E Nesbit was a Fabian socialist, and her ideas were reflected and indeed at times explicitly stated in her stories for childrenFrom the “improving” children’s books of the 19th century to the present day, many children’s books have reflected the political ideologies of their authors – whether the authors intend it or not. A similar conservativism can be seen elsewhere in children’s books, even when the characters themselves seem to be extremely anti-authoritarian. It’s pretty hard hitting for a 1940 children’s book. “In many senses, I think that it wouldn’t have been published were it adult literature; being in a children’s book enabled it to slide under the metaphorical radar. Many children’s writers have been actively political in their private lives, though that hasn’t always filtered through to their fiction.

Source: The Irish Times August 19, 2020 04:00 UTC