Adventure is one of the most important topics in fictional children’s literature. This can easily be demonstrated by the great number of titles that contain the term. There are Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or Defoe’s The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, just to name a few well-known examples. There is even an own literary subgenre devoted to adventure stories. But why are adventures told? What are their functions in children’s literature besides pure entertainment? Provided that books of adventure stories are undoubtedly the most favoured among all children’s literature, there is surprisingly little specific material available on this topic. In this paper, two works will be examined to help bridging this gap: Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This work proceeds in the following way: After a discussion in how far Robinson Crusoe and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz can be regarded as children’s literature, problems arising in treating the adventure concept are outlined. Then, the historic development of adventures in children’s literature is presented in a general overview. After this, the two works under examination are used to identify functions of adventures in general with special emphasis on children’s literature. Last but not least, the hero as central subject to literary adventures is given attention before summing up the results in a final conclusion. The fact that in this paper only two works can be analyzed exemplarily certainly entails a limitation of the functions that can be treated here. Nevertheless, some general functions of children’s literature will also be outlined.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Robinson Crusoe and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as classics of children's literature
- Towards a definition of "adventure"
- The general development of adventures in children's literature
- Functions of adventures
- Adventure as process of the hero's self-discovery
- Adventure as the hero's school of assimilation
- Entertainment of the reader
- Compensatory function
- Education of the reader
- The hero as role model
- Values and Virtues
- Affirmation and challenge of social norms
- The Hero
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze the function of adventures in children's literature using the examples of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The paper will explore the historical development of adventure in children's literature and examine how these specific works embody the core functions of the adventure narrative.
- The classification of Robinson Crusoe and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as children's literature.
- The definition and historical development of the adventure narrative in children's literature.
- The functions of adventure narratives, including entertainment, compensation, education, and the formation of values.
- The role of the hero in adventure narratives, including their process of self-discovery and assimilation.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction sets the stage for the paper by discussing the prominence of adventure in children's literature and the need for a deeper understanding of its functions. The paper explores the historical development of adventures in children's literature and examines the specific case of Robinson Crusoe and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Chapter two addresses the classification of Robinson Crusoe and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as children's literature, exploring the complex relationship between children's and adult literature. It argues that these works, despite not being originally intended for children, have been adopted by young readers and are considered classics of children's literature due to their enduring popularity.
Chapter three tackles the challenge of defining “adventure.” It acknowledges the broad scope of the term and addresses Eggebrecht's criticism of its insubstantiality. The chapter argues for a more nuanced understanding of the term, considering the concept of crossing boundaries and its connection to the idea of adventure.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on children's literature, adventures, Robinson Crusoe, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, historical development, functions of adventure, hero, self-discovery, assimilation, education, entertainment, compensatory function, values, and social norms.
- Quote paper
- Yvonne Studtfeld (Author), 2007, Adventures in Classical Children's Literature, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/113150
