Posted by Anne LeVeque on May 11, 1999 at 16:08:10 from 207.197.129.139:
In Reply to: Re: Childhood and Literary Nihilism posted by Robert Dilley on May 11, 1999 at 15:07:01:
In defending 'issues' type books, I was NOT saying that ALL children's
literature HAD to deal with the problems of everyday life. In fact, I
cited some contemporary authors who are engaged in writing 'ripping good
yarns' for children and teenagers. I WAS suggesting that there is a
place for such books. Children whose parents are divorcing may not want
to read about children whose parents are divorcing, but then, maybe they
do and maybe it can help them process some of the changes going on in
their lives. Books like that can also help kids understand that they
are not the only ones in the world with problems.
Most books of that genre will not become 'classics' - they are too time-
and place-bound. Good literature, whether written for children or for
adults, will transcend their particular time and place, hence the popularity
of AR in places like Japan and the US. Dickens wrote about 'issues', but
his work transcended those issues and now gives us a telescope through
which we can look back at the grim life of children in 19th century London.
Ransome himself is guilty of writing about 'issues' like egg-collecting!
Through his novels, he was able to change public opinion about this so-
called hobby. Because Dick is horrified to encounter an egg-collector
when he thought he was going to meet a fellow bird-watcher means that we,
the readers, will be equally horrified!
Anne LeVeque