Follow the Child, Follow the Books – Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to a Child-Centred History of Danish Children's Literature 1790–1850

Abstract

In this article we present the cross-disciplinary methodology of a project on Danish children's literature 1790–1850 that has the child as the point of departure. The project focuses on three contexts in which children and adults interact with books: the home, the school and the book market. Theoretical inspirations have been drawn from book history, children's literature studies and childhood studies, including the concept of agency. A major database maps Danish books aimed at children 1750–1850, making it possible to trace the popularity of titles through reprints and new editions and to follow specific actors (authors, illustrators, printers and so on). Ego-documents by children – for example, letters written by Ida Thiele (1830–1862) – are analysed as sources of information on children's own experiences with books, their use of different media and their interaction with peers, relatives and teachers in relation to reading and books. Finally, we demonstrate how significant changes in form, content and the materiality of books for children can be captured, when following specific books such as E. Munthe's books on history and geography around the communication circuit. The article concludes that a combination of different cross-disciplinary methodologies is essential in a history of children's literature with children at its centre.