Culturing the Child, 1690-1914

This scholarly collection examines the formative period of children's literature through the pioneering lens of Mitzi Myers, whose work fundamentally reshaped how we understand early children's books and their cultural contexts. The essays employ contemporary critical frameworks including feminist theory and cultural studies to analyze literary texts from the long eighteenth century through the Victorian era. Rather than viewing early children's literature as merely didactic, these pieces reveal how stories and educational materials actively participated in shaping childhood itself during this transformative period. Readers will discover fresh perspectives on how literature both reflected and constructed evolving ideas about childhood across two centuries of dramatic social change.

What distinguishes this volume is its dual focus on both historical children's texts and Myers' groundbreaking scholarly legacy, making it particularly valuable for academics and graduate students in children's literature studies. The collection demonstrates how Myers' methodologies—emphasizing the complexity and cultural work of children's books—continue to influence contemporary scholarship in the field. While the academic nature makes it most suitable for university libraries and serious researchers, the insights about childhood's cultural construction will resonate with anyone interested in the history of education and family life. This work ultimately illuminates how the seemingly simple books of childhood carried profound cultural weight in defining what it meant to be a child across different historical moments.