MIDTERM Flashcards
According to Russell, where can we look to find the beginnings of children’s literature?
We can look to the ancient Greeks and the ancient Romans. During the eighth century Homer a Greek poet wrote The Iliad, the story of the Trojan war. This was originally for adults but children too enjoyed the stories.
What did children’s literature look like during the middle ages?
The middle ages were considered the fall of the Roman Empire in 476-1450. Education declined and few were able to read, but the few that could used the oral tradition to keep stories alive during this time. Biblical stories were known well by children, such as Adam and Eve. However, a bunch of adventure and hero stories were also present during this time like Beowolf
What did children’s literature look like during the Renaissance?
The Renaissance was considered the flowering of European Culture. They turned to the sophisticated cultures, such as Ancient Greece and Rome for inspiration.
A very important development during this time was the perfection of the movable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1440 - This meant that books no longer had to be copied by hand. The mass production of books allowed them to be cheaper, more plentiful, and allowed literacy to increase, and learning to advance.
Name and explain the Eighteenth Century Moral Writers.
There were 3 main influencers, John Locke, John Newberry, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Children’s literature was meant to teach a lesson.
What happened during the the Victorian Golden Age?
Lewis Carrol published Alice’s adventures in wonderland, which largely considered the first children’s literature book purely for entertainment. This helped move children’s literature more towards pleasure.
What did Children’s literature look like in the early twentieth century and the late twentieth century?
The Early Twentieth Century- Continued on with the nineteenth century traditions resulting in books like Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh. Realistic novels like The Secret Garden also gained a foothold.
The Late Twentieth Century and Beyond- World war II influenced children’s literature with socialism on the rise. (*Socialism- A political and economical theory of social organization that advocates the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.) This made education a means of overcoming the ignorance and prejudice that contributed to the war.
- Child psychology was also on the rise - mainly with Jean Piaget.
- Dr. Benjamin Spock published The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, which changed how society as a whole looked at children. Spock believed the personal needs of the child were more important than the requirements of society- this empowered children’s rights in the legal system and the overall youth culture that has dominated western society. This allowed children’s literature to flourish.
What was the primary intention of most works of children’s literature until the mid-nineteenth century?
The primary intention of most works of children’s literature until the mid-nineteenth century was to teach children either a moral, spiritual, or educational lesson.
Briefly outline the reasons why children’s literature began to change in the nineteenth century.
This was the beginning of the industrial evolution so books could be mass produced and there was a move away from religious beliefs and towards science. This allowed books to be about more than teaching religion.
What was the first Canadian novel for children?
Catharine Parr Traill’s Canadian Crusoes in 1858
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Allegory
A philosopher who wrote the famous essay called “Thoughts Concerning Education”, where he talked about children’s minds being blank slates that need to be written. He believed hereditary did not matter.
John Locke (1632-1704)
A business man who started the marketing of children’s books. He wrote a “Pretty Little Pocket”, the first book to be for sale for children specifically.
John Newbery (1713-1778)
A French philosopher, who wrote a booked called Emile, that described his ideas of education. He believed that education should emphasize moral development through a simple life, preferably away from cities. He also did not encourage reading because it could be corrupting.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
List three primary characteristics of folk or traditional literature:
The setting remains distant in both time in place.
Characters are simple and uncomplicated. Often they have names that describe them like Beauty.
There is an economy of words, meaning words are not wasted. Very to the point.
Briefly describe what is meant by the theories of monogenesis and polygenesis in connection with folktales.
Theory of monogenesis- folktales had only one source, a single Indo-European group, who brought their stories with them into Europe and disseminated them to other parts of the inhabited world. This does not seem possible…
Theory of Polygenesis- more manageable- folktales emerged independently in different parts of the world and that similarities between the tales of different cultures are suggestive of C.G. Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious. He believed that there was a realm of dream, symbol, and archetype in which people from all over the world share.
What are the needs of children and adults that the folktale satisfies?
Folktales teach children a basic story line that they can connect with. Characters are relatable to those in their life, like an ogre to the bully down the street. They teach children a sense of right and wrong for when they grow up to be adults.
List the main types of folk literature popular with children; briefly describe their characteristics, and give at least one example of each.
Talking Animal Tales- The Three Pigs
Fables- Another type of talking animal tale that uses animals allegorically to teach a lesson, where animals represent human traits. Ex: Fox= bad or greedy.
Wonder Tales- “fairy tales”- Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel.
Merry tales- also called droll or noodlehead. Silly tales. Ex: Three Wishes
Distinguish briefly between myth, legend, fairy tale and folktale.
myth- are those stories sacred to given culture
legend- differ from myths in that they are historically based, rather than sacred. Ex: Stories about King Arthur and Robin Hood, etc. are based on historical basis but have become blurred over time.
fairy tale- magical creatures and spells. Ex: Snow White.
folktale- a short narrative by an unknown author which has transformed orally. Ex: The Three Bears
What are the characteristics or conventions of the folktale?
Follows basic Aristolelian form of beginning, middle (development or complications) , and end (resolution).
imaginary landscape, using things like “once upon a time” or “long, long ago”,
Good and evil get their desserts as the hero and heroine are rewarded and the villain is punished
Innocent hero
Beautiful heroine, usually the youngest child of three
Helper figures, such as animals or wise old men.
Villains are excessive and stylized and generally want to kill the hero or eat them
Quests or tasks of various kinds
What two issues in folk literature does Russell specifically identify as major concerns?
1) Highly stylized violence
2) Self mutilation
Tales of Mother Goose author
Charles Perrault
German authors and brothers who revitalized German fairy tales and folklore from oblivion.
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Common Motifs in Folktales
transforming humans into beasts
imposing and breaking taboos
using magical objects
casting magical spells
going on a journey or quest
meeting a magical helper
enduring tests or trials
making/breaking bargains
using deception
Theoretical Approaches to folktales
1) Psychoanalytic- Bruno Bettelheim talks about folktales as a means to understanding the developmental needs of the child.
2) Historical approach- Jack Zipes places the development of folktales in the context of political and social changes. Ex: Jack and the Beanstalk in terms of emerging middle class in England.
3) Mythographer- Joseph Campbell approaches myth and folktales in terms of archetypes and archetypal patterns. His theory borrows from the psychology of C.G Jung who posited that the basic patterns found in myth are the same as those that inform dreams and the human unconscious.
