Children's Literature of Europe > Scattered Beginnings

Background

Before the 18th century there was little literature for children, but there was literature children liked. All literature began with folklore, which was probably aimed at a general audience of all ages. Through the years many stories and songs from folklore have been adapted especially for children (see storytelling).

The earliest published books were generally meant for adults. The first books actually aimed at children, or for use with children, were either lesson books or conduct books, which taught manners and morals. These were not typically literature (see literature).

In England in the 7th and 8th centuries churchmen such as Bede and Alcuin began to write lesson books for students. In the mid-15th century a new type of instructional device, the hornbook, began to appear in England. A hornbook was not really a book but rather a printed page pasted on a wooden paddle. The page was protected by a transparent sheet of horn, which looked like clear plastic. On the page were the alphabet, a short prayer, and other material for learning to read. The Puritans brought hornbooks to America for teaching their children. The battledore, a sheet of cardboardlike paper folded into several panels, gradually replaced the hornbook after its introduction in the mid-18th century. The content of battledores was similar to that of hornbooks.

The first picture book written especially for children was also designed to teach. In Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic) in 1658 the educator John Amos Comenius published Orbis Sensualium Pictus (The Visible World in Pictures), a textbook with detailed pictures of a wide variety of subjects. Comenius felt these would hold the attention of children longer and would, therefore, make it easier for children to learn.

Children's Literature of Europe

In the countries of Europe, written literature for children began in the 17th century. Very little was published at first, and children often turned, as always, to adult literature for adventure and excitement.

Children's Literature of Europe > Scattered Beginnings

In Italy Giambattista Basile's collection of folktales, Lo Cunto de li Cunti (1634; The Tale of Tales), was not written for children. But many of the stories, such as "Sleeping Beauty" and "Cinderella," came to be children's favorites. Swiss literature for children began with the custom in Zürich of having children deliver tax money to city officials on New Year's Day. The children were accustomed to getting a treat as a reward, but in 1645 they received sheets of paper instead. On each sheet was a picture with some verse underneath. These Neujahrsblätter (New Year's Sheets) became popular and spread from Zürich to other parts of Switzerland.

Children's books of the 17th century were often preachy and dull, but there were exceptions—books that entertained the reader while teaching a lesson. One such book was Jean de La Fontaine's Fables (1668). Another was Charles Perrault's French fairy tales, sometimes known as Tales of Mother Goose. Perrault wrote modern versions of such tales as "Red Riding Hood" and "Bluebeard" to amuse his children. A third exception was John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (1678). Although written as an allegory about the human soul, it appealed to children as an adventure story. (See also Bunyan, John; fable; La Fontaine, Jean de.)

Another exception to preachy and dull books were the chapbooks. They were little paperbacks sold by peddlers, or chapmen, and commonly written for adults. Early chapbooks were often sensational versions of medieval romances and other stories. Later chapbooks also contained fairy tales, and many of these appealed to children.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16