The period I have chosen for my discussion marks a time in the history of children's literature when the influences of Rousseauism and the Romantic age emit their most powerful impact upon the genre. It is a time when a "child-centred" form of fiction evolves, as the construction of childhood innocence reaches its peak, in an era considered to be a golden age of children's literature2. Therefore, the earliest text to be focused upon will be R. M. Ballantyne's The Coral island, published in 1858 and the latest will be Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, published in 1911. It is child-centred because the overtly moralistic tone of earlier children's literature, such as Maria Edgeworth's Early Lessons (1801), where Rosamond learns valuable lessons from her. mother, changes to stories that are seen to be more-entertaining and for the pleasure of the child.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:603437 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | McCulloch, Fiona Alice |
| Publisher | University of Liverpool |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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