in British and American children’s literature The evolution of the main character in British and American children’s literature

The subject of the investigation: the development of the typical character of children’s literary genre from its origin up to the present-day

The aim of the work: to study the social, historical and cultural background of the appearance and further development of children’s literature; to define the conceptual principles of children’s literature and follow their changes in the course of the genre evolution; to define the most popular main characters from the children’s literature and make the comparative analysis of their personal characteristic features and social background; to work out the ‘children’s literary character’ chronological fact file; to make the perspective portrait of the future best-seller children’s character.

Children's literature includes stories, books, and novels that are enjoyed by children. Nancy Anderson defines children's literature as "all books written for children, excluding works such as comic books, joke books, cartoon books, and non-fiction works that are not intended to be read from front to back, such as dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and other reference materials".

The origin of children's literature Children's literature goes back to stories and songs. Although folk and fairy tales were not originally intended for children, they have become a foundation of children's literature since the early nineteenth century. The development of early children's literature, before printing was invented, is difficult to trace. Since the 1400s, a large quantity of literature, often with a moral or religious message, has been aimed specifically at children. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries became known as the "Golden Age of Children's Literature" as this period included the publication of many books that are defined today as classics.

XIX century - mostly orphans - boys are more popular - boys are brave and adventurous, lucky, because they have to survive - “victim character” is popular (innocent and kind character, usually poor and homeless) - boys have difficult childhood - during the development boys’ lives become a little bit easier (they already have got a father/mother or relatives, are adopted) - girls are well-mannered, clever and logical - education is not important or not mentioned

XX century, I-st half - mostly orphans - mostly girls - clever though mainly uneducated - girls have manlike character traits (good leadership skills, brave, curious) - are friendly - are surrounded by animals

XX century, II-nd half - mostly boys - characters become more imaginative, thoughtful, honest - most of the boys have to face some difficulties or problems in order to cope with them - character tries to find himself and his place in the world - there are parents or even a big family - school is a place of action, where hero can find friends

XXIcentury - both boys and girls - some features about families (brothers/sisters, living with aunt/uncle, divorced parents) - some of the characters are thoughtful and shy, the other ones are curious (may depend on age – the older ones are more calm) - the school is often mentioned, it becomes a part of character’s life)

Outcomes: - Charlie is a popular name among boy characters - girls have manlike qualities - girls have deal with animals or magic (magical creatures) - boys have to face different difficulties - with a history development school becomes an important part of character’s life - while choosing name for your character pay attention to presence of letters J (innocent characters), O, L (smart and thoughtful; feminine for girls), M(brave for boys), I (brave and curious for girls) - mostly: clever, thoughtful, imaginative, curious, brave - contemporary: stubborn, thoughtful, childish

The top 5 most popular characters Harry Potter, Harry Potter series Charlie, The Perks of being a Wallflower Bella Swan, Twilight series Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games series

Perspective hero: - is likely to be male - has an unusual name, that is memorable (Oliver, Holden, Oskar, Douglas; Coraline, Pippy) - has a family or relatives, etc. (not alone) - goes to school: may not be an a-student, but he is smart - may have no close friends and be on his own, though it’d be better for him to have any friends - boy’s character traits: smart, kind, thoughtful, imaginative, rebellious, sincere, honest; may be brave or shy, stubborn, curious - girl’s character traits: curious, smart, intelligent, friendly, rather brave - may be not “a perfect hero” and have some negative qualities; nevertheless, should stay kind