Childhood and Children’s Fiction
What is children’s fiction? Many key ideas come to mind such as fiction which is read by children. Fiction which is written for but generally not by children. Fiction which categorised as such by publishers or fiction that is placed within the children’s fiction category in bookshops. The apostrophe is key to understanding what children’s fiction is. It suggests a sense of ownership but how much of the fiction that is classed under ‘children’s fiction’ does the child really own?
Our contemporary understanding of the child and the space of childhood is informed by a variety of sources as diverse as Puritanism, Romanticism, psychoanalysis and educational theory. Understanding what influence these competing discourses have had and how they have helped to shape our understanding of childhood and thus children’s literature is necessary in order to underpin any critical evaluation of writing for the child.
By truly understanding what children’s fiction is, we have to understand the concept of childhood. What is understood with the term ‘childhood’ varies with person to person. Peter Hunt described childhood as “the period of life which the immediate culture thinks of as being free of responsibility and susceptible to education… children are people whose minds and bodies have not yet matured in various definable ways.”
If we think about childhood from a literal stance then it is the stage after infancy but before puberty/adolescence. Legally in the UK, you are still perceived as a child until 16–18 however, ‘children’ are still accountable for their actions from 10 years old. They can be arrested whilst they are still classed as children. Legal definitions of ‘childhood’ and ‘children’ have emerged gradually throughout the evolution of law and politics and are still ever-changing.
However, from a conceptual stance, in my opinion, I believe that childhood is a blank page. From birth, a baby is only aware of its immediate surroundings. As the baby gets older and is within its toddler years, they become aware of certain issues such as what is wrong or right. Childhood is a cultural concept of a stage where one becomes less dependent on their parents for basic needs such as walking and eating and begin to learn by observation, communication and experimentation. Slowly, the blank page begins to fill up and thus the child begins to develop socially and morally throughout their environment such as at school and at home. A child is expected to fit within the realms of society and fit the ‘mould’ as they progress into adolescence and adulthood.
However, cultural conceptions and connotations of childhood vary and thus a true definition of childhood is unavailable. Even the age ranges of childhood vary from culture to culture and from time to time. We can see this throughout history as during earlier times children were expected to behave like adults and did not have the freedom to imagine and explore as they do in Western society today. Additionally, many societies today across the world still perceive children to be ‘mini adults’ and expect them to work and behave as such. Childhood within the same society can also differ. This can be due to race, culture, religion and class.
Childhood should be seen as a period where one is carefree and has the freedom to explore themselves and their roles within society rather than getting moulded into a specific ideology of what a child should progress to be once they are adults. Children should be given the space and right to become who they wish to be with positive guidance and nurturing. They should not be pushed into specific paths by their parents, teachers or others just to ‘fit in’ however they should be encouraged to make a good decisions and lead the life they wish.
Childhood is an important part of anyone’s life and it predetermines how the person will act as an adult. A good childhood will ensure that one is prepared for adulthood and this entails positive teaching, encouragement and guidance.
Now, you may be thinking what does this have to do with literature? Well, to understand the concept of childhood we can begin to understand why certain pieces of literature are classed as children’s fiction.
During the 18th century, folktales/fairy-tales were frowned upon and were most definitely not encouraged for children to read as they were perceived as dubious as they allowed the imagination to run wild. The 18th century standards of children, wished for children to live in the now rather than wonder about what could happen in another fantasy world. Today, we wholly encourage the reading of fairy-tales and we go as far as having them on the curriculum whether from Nursery or to University, they are still used, either to help instil good morals or to use to learn about with regards to children’s fiction.
Leading back to an earlier blog where I discussed that Harry Potter was not a children’s book, certain periods of time will allow for different types of literature to be aimed at children. In my opinion, and you can disagree with me if you like, Harry Potter never was and never will be a children’s book, therefore it should not be classed as such. I am more than happy to have this debate with anyone who is willing.
Even in today’s period of time we can see a drastic change within childhood in just one generation or less. Certainly, when I was a child reading a book meant enjoying the experience of holding a physical copy and turning those pages with suspense at what was to come next. Although that is still possible and occurring today, there are other platforms to read on such as phones, iPad’s and Kindles etc. More and more children are getting into technology at a time where I wouldn't have even been able to operate a standard Nokia phone.
So, what would you class as children’s fiction? What is your definition of childhood? Do you agree with the concept that children should be carefree and live fairly stress-free? Or do you believe that children should be moulded and shaped into the ‘correct’ and ‘right’ way a person should be right from the start? Let me know your thoughts!
Yours Playfully,
Sadia Parveen.
@Sadia_x95
