ENH/EDU 291 BARSTACK AND MENON GCC History of Juvenile Literature: An Introduction

Let Us Ponder… Children’s Literature is all about supporting texts with the help of illustration, and vice versa. When and where did this concept originate?

The Beginning… Pre-historic cavemen married idea with image. This is evident from surviving examples petro-glyphs and other cave art. Children participated in community ceremonies and rituals. The oral tradition ensured that children were well versed with the history of their people. These early songs and stories sought to comfort and entertain. E.g. Aesop’s Fables Traveling monks slowly began writing some books for children. These were didactic and sought to instruct.

The Middle Ages… circa Children mostly encountered written literature when they were with their parents. Reading the Bible and other scriptures became fashionable and popular. Story tellers at this point gave free reign to their imaginations. Magic, wonder, and enchantment intermingled with the real and the serious. Hornbooks (wooden panels with alphabet) and Chapbooks (booklets sold by chapmen/peddlers) became popular. E.g. Who Killed Cock Robin, Jack the Giant Killer.

Picture of a Hornbook

Renaissance and Restoration… circa The movable type printing press was invented. The new “middle-class” valued education immensely. Central monarchies virtually put and end to feuds among warlords. Education prospered.

Johannes Gutenberg, The Printing Press Inventor Who Revolutionized Communication

Some titles… Aesop’s Fables Book of Martyrs (1563) Puritans established Harvard (1636) New England Primer (Alphabet through rhymes) Orbis Sensualism Pictus (1658) – this was the earliest illustrated book for children (Latin) Fairy tales and fantasies were frowned upon Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress (1678) John Locke’s Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) – notion of tabula rasa – impressionable young minds Daniel Dafoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719) Gulliver’s Travels (1726)

First Edition

18 th and 19 th Centuries… First books on child rearing More women writers (considered inferior) Charles Perrault’s Tales of Mother Goose (1729) – Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood John Newberry’s Little Pretty Pocket Book (1744) Rousseau’s Emile (1762) – moral development through simple thinking Brothers Grimm Lewis Carroll’s Alice Adventures in Wonderland (1865) Stevenson’s Treasure Island (1883)

More Titles… Boys’ Lit. vs. Girls’ Lit. e.g Tom Brown’s School Days (1857), Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (1868) Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Huckleberry Finn (1884) Dime novels

Today… 1 st quarter of 20 th century saw the rise of separate sections in libraries for children Illustrated books became popular Books were available at affordable prices Multi-cultural stories New approaches in learning – “softer” vs. harsh discipline

Let me leave you with this… Q: So where/when did children's literature as children's literature begin (in the western world) ? Ans.:18th century England Keep in mind that in the east, children’s stories were written as far back as 300 B.C. e.g. The Jataka Tales and the stories of the Panchatantra

Why? In 1744 in England John Newbery opened The Bible and Sun in St. Paul's churchyard. This was the first major press and bookstore specifically for children's books. He signed several notable writers to produce children's books. Little Goody Two Shoes (possibly written by Oliver Goldsmith circa1765) was the first novel written for children.

Discussion Board… Much of the literature available for children have been written by adults. They are, therefore, obliged to read material that had been chosen by people outside their age group. Do you think this is fair/unfair? Why?