A History of the Golden Age of Children's Literature

A survey of Golden Age texts for children from Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" to W.E.B. Du Bois's "Brownies' Book," British and American, 1865-1920. Fiction, drama, poetry. In this course we will examine a remarkable period in the history of children's literature. The texts we read will cover a broad range of genres, from domestic fiction to fantasy literature to stories of adventure. The settings include the British nursery, the American small town, the plains of Africa, a deserted island and a rabbit hole. The depictions of and assumptions about children that emerge from these disparate texts will guide our investigation of the period's concept of childhood and its relation to categories of identity and nation. Students will be encouraged to take a fresh look at works whose familiarity and/or iconic status have in the past exempted them from serious analysis. Authors will include Alcott, Du Bois, Dunbar, Barrie, Baum, Burnett, Carroll, Nesbit, Stevenson, and Twain. Critical readings accompany each text. Satisfies the Nineteenth Century requirement.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU Hum; AS HUM; FA HUM; AR HUM; EL NC

A History of the Golden Age of Children's Literature

AMERICAN CULTURE STUDIES 3340

Section 01

Section 02