The Poetics of Childhood

by Roni Natov

Roni Natov traces the development of a distinct poetics - a way of imagining the experience of childhood - from the earliest conceptions of innocence in the Romantic Age through contemporary times. A variety of literary texts, both those written for children and those engaging a mature readership, are examined for their use of childhood memory as a lens through which the adult - or the child in the adult - views the world. Her study encompasses a broad sweep of literary traditions, including pastoral, dark pastoral, antipastoral, picture books, fantasy, and realism, as well as a remarkable range of authors - from William Blake and Lewis Carroll to Doris Lessing and J.K. Rowling. Natov discerns in all of them what is uniquely enchanting about the best of childhood literature and why it continues to captivate readers of all ages.

302 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2002