Childhood as a Theme in English Literature

Résumé du document

In 1960, French medievalist and historian Philippe Ariès 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? The common denominator of many studies on childhood is the attempt to grasp its essence, to define the experience of being a child and to explain the nature of children. One of the most important conclusions these studies have drawn is that our notions of childhood have changed. They have been adapted to the changes in our society and to our conceptions of what a child should be. Thus, the ideas about childhood during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries evolved continually. Several writings and literature on this subject tell us more about this evolution.

Extraits

[...] Such was the case in Charles Dickens's The Great Expectations (1860 61). Naturally, the child in Dickens grew to be the incarnation of spontaneity, love, and innocence on the background of the ugliness, squalor and inhumanity of industrial London. Dickens offered his readers a view through the child's eyes, creating a palpable experience of childhood. Indeed, many of his novels bear the names of children Oliver Twist (1837 Nicholas Nickleby (1838 Dombey and Son (1846 David Copperfield (1849 Little Dorrit (1855 57). [...]

[...] Almost at the same time in America, Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer (1876 96) and Huckleberry Finn (1884) appear as stories of childhood escape, of wilful isolation from society and a continual struggle against conformity. In line with the tradition of Harriet Beecher Stowe's portrayal of children (e.g. Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1852), Twain's works discuss freedom and liberty in a reaction against the limits and constraints of society. All of these are themes that echo Blake's natural, joyful, carefree, and enlightened romantic child. During the 20th century, childhood developed into a favourite theme for an ever-increasing number of genres. The examples vary extensively from C. [...]

[...] Childhood has for long been one of the central themes of English literature. Children were the subject of a great number of Elizabethan lyrics and we can find them in the work of Dryden and Pope. However, as a truly substantial and self-sustainable theme, childhood arose with the novel. Its importance gradually increased through the 18th century. Later on, the theme developed and matured, and we can easily find its numerous ramifications in the literatures of the 19th as well as the 20th centuries. [...]

[...] Childhood as a Theme in English Literature In 1960, Philippe Ariès 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? [...]

[...] Contrary to what was professed in earlier centuries, childhood was perceived in an increasingly positive light. Soon, it became a favourite theme of the sentimental novel and the poverty and misfortunes of guiltless, insightful and virtuous children were an object of considerable import and frequent discussion in the works of many women writers (e.g. Elizabeth Bonhote's Hortensia; or, Distressed Wife, 1769). The period saw the emergence of the idea that in childhood, the concepts of imagination, sensibility and nature were joined in one. [...]