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‘The Child Reader and the Birth of Children’s Literature, 1700-1840’
Dr Matthew Grenby, Newcastle University
Monday 14 May 2012, V&A Museum of Childhood, 17.30-19.00
Children's literature, it is often said, was an invention of the
eighteenth century. But who owned and read these new books, where did
they get them, and what sort - and how many - of them were they likely
to own? Moreover, how did these young people actually use this
new-fangled product, and what did they think of it? Since children
leave so few reliable records of their lives these are all difficult
questions to answer. But by combining many unused and unusual kinds of
evidence - inscriptions, marginalia, journals, letters, portraits, and
the contents of the books themselves - it has been possible to
discover much about this first generation of readers of children's
literature, and, from this, to say with much more certainty how
children's literature began.
Talks are free but booking is recommended. Telephone 020 8983 5205.
Directions to the venue on www.museumofchildhood.org.uk
The Child in the World programme is organised by the V&A Museum of
Childhood in collaboration with Queen Mary, University of London. See
www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/research/childintheworld for further details.