Reviewed by: Writing for the Rising Generation: British Fiction for Young People 1672–1839 Alan Rauch (bio) Writing for the Rising Generation: British Fiction for Young People 1672–1839. By Sylvia Kasey Marks . No. 89. ELS Monograph. Victoria, British Columbia: English Literary Studies, 2003. The monograph titles that are published by University of Victoria under the general heading, "English Literary Studies," have always been distinctive and intriguing, if not always satisfying. The series encompasses works of "moderate length" that generally do not contain any material that has been previously published. In a sense, these restrictions are a mixed blessing because while the latter rule guarantees a certain freshness of content, the former rule limits the level and depth of analysis. It's worth knowing this before beginning Sylvia Kasey Marks's important contribution to historical children's literature. Marks covers the period from 1672 to 1839 (167 years) in a mere 109 pages. That leaves very little room for careful analysis or thoughtful engagement with the materials at hand or the historical context out of which they emerged. The six chapters of the book attempt to cover the general areas of writing for children. Thus, after the extremely brief introductory chapter "On Writing for the Rising Generation, 1672–1839," Marks moves on to "The Children's Friend" (Chapter 2), "From Governess to Governess: Setting a Good Example" (Chapter 3), "Not So Silly Novels" (Chapter 4), "Holy Living" (Chapter 5), and "To be Good is to be Happy" (Chapter 6). The constraints of the ELS series are regrettable given the extensive research that Marks clearly undertook in preparation for this book. She has unearthed dozens of authors whose names will either be unknown or only superficially familiar to most readers. Such authors include Rowland Hill (1744–1833, better known for his role in founding the London Missionary Society), Harriet Ventum (fl. 1798–1806), and Alicia Catherine Mant (1788?–1869). Although these authors may be relatively unknown to us, many were prolific in their own time. Mant, for example, was not only the author of Ellen: or the Young Godmother (1812) but at least twelve other books, both instructive and moral, such as The Young Naturalist, A Tale (1824) andCaroline Lismore: or, The errors of Fashion (1815). In collapsing the broad history of children's literature and the many genres of which it is composed (conversations, fairy tales, instructional works, and group stories to mention only a few), Marks collapses brief synopses of content together with telling quotes and hints at historical significance of the work under discussion. Yet often those hints leave the reader wanting more in terms of understanding the contextual significance of one work or another. Marks, for example, cites Maria Hack's assessment (from Winter Evenings (1818–1820) that "stories of giants and castles do not accord with tastes of the present day," without actually explaining the rationale behind Hack's observation. If Hack was, indeed, correct in her assessment, what social and cultural forces accounted for this trend? One might speculate, for example, that the excesses of the Regency era elicited the [End Page 210] response of rationalism, morality, and frankly, sobriety, among writers of this period. The Regent's behavior, in general and toward his ailing father, might also help explain the emphasis on "filial duty" that Marks underscores (72–5). Other insights about this era in particular should have touched on the pragmatism that emerged from so-called "Enlightenment" philosophers such as Hume and Rousseau, as well as the strong cultural influence of industrial technologies. Marks does address the fascination with science that influence so many children's writers (to say nothing of children themselves), and give proper due to the many women, Fenn, Kilner, Wakefield, Edgeworth, and even Maria Hack, who popularized science for a very broad reading public. There are considerable other occasions where Marks does not allow herself the luxury to slow down. Works by Arabella Argus are mentioned in the book without any recognition that the author took the name of the all-seeing Argus as her pseudonym. Elsewhere Marks observes that "we are meant to laugh at some of the fairy tales" of the time, but the conflation of...