Berenice Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I've always loved them, as a child and an adult. But they always made me think too much about reality and fantasy and the thin line in between, and the madness theme the books had was... unsettling to say the least when I was a child. So I don't see these books as childrens books anymore... Whats your opinion about that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 (edited) A very interesting question... A lot of books published for children in the 17 & 1800's seem very mature and/or advanced by today's standards. Even fairy tales, if you've ever read the original Brothers Grimm, were rather gory and would not be considered appropriate for children if written today. I agree with you that there are some underlying adult themes, but it was written in a time when children were expected to be little adults, so does historical context come into play here? Also, are these themes any different from the innuendos found in every kid movie today, the totally inappropriate jokes/references that the parents get, but go straight over the children's heads? Is this just the 1865 version of that? Just some thoughts... Edited March 19, 2014 by dtrpath27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuriousGeorgette Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I think that any good children's book should be written well enough that it can be appreciated by adults. I disapprove of the dumbing down of books for kids. Kids are capable of reading and understanding things far beyond what is considered 'age appropriate' these days. I cringe when I see some kid's TV shows as well. Children are not small mindless morons that have to be spoken to in an infantile and patronizing tone, whether in person or in writing. They may need some filtering of some content, and some concepts are not suitable, but apart from that, they are in fact quite able to comprehend complete sentences. Actually 'horror' as it is in Grimm's Fairy Tales is apparently good for kids because their imaginary worlds are often filled with horror and stories like that, where the wicked witch is burnt in her own oven, and wickedness gets its just deserts help children cope with putting a name on their fears and give them the power to overcome them. However it must be said that there must a clear line between good and evil and evil must always be overcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 It is a children's book, because it was written for children (well, specifically one child, Alice Liddell), but I think the fact it remains so appealing to adults signifies how good the book is. I loved it as a child and I still love it now! I didn't find it at all unsettling as a child though, I think Carroll ensures that you never believe Alice is really in danger. Even at times it should be obviously dangerous... like falling miles down a hole... Alice isn't concerned about it and therefore neither are you. At the one point Alice could potentially be in actual danger ("Off with her head!"), she is safely transported back out of Wonderland. I think that the Alice books are based around the idea of a child having to deal with a world full of stupid rules that seem to be nonsense, but which she is expected to follow anyway. And I think that's a theme we can all relate to and laugh about, as children but also as adults, now that we've learnt the rules and how to follow them, sometimes you still have to stop and think "wow, that rule is stupid, why would you have to do that!?". And who wouldn't want to visit a place called 'Wonderland' anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berenice Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 I agree with all of you more or less!!! There are actually many books and short stories that have the same qualities as Alice but this was the most obvious example... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 It's an interesting idea, and I was actually reading something along these lines on the BBC website only this lunchtime. Can't find it now (typical), but the gist of it was that we, as adults see things in children's books, even modern ones, that children won't necessarily get consciously, but will pick up sub-consciously. This is how young children learn a lot of the time anyway. They may not understand fully what an adult is saying, but will get the some of it from facial expression, tone etc. If I find the article - I'll post it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadya Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 That's one of the great aspects of these books. When well written, you will still appreciate them as an adult. In many of them you discover and understand something you couldn't or didn't when reading as a child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I guess I'm on the fence about this. Having read Christina Rossetti's The Goblin Market I'm a little disturbed to think it could have been written for children. Very provocative stuff, that. I've also heard/read that Pinocchio was not necessarily made for children. Guess I need to research this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.