Children's Literature

Children's Literature is an original and lucid study of the figure of the `child' as it is presented in the rapidly expanding field of the criticism of children's literature. The book argues that, in fact, this same body of criticism reveals the realm of `childhood' as one constructed by the adult reader, and that it is underpinned by the narratives of the liberal arts' educational ideals. This lively polemic places literary discussion into the current wider debates about childhood in psychology and psychotherapy, and represents a significant re-thinking of `childhood' and approaches to children's literature.