Origins of Children’s Literature, Essay Example

The origin of children’s literature as a derivative from folk literature shapes my understanding of the category of children’s literature because it allows me to generate a relationship between the whimsy and fantasy that are frequent in these works and historically relevant myths and fables (Folk Literature: The Origin of Children’s Literature 1). One of the most striking similarities between children’s literature and folk literature is that both genres were generated for purposes of education during various time periods (Folk Literature: The Origin of Children’s Literature 2). Folk tales were created with the intent of sharing a lesson with both adults and children. These stories taught morals, educated people about historical events, and provided answers about life. The main difference between folk literature and modern children’s literature relies primarily upon how the stories are conventionally told; folk literature was an oral tradition in which orators passed the stories down from generation to generation while children’s literature was recorded. Ultimately, children’s literature developed as a consequence of recording these stories. Famous writers, such as Hans Christen Anderson recorded and adapted these folk stories, which have been further modified by other writers to provide a tale that is both educational and entertaining to a child audience (Stahl 209). As a consequence, the origins of children’s literature, folk literature, ultimately evolved into the literature that children frequently read today.

According to the week 1 lecture, “Developing Aesthetics – History of Children’s Literature”, English philosopher John Locked proposed the concept that a good child rearing strategy could include the development of books that are pleasant and fun for children (Developing Aesthetics – History of Children’s Literature 2). While this was a novel idea, the concept of pleasant and fun reading was applied for readers of all age groups, not just children. This movement led to the publication of many classic books that were accompanied by woodcut illustrations. The historical perspective of children’s literature therefore impacts our understanding of aesthetics of books. The images that were initially included in books were not solely meant for children; they were meant to accompany the reading to make it more fun. As a consequence, the addition of aesthetics marks more the shift from reading as a solely education and religious matter to one that can be used for recreational purposes.

Even though the development of aesthetics of books was intended to entertain adults, many children enjoyed to view these engravings as well. Eventually, writers such as Beatrice Potter picked up on this concept and aimed to generate literature that would hold the interest of children. This effort involved including colors to make the illustrations more enticing (Aesthetics as a Means of Censorship 4).

In conclusion, children’s literature formed as a consequence of subsequence writings and rewritings of stories that had previously been considered a part of folk literature. This origin of children’s literature also impacts our understanding of aesthetics used in modern children’s books. While the illustrations were meant to be enticing, they weren’t created entirely for children; rather they were meant to emphasize the main points of the story and add an entertainment value to literature that all could appreciate.

Works Cited

“Aesthetics as a Means of Censorship”.Week 1 Lecture. Children’s Literature. AIO. 25 November 2013.

“Folk Literature: The Origin of Children’s Literature”. Week 2 Lecture. Children’s Literature. AIO. 4 December 2013.

Stahl, J D, Tina L. Hanlon, and Elizabeth L. Keyser. Crosscurrents of Children’s Literature: An Anthology of Texts and Criticism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.