Children’s Literature Matters (?)

Abstract

Researchers agree that the instrumental benefits of regular childhood reading are quite clear, but there is considerably less agreement about whether the content of such reading has any influence on either identity formation or the development of ethical awareness. It is argued here that a full understanding of why childhood reading matters, and how best to utilize its propulsive force, is currently hampered by an academic unwillingness to admit that the content of reading may matter as much as the process. This is further complicated by a postmodern distrust of the inherent power imbalance between adult authors and child readers. After considering Jacqueline Rose’s theories ([1984] 1994. The Case of Peter Pan or the Impossibility of Children’s Fiction. London: Macmillan), and recent developments both in ethical criticism and evolutionary psychology, the article suggests that it may be time to reassess attitudes to children’s literature, as well as its position within the academy. In conclusion it is pointed out that countries where academic engagement with children’s fiction is neglected do not merely risk economic stagnation but may in effect be trapping their young in imaginative straitjackets that hamper the development of both empathy and creative engagement with the world.