The Child And The World

Through the vantage point of the relation of the child to the world, this thesis examines five children's novels by two famous contemporary American children's writers: Madeleine L'Engle and Katherine Paterson. These five novels were written separately by them between 1962 and 1980, during or after a time period marked by vehement turbulence in the American society. The world at the time seems more than ever to have its grip on the being of man, and it questions the meaning of life. The child, however innocent or protected, cannot be exempted from its impact. The novels by the two writers reflect the reality of contemporary world and the dilemma and the anxiety of being in it. Children's literature is not immune from the vicissitudes of the world; on the contrary, it is a mirror of the time that can go beyond the usual expectation. Meanwhile, the children's novels by L'Engle and Paterson do not simply reflect the world passively. They lead the child to find the balance between the self and the world. In their novels, a developing relation of the child to the world can be traced, which has three stages: the child in discord with the world, the child on a journey into the world and the child in reconciliation with the world. Accordingly, the image of the child develops from the prodigal child through the pilgrim child to the redemptive child. Chapter One is the background introduction of this thesis. It first explains the selection criteria of the children's novels covered in this study and provides biographical information on Madeleine L'Engle and Katherine Paterson. Due to the limited availability of their children's novels in mainland China, the outlines of the novels selected in the thesis will be included. It then looks back briefly at the history of British and American children's literature, including its origin and development, and revealing its widening reflection of the world.Chapter Two discusses "The Child in Discord with the World", which is the first stage of the relation of the child and the world in the children's novels by L'Engle and Paterson. The world in crisis projects itself onto the child, causing identity confusion and crisis in the latter. The child cannot be harmonious with the world; therefore, he1 chooses to be self-centered, keeps a distance from the world, and becomes the prodigal child.Chapter Three enters the analysis of the second stage "The Child on the Journey into the World". Actively or passively, the child grows from the prodigal to the pilgrim. In order to find the balance of being in the world, the child sets on the journey, prominently in the quest for parents and the quest within. The relation of the child to a mentor as an important aspect of the child's relation to the world will also be discussed.Chapter Four arrives in the final stage "The Child in Reconciliation with the World" in which the child has established a harmonious and balanced relation to the world. The child is enabled to play a more active role in life and in the world. The image of the child culminates in the redemptive child, which is nevertheless different from that of the classical children's literature. Finally the thesis looks at the relation of the child to the writer. As children's writers, L'Engle and Paterson change into the child, through whose innocent eyes they examine the self and the world. Being Christians, they determine the position of the child in the world by their Christian ideology, which subtly manifests the Christian doctrine of sacrificing the self, being in the world and proclaiming salvation.Through the developing relation of the child to the world in their children's literature, Madeleine L'Engle and Katherine Paterson uphold a positive attitude towards being in the world. Though the world is not perfect, their novels encourage the child to keep faith, hope and love in the self and the world.