comenius, a latin picture book. The genre was further assisted by the Puritans who wished to use the books to instill their religion in the young minds. This included John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" in 1678 which is actually referred to in a favorite book of mine, "Little Women". While 'Pilgrim's Progress" was also religiously educational, it was an adventure story! Then John Newberry's "A Little Pretty Pocket-Book" in 1744 was published where amusements were used instead of religion and an industry was slowly born. After this, everything started snowballing with "Robinson Crusoe", "Swiss Family Robinson", works from Williams Wordsworth, Charles Dickens, and Lewis Carroll. As literacy raised, so did the amount and quality of books.

The problem with children's literature is how to classify it and what exactly counts as children's literature. Literature in general has a great many books that appeal to many audiences, so it's difficult to pin-point the exact limits. Then there's also the genre known as young adult literature. where would something like Harry Potter fall? The books start with an 11 year old orphan, but at the end of the series you have a 17 year old man who has faced loss, love, hatred, and death. How do you define that? Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials is a lovely series that has some very serious religious themes. The difficulty of creating antholgies is entirely understandable.

You mention Dickens and Wordsworth here--younger children read them into the early 20th century than do so today. The dumbing down of children's lit is one topic we can discuss as the course progresses.

I noticed that. It's funny how few pieces of "classic" literature children are read to or read in general these days. The closest thing I think my parents read to me or that I read on my own was "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Enjoyable, but big for it's britches when put against other books I remember like the Ramona series or The Boxcar Children. Not that either weren't good of course! I think the closest thing we have that's a little more modern is probably the Harry Potter books, though they're a controversial little can of worms in certain company. I'm currently remedying my lack slowly. I'm reading "Little Women" right now and loving it.