What is appropriate in childrens literature?

30 replies

zanz1bar · 06/02/2010 11:46

So following an AIBU thread about Harry Potter. The Op says 'the themes and ideas in the books - particularly the later ones - are entirely inappropriate and largely incomprehensible for KS1 children.'

What are these themes and ideas?

With Snow White . Hansel and Gretel, and The Little Mermaid offering themes of child abuse, murder, warped ideas of beauty and women . I wonder what horrors Harry Potter could have?

If treated with intelligent and subtle compassion most themes and ideas are dealt with as common place in childrens literature?

If anything its hard to find a plain story with out an opening chapter of death and destruction of the parents and a harrowing tale of a childs journey through life.
Cest la vie?

OP posts:

star9 · 18/02/2010 11:31

I've got a collection of the Grimm tales in a fairly original form (including lots of not so famous ones) that I had as a child - recently re-read them and was shocked at the amount of blood, violence etc etc.

Will let my kids have them at some point but found it quite amusing what was considered appropriate then as compared to now

Original poster

zanz1bar · 06/02/2010 18:50

the original grimms tales are a bit blood guts and all, but then disney doesn't write out the evil step mother or sea witch completely.

Nearly all the classic childrens literature starts with chapter one death and desertion of parents followed by horrendous and dangerous adults or speaking animals out to get/kill small child.

OP posts:

Miggsie · 06/02/2010 18:34

Grimm's fairy tales pretty much tell children that really quite bad things happen all the time and to innocent children as well.

I think the issue with Harry Potter, is that, after 6 books you have an emotional "relationship" with the characters and so are more upset if one dies/is tortured etc.

In short fairy stories you can say "how awful" but there isn't the emotional investment there when something bad happens.

bidibidi · 06/02/2010 18:31

So who reads the original Grimm stories nowadays to their little children? Answer: no one. Grimm stories were written and made popular in a time when children were much more routinely and daily exposed to death, violence, disease, sex, pestilence and huge social injustices. We shield our modern young DC from most of that history nowadays -- and for good reasons.

I don't feel HP that inappropriate for scariness, but it's simply too complicated (after the first book) for my KS1-age children to follow properly!

FernieB · 06/02/2010 18:26

Was discussing a similar thing yesterday with a friend. Our 9/10 year old DD's were discussing fairy tales and which was the scariest - they all thought Snow White! I pointed out that for long term abuse, it had to be Cinderella's stepmother. The neglect Harry Potter suffered at the hands of the Dursleys is nothing to what Cinders suffered. The witches in the fairy tales are more sinister than Voldemort as at least he never pretends to be friendly to trick/abduct children.

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