Fifty Works of English Literature We Could Do Without by Brigid Brophy

Contains essays on stories, fairy tales, and writing for children. Interesting especially for the essay “America as Fairy Tale”. Down the Rabbit Hole Adventures and Misadventures in the Realm of Children’s Literature. And the books are listed chronologically, which appeals to the historian in me…

The scholarship is a little suspect (they actually confused Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens with the novel Peter Pan!), but it’s an interesting coffee table book to flip through with beautiful colour illustrations from said books. Part of a ludicrous series of “1001” must see, must hear, must reads in the current trend of ridiculous rankings and bucket lists. The title made me roll my eyes, but not without interest. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. Invaluable for the many examples of early books for children.Įccleshare, Julia, ed.

From Instruction to Delight: An Anthology of Children’s Literature to 1850. Terrific overview and background to the classic titles.ĭemers, Patricia & Moyles, Gordon, eds. Portrays arcadian writing for children as part of a general tendency towards idyllic, ruralist fantasy among many English authors of the time. Focussing on British writers from about the 1840s up until the outbreak of WWI (with A.A. Secret Gardens: The Golden Age of Children’s Literature. As the title suggests, a rather flippant trashing of 50 literary classics, including Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Huckleberry Finn… not to mention Hamlet! Interesting only as a curiosity.Ĭarpenter, Humphrey. Fifty Works of English and American Literature We Could Do Without. Highly recommended.īrophy, Brigid Levey, Michael Osborne, Charles. Heavy Freudian going at times, but even if you don’t buy into that, there are a lot of fascinating insights. Bettelheim defends fairy tales in their original form as necessary for a child’s healthy psychological development. The Uses of Enchantment The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Avery/Penguin, 2009.īettelheim, Bruno.

What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child and All the Best Times to Read Them. (Last updated 9 March 2011) Children’s Lit – GeneralĪllyn, Pam. Here’s a list of what I’ve read – for anyone interested.

Fifty Works of English Literature We Could Do Without by Brigid Brophy