Course Description

This course explores literature for children from the Golden Age (Victorian and on) to the present. The development of literature specifically for children ages 5 to 12 relies on a fairly modern definition and acknowledgement of childhood as a valid period of human life. The Victorians were, indeed, the first to cultivate a children's culture and specific reading. A journey from the picture book, through the illustrated book and short stories, to the chapter book, this course will follow the development of children's literature chronologically and will explore the changes that have been made in the last 200 years.