Children’s Literature

1. Children’s Literature Sara Zadrozny

2. The Wind in the Willows

3. The author • Kenneth Grahame was well connected to the London literary world. • Aspects of Wind in the Willows are reminiscent of books by Jerome. K. Jerome, C.S. Lewis and Thomas Hrady. • The argument that the book is for children centres on the letters sent to Alistair Grahame. • In these, he recounts the adventures of ‘Mr Toad’.

4. Anthropomorphism • Having looked at A.A. Milne’s work on animals as ‘people/toys’, it is clear that anthropomorphism is used for an effect in books for children. • The effect is to point out dimensions of the ‘animals’ lives that need improving through their companionship. • The absence of ‘meaningful’ female characters has been commented on by critics like Peter Hunt (xxx, 2010).

5. Two books? • Other critics have explored the chapters of the book to argues that the first half explores nature and the Mole journey to be with friends. • The second half is dominated by Toad’s adventures. • Arguably, the second half is ‘for’ children, although Chapters like ‘The Pipers at the Gates of Dawn’ and ‘Wayfarers All’ are cut from some children's editions.

6. Ideas of Childhood • The text also suggests some of the problems associated with discussion of childhood. • These are exemplified by the theorists John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. • They argued that childhood was a period that required firm control (Locke) or that childhood was a period of innocence (Rousseau). • These may be aligned with Toad (out of control) or Mole (happy in his innocent experience of nature).

7. Further reading • Carpenter, H. (1985). Secret Gardens. London: Allen & Unwin • Grahame, K. (2010). (ed. Hunt, P.) The Wind in the Willows. Oxford: OUP