The study is organised around five themes which were central to nineteenth-century educational debate, and which I have chosen for discussion because they are addressed recurrently in both fictional and extra-literary texts. The selected themes relate to the contribution of domestic education to the moral and spiritual formation of the individual child, the characteristics of the school as a community and socialisation within it, health, sickness and physical education, the content of the curriculum, and preparation for adult roles. In the first chapter I establish the literary, educational and social context for the research. Beginning with a consideration of Fielding’s The Governess; or, Little Female Academy as a paradigm for the school story, I go on to show how nineteenth-century writers adopted and adapted this model both to teach and entertain child readers, and to interpret and interrogate the changing educational scene. After outlining the principal contexts of schooling for both boys and girls, I conclude the chapter by defining the ideals of gender which determined educational practice, and which underpin my entire thesis. I follow this with five chapters, each showing how fiction and non-fiction address one of the aspects of contemporary theory and practice identified above. Chapter Two centres on the debate concerning the merits of domestic education as opposed to formal schooling. I draw chiefly on fictional and theoretical texts by Elizabeth Sewell and Harriet Martineau to examine representations of home and school as both complementary and conflicting sites for spiritual and moral education. Chapter Three considers the organisation of education in more detail. It examines contrasting models of formal schooling delineated in a range of fictional and non-fictional texts, and explores ways in which stories both endorse and challenge ideals of the girls’ school as a surrogate family, and the boy’s school as a ‘little world’ reflecting the gendered roles, relationships and responsibilities characteristic of wider society. In exploring the concept of the school as community and its contribution to the socialisation of the individual, this chapter also highlights the negative influences of institutional schooling as expressed in abusive power structures. In Chapter Four I discuss conflicting attitudes towards the body, contrasting the growing emphasis on physical education and the growth of the cult of games with the idealisation of the invalid and the widespread neglect of provision for health. Chapter Five centres on the debate about the content and delivery of the different curricula offered to boys and to girls, and on opinion relating to the impact of formal teaching and learning on the definition and reinforcement of gender roles. It gives particular consideration to Farrar’s critique of the classical curriculum in both fictional and non-fictional texts, and to the growing debate about the content of girls’ education in an era when young women were increasingly expected to support themselves financially. Chapter Six extends this discussion by examining more closely the representation of the school as a place of social, mental, moral and spiritual preparation for adult life. It identifies different expressions of the Victorian ideology of work in both fiction and non-fiction, and explores ways in which selected stories portray the transition of young people from school to university, vocational training, and employment or, in the case of many girls, to the responsibilities of marriage and family life. Ideals of femininity and masculinity are central to the representation and discussion of schooling throughout the period under consideration, and, as indicated above, I shall give closer consideration to the relationship between gender and education in Chapter 1. Consequently, I have organised each chapter to allow for the separate discussion of fictional texts for boys and those for girls in order to reflect the very different educational experiences and opportunities available to the two sexes, as well as to demonstrate the capacity of fiction to interrogate conventional gender boundaries. As my research questions indicate, my chief interest in considering each of these aspects of schooling has been to investigate and clarify the relationship between fiction and its historical context. My title is inspired by Christine Chaundler’s The Story-Book School (1931), a text which juxtaposes the protagonist’s actual experience of boarding school life with the apparently fanciful ideas she has imbibed from reading. Ultimately she finds that fiction proves closer to the truth than expected, leading the writer to conclude, ‘The things that happen in story-book schools are sometimes founded on fact, it seemed’ (95). I intend to show that the same may be said of the corpus of much earlier texts which form the focus of this study.

This project explores how pupils respond to disabled characters encountered in two fictional stories and considers the potential implications such reactions hold for teaching and learning in schools. The project reviewed three streams of literature, namely books for children in which disabled characters play a part, the literature of disability studies, and literature linked to inclusive education. The research data set was gathered at group sessions held with a total of 41 pupils in four mainstream primary schools and two schools for SEN pupils. The sessions were recorded on DVD. This data set was analysed using a cluster coding convention and grounded theory model. The pupils discussed issues raised by two excerpts from works of fiction in which motor impaired characters play a significant role. The pupils responded actively, coming to grips with complex issues, presenting their own views, discussing the views of others and completing a brief written exercise. The views expressed by the pupils were often supportive of disabled people but critical where the behaviour of the disabled people in the stories warranted criticism. They rarely used prejudicial language about disabled people and they appeared to be almost unaffected by anti- disabled prejudices. One group session was held with disabled pupils at a part-boarding, part-day school for disabled pupils from age 7 to 19. These pupils showed a greater awareness of the day to day realities of life for a motor impaired person. They also showed enthusiasm or the use of books to familiarise non-disabled people with disability. The project also demonstrated that fictional texts featuring motor impaired characters can be used to teach pupils about motor impairment and to encourage them to think about what it means to be thus disabled. It identified key characteristics of the methods used for research with children. It also identified an opportunity for improved teaching in the area of disability. The KS2 curriculum for Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) makes only one mention of disability. Disability could feature more prominently in the curriculum taught by schools and individual teachers.

