Children's Literature : A Reader's History, From Aesop to Harry Potter

Ever since children have learned to read, there has been children’s literature. __Children’s Literature__ charts the makings of the Western literary imagination from Aesop’s fables to Mother Goose, from __Alice's Adventures in Wonderland__ to Peter Pan, from __Where the Wild Things Are__ to Harry Potter. The only single-volume work to capture the rich and diverse history of children’s literature in its full panorama, this extraordinary book reveals why J. R. R. Tolkien, Dr. Seuss, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Beatrix Potter, and many others, despite their divergent styles and subject matter, have all resonated with generations of readers. __Children’s Literature__ is an exhilarating quest across centuries, continents, and genres to discover how, and why, we first fall in love with the written word. “Lerer has accomplished something magical. Unlike the many handbooks to children’s literature that synopsize, evaluate, or otherwise guide adults in the selection of materials for children, this work presents a true critical history of the genre. . . . Scholarly, erudite, and all but exhaustive, it is also entertaining and accessible. Lerer takes his subject seriously without making it dull.”—__Library Journal__ (starred review) “Lerer’s history reminds us of the wealth of literature written during the past 2,600 years. . . . With his vast and multidimensional knowledge of literature, he underscores the vital role it plays in forming a child’s imagination. We are made, he suggests, by the books we read.”—__San Francisco Chronicle__ “There are dazzling chapters on John Locke and Empire, and nonsense, and Darwin, but Lerer’s most interesting chapter focuses on girls’ fiction. . . . A brilliant series of readings.”—Diane Purkiss, __Times Literary Supplement__ Children's Literature Charts The Makings Of The Western Literary Imagination From Aesop's Fables To Mother Goose, From Alice's Adventures In Wonderland To Peter Pan, From Where The Wild Things Are To Harry Potter. Seth Lerer Here Explores The Iconic Books, Ancient And Contemporary Alike, That Have Forged A Lifelong Love Of Literature In Young Readers During Their Formative Years. Along The Way, Lerer Also Looks At The Changing Environments Of Family Life And Human Growth, Schooling And Scholarship, And Publishing And Politics In Which Children Found Themselves Changed By The Books They Read. This Ambitious Work Appraises A Broad Trajectory Of Influences--including Shakespeare's Plays, John Locke's Theories Of Education, Darwin's On The Origin Of Species, And The Puritan Tradition--which Have Each Shaped Children's Literature Through The Ages As Well.--from Publisher Description. Toward A New History Of Children's Literature -- Speak, Child: Children's Literature In Classical Antiquity -- Ingenuity And Authority: Aesop's Fables And Their Afterlives -- Court, Commerce, And Cloister: The Literatures Of Medieval Childhood -- From Alphabet To Elegy: The Puritan Impact On Children's Literature -- Playthings Of The Mind: John Locke And Children's Literature -- Canoes And Cannibals: Robinson Crusoe And Its Legacies -- From Islands To Empires: Storytelling For A Boy's World -- On Beyond Darwin: From Kingsley To Seuss -- Ill-tempered And Queer: Sense And Nonsense, From Victorian To Modern -- Straw Into Gold: Fairy-tale Philology -- Theaters Of Girlhood: Domesticity, Desire, And Performance In Female Fiction -- Pan In The Garden: The Edwardian Turn In Children's Literature -- Good Feeling: Prizes, Libraries, And The Institutions Of American Children's Literature -- Keeping Things Straight: Style And The Child -- Tap Your Pencil On The Paper: Children's Literature In An Ironic Age -- Children's Literature And The History Of The Book. Seth Lerer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 337-375) And Index. Ever since children have learned to read, there has been children’s literature. Children’s Literature charts the makings of the Western literary imagination from Aesop’s fables to Mother Goose, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Peter Pan, from Where the Wild Things Are to Harry Potter. The only single-volume work to capture the rich and diverse history of children’s literature in its full panorama, this extraordinary book reveals why J. R. R. Tolkien, Dr. Seuss, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Beatrix Potter, and many others, despite their divergent styles and subject matter, have all resonated with generations of readers. Children’s Literature is an exhilarating quest across centuries, continents, and genres to discover how, and why, we first fall in love with the written word. “Lerer has accomplished something magical. Unlike the many handbooks to children’s literature that synopsize, evaluate, or otherwise guide adults in the selection of materials for children, this work presents a true critical history of the genre. . . . Scholarly, erudite, and all but exhaustive, it is also entertaining and accessible. Lerer takes his subject seriously without making it dull.”— Library Journal (starred review) “Lerer’s history reminds us of the wealth of literature written during the past 2,600 years. . . . With his vast and multidimensional knowledge of literature, he underscores the vital role it plays in forming a child’s imagination. We are made, he suggests, by the books we read.”— San Francisco Chronicle “There are dazzling chapters on John Locke and Empire, and nonsense, and Darwin, but Lerer’s most interesting chapter focuses on girls’ fiction. . . . A brilliant series of readings.”—Diane Purkiss, Times Literary Supplement Ever since children have learned to read, there has been children's literature. Its history is inseparable from the history of childhood, as children are indelibly molded by the tales they hear and read—stories they will one day share with their own sons and daughters. Children's Literature charts the makings of the Western literary imagination from Aesop's fables to Mother Goose, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Peter Pan, from Where the Wild Things Are to Harry Potter. Seth Lerer here explores the iconic books, ancient and contemporary alike, that have forged a lifelong love of literature in young readers during their formative years. Along the way, Lerer also looks at the changing environments of family life and human growth, schooling and scholarship, and publishing and politics in which children found themselves changed by the books they read. This ambitious work appraises a broad trajectory of influences—including Shakespeare's plays, John Locke's theories of education, Darwin's On the Origin of Species, and the Puritan tradition—which have each shaped children's literature through the ages as well.The only single-volume work to capture the rich and diverse history of children's literature in its full panorama, this extraordinary book reveals why J. R. R. Tolkien, Dr. Seuss, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Shel Silverstein, and many others, despite their divergent styles and subject matter, have all resonated with generations of readers. Children's Literature is an exhilarating quest across centuries, continents, and genres to discover how, and why, we first fall in love with the written word. Ever since children have learned to read, there has been children's literature. Children's Literature charts the makings of the Western literary imagination from Aesop's fables to Mother Goose, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Peter Pan, from Where the Wild Things Are to Harry Potter. The only single-volume work to capture the rich and diverse history of children's literature in its full panorama, this extraordinary book reveals why J. R. R. Tolkien, Dr. Seuss, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Beatrix Potter, and many others, despite their divergent styles and subject matter, have all resonated with generations of readers. Children's Literature is an exhilarating quest across centuries, continents, and genres to discover how, and why, we first fall in love with the written word. (Quelle: Website des Verlages) A critical overview of the world of children's literature charts the makings of the Western literary imagination and explores ancient and contemporary iconic books that have forged a lifelong love of literature in young readers during their formative years.