The child in British literature
Subtitle: literary constructions of childhood, medieval to contemporary
By: edited by Adrienne E. Gavin
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2012
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 266
ISBN-13: 9780230348271
Subjects: LITERARY CRITICISM / Children's Literature; Children in literature; English literature; LITERARY CRITICISM / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Children's Studies; Children's literature, English; History and criticism
Other titles: Literary constructions of childhood, medieval to contemporary
Description: The Child in British Literature: Literary Constructions of Childhood Medieval to Contemporary is a collection of fifteen original essays which critically assess childhood in British literature from Medieval texts to contemporary fiction. Tracing changes and consistencies in the representation of childhood across eight centuries (1200 to 2010), the volume is distinctive in being the first book-length treatment of the child across such a wide range of British literary history. Gathering international expertise, the collection includes essays written by scholars in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Experts on childhood in key periods of literature, the contributors reassess and challenge standard views of the literary child, offering fascinating new readings and providing compelling evidence that childhood has been a vibrant element in British writing for over 800 years.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.