It is the purpose of the present investigation to make an examination of the moral content of literature taught in the schools from 1600 to 1800, from 1800 to 1900, and from 1900 to 1940, and to draw conclusions as to the values of such literature. In the literature examined in this study, both the moral content and the methods used in presentation will be considered.

This research resulted from a concern for serious, authentic texts and the quality of adaptations. This brought the problematics surrounding the Bible and children's Bibles to the fore. The main concern is the integrity of the original text, and the depriving effect these adapted texts could have on very young listeners or readers. Chapter 1 is an introduction to this study. In chapter 2 the logical and magical dimensions of the word (as art) are examined. Chapter 3 is an attempt to define the Bible in literary semantic terms. Concepts under discussion are inter alia: oral tradition, genre, author, writer, double text (supratext and subtext), autobiography, reader and oeuvre. Chapter 4 defines children's Bibles in literary semantic terms and six prototypes are critically evaluated because of their claim to be called Bible. In chapter 5 these texts are discussed as children's literature. The last chapter gives an updated view of the child, including his religious needs and insights. A corrective on existing children's Bibles is proposed and motivated. Theoretical works on literary semantics, children's literature, developmental psychology and theology have been consulted. Although psychology and theology play a fairly important role in this study, the perspective remains literary semantic. ihe survey material includes all the English and Afrikaans toddler's and children's Bibles that were available in Cape Town, during the period 1992-1994. The main conclusion of this thesis is that the integrity of the original text, and that of the Author, have been violated (to different degrees). The implication is that the young listener has been deprived of a valuable meaninggiving source. Further it has been found that children's Bibles do not really have the right of existence as either Bible or children's literature. But the popularity and the real need for texts of this kind necessitates an alternative. A new approach is also suggested, namely, that the child starts hearing the pure Scripture already in utero. The practical outcome of this study proposes an alternative publication, which will soon be attempted. By the selection of Scriptures the selector will endeavour to give an overall view of the complete oeuvre in verbatim text. The aim is to publish such a text in various South African languages.

The purpose of this study is to analyze fifteen junior novels as to the nature of the literary experience they offer. Such an analysis becomes significant to the teacher of high school English in view of the fact that many junior novels are being published, and school libraries are stocking their shelves with them in increasing numbers. One librarian states that in her library the percentage of junior novels in the total collection as grown from 11.4% in 1951 to 58% in 1956. She also states that "the English teacher, who is less apt to think terms of circulation figures, may question the literary value of much of the current output." / Typescript. / "June, 1959." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Dwight L. Burton, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 59).

"The field of children's literature has produced a number of authors and books which the children's librarian must be able to evaluate wisely. The ability to select critically, not only for literary quality, but also for appeal to the child is a prime requisite for librarians, teachers, and parents. From the authors in this vast field Meindert De Jong has been chosen as a subject for a bio-bibliographic study. Such a study should prove valuable to a children's librarian as training for future judgments since his books have met with varying degrees of acceptance. It has additional value because Meindert De Jong has received the Newbery Award and has also been a runner-up. The purpose of this paper is to examine Meindert De Jong's books for children and to summarize the criticisms of these works as found in periodical reviews. In addition, this study will present such biographical and general background informations as may be of assistance in evaluating his work"--Introduction. / "August, 1959." / At head of title: Florida State University. / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-45).

"Miss Sawyer was selected as the subject of this study in the first place because of the writer's great admiration for her work, especially the Newbery Medal Award winner, Roller Skates. Also, it was felt that her children's works were important enough to make a useful study and of sufficient interest and quantity to be worthwhile. Therefore, it is the intent of this study to examine the books for children of Ruth Sawyer and to summarize criticism of these publications found in the usual book reviewing sources in an attempt to present and evaluate her juvenile work"--Introduction. / "August, 1958." / At head of title: Florida State University. / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Agnes Gregory, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 35-47).

Some of the junior novels being produced today are trivial, but others are works of real stature written by outstanding authors. To a prospective librarian interested in work with young people, a detailed study of one of these successful authors seems beneficial and of great interest. Rosamond du Jardin is acknowledged to be one of the most skillful and successful authors of this genre today. Certainly she is one of the most popular with teen-agers themselves. Not much has appeared in print about this talented author. Only two biographical sketches have been found and they were not extensive or complete. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to bring together all available information about the life of Rosamond du Jardin and about her works. / "August, 1960." / At head of title: Florida State University. / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate School of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Agnes Gregory, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-46).

"One of the major professional responsibilities of a school librarian is that of book selection. From the great volume of publications issuing from every publishing company the librarian must choose, within the limitations of his budget, books that meet the needs of his clientele. To select wisely from this wealth of material is not an easy task for it requires a wide knowledge of authors who are acceptable to both adults and young people. To gain this knowledge the librarian must not only read widely but evaluate what he reads as well. He must learn to separate the good from the worthless, always striving to raise the reading levels of the students under his supervision. As a step in the direction of this acquaintance with authors the writer has chosen to study the life and works of one of today's most popular authors of books for girls. Phyllis Whitney is a prolific writer of juvenile books and her contribution to good writing is such as to merit recognition from adults as well as young people"--Introduction. / "August, 1958." / At head of title: Florida State University. / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Agnes Gregory, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-43).

Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses.