Childhood in English Literature

Paper Summary:

The paper explores how our notions of childhood have changed through the centuries and proceeds to show that childhood stands at the heart of many works of literature from which it was initially thought absent. The paper discusses the style of works in the 17th century and conveys the 18th century view on childhood as seen in the works of Bonhote, Rousseau, Eliot, Blake and Wordsworth. The paper then identifies the theme in the literature of the 19th century, as seen in the works of Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Next, the paper looks briefly at contemporary 20th century authors and relates that from this century onwards, there has been a global and unprecedented interest in childhood.

From the Paper:

"In 1960, Philippe Aries advanced the hypothesis that the idea of childhood was practically inexistent before the early modern period. The controversy about the existence or absence of the idea prior to that time in history gave rise to a host of studies on childhood. But what does the word "childhood" mean? Our awareness that it refers to a distinct period of human life is natural but how do we determine its duration? How long does childhood last? Many psychologists and Children's Studies specialists have emitted an opinion on the subject and they have come to the conclusion that "childhood" is a complex term. All have agreed that it refers to a set of experiences and behaviours, characteristic for the earlier part of our lives, meant to prepare us for adulthood and active life."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aries, Philippe. Centuries of Childhood. A Social History of Family Life, New York: Vintage Books, 1962
• Banerjee, Jacqueline. Through the Northern Gate. Childhood and Growing Up in British Fiction, 1719 - 1901, New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 1996
• Coveney, Peter. The Image of Childhood. The Individual and Society: a Study of the Theme in English Literature, London: Penguin Books, 1967
• Cunningham, Hugh. Children and Childhood in Western Society since 1500. London: Longman, 1995
• Immel, A. Witmore, M. Childhood and Children's Books in Early Modern Europe, 1550 - 1800, New York and London: Routledge, 2006

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• Research Paper # 26723 : "Second Language Acquisition in Early Childhood"

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