Dickens and Children's Literature / Richard Pearson.

This paper compares and contrasts two articles in which Dickens constructs an adult identity through his childhood reading, "A Christmas Tree" (1850) and "Nurse's Stories" (1860), with one in which Dickens constructs the identity of a child in his work for children, "A Child's History of England" (1...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pearson, Richard, 1948-
Language:English
Published: [Place of publication not identified] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1996.
Subjects:
Characterization.
Childhood Attitudes.
Childrens Literature.
Emotional Response.
Family Problems.
Family Relationship.
Family Role.
Fiction.
Foreign Countries.
Memory.
Dickens (Charles) > Identity Formation
Reports, Descriptive.
Speeches/Meeting Papers.
Genre:
Reports, Descriptive.
Speeches/Meeting Papers.
Physical Description:5 pages
Format: Microfilm Book
Description
Summary:
This paper compares and contrasts two articles in which Dickens constructs an adult identity through his childhood reading, "A Christmas Tree" (1850) and "Nurse's Stories" (1860), with one in which Dickens constructs the identity of a child in his work for children, "A Child's History of England" (1851-53). Infused into all of these works is Dickens' memory of his own childhood reading, and his reconstruction of childhood as a tension between innocent wonderment and disturbing fears. The darker side of the mind can only be held in check by the retention of childlike innocence. The family unit is, for Dickens, the facilitator of this preservation. But the family is also the source of the darker thoughts of the individual. Dickens' philosophy is a complex and ambiguous one. If the family can be the inspirer of wonder and the preserver of innocence, so it can also be the introducer of terror and fear to the child's mind. Dickens' childhood world is not a simple one. And he as father, teacher, and author continued to recreate his own childhood fantasies and fears in the minds of his readership. (Author/SWC)
Note:ERIC Note: In: Sustaining the Vision. Selected Papers from the Annual Conference of the International Association of School Librarianship (24th, Worcester, England, July 17-21, 1995); see IR 056 149.
Microform.
Call Number:ED400847 Microfiche
Reproduction Note:
Microfiche. [Washington D.C.]: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches : positive.