'If they ask us why we died': Children's Literature and the First World War, 1970-2005

Children's Literature post 1970 does not often tackle the First World War, and this paper investigates why this might be so. What emerges are a series of texts which are often received with some acclaim, but are also restricted to very specific patterns of representation. These patterns clearly...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Lion and the unicorn (Brooklyn) Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 176 - 188
Main Author MacCallum-Stewart, Esther
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 01.04.2007
Subjects
Behavior
British & Irish literature
Children & youth
Childrens literature
Childrens novels
Creative writing
English literature
Owen, Wilfred (1893-1918)
War
World War I
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Summary:Children's Literature post 1970 does not often tackle the First World War, and this paper investigates why this might be so. What emerges are a series of texts which are often received with some acclaim, but are also restricted to very specific patterns of representation. These patterns clearly follow a morally didactic way of representing WW1, one which often restricts the ability of writers to diversify their writing and seek alternative representations. This paper examines the way that several texts have dealt with these 'parables' of warfare, and asks whether diversification might be a more healthy alternative.
ISSN:0147-2593
1080-6563
1080-6563
DOI:10.1353/uni.2007.0022