Victorian Childhood

Averil Eagle December 7, 2012 LCC 3514 Victorian Childhood

Upper class children of the Victorian era were “born with a silver spoon in their mouths.” Their families had the affordances of travel, entertainment, education and everything that high society had to offer. Many families chose to educate and raise their children within the strict confines of the home. This education was learned through childrearing guides, storybooks, and the popular literature of the era. All of which had an extreme moralistic tone and emphasis. The child-­‐centered publications of the Victorian era had an influential role in the development of Victorian youth.

The term “childhood” is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the

state or stage of life of a child; the time during which one is a child; the time from birth to puberty” and first originates in Old English. (OED REF) It was used in literature post-­‐Shakespeare but only became a well-­‐developed term and concept by the Victorian age. It is important to note that immediately prior to the Victorian era, there were two sincerely influential philosophers that intellectually discussed childhood and the approach to this stage in a human’s life: John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Locke and Rousseau’s work on childhood was formulated in, and against a certain context. The widely accepted narrative among social historians of

childhood is progressive, suggesting that “childhood” as a distinct category was a Romantic, hence rather late, invention. (Benziman, 27) Only by the last decades of the eighteenth century did children come to be viewed as autonomous beings rather than as mere extensions of the patriarchal family. Philippe Aries, in his highly influential Centuries of Childhood, argued that prior to the seventeenth century there had been no general concept of childhood. Rather than being treated as inferior or as mere objects, since the late eighteenth century children have been regarded as subjects in their own right, worthy of respect and protection and even idealized.

(Benziman, 27) So while the idea of “childhood” was developing, so were the thoughts on educating these small humans. Accounts of the history of educational theory often present John Locke as the first thinker to introduce a moral liberal approach toward children, and the first to reject the requirement to save children’s souls by chastising them continually for sin the did not commit. (Benziman, 33) Locke went on to publish Some Thoughts Concerning Education in 1693. In this paper Locke does not detail a systematic theory of education. It was originally composed out of a series of letters originally written to a friend who had asked for advice. Cultural historians describe it as the premier child-­‐guidance book of the eighteenth century and was the foundation that the childrearing guides of the nineteenth century. (Benziman, 35)

The concept of childrearing has historically and almost implicitly assumed

that children cannot be left to their own devices; they need a superior authority to

provide limits and direction. The regard towards children in the childrearing guides contrasted between two extremes: children could be either “angelic cherubs” or “vicious vipers”. Obviously, the former was desired but was considered only a result of the correct parental practices. Rousseau published Emile-­‐ a parable illustrating his belief that children were born in a state of purity rather than wickedness. His ideas encouraged childcare writers to take a more relaxed approach to the topic of discipline. Angelic smiles were no longer a mask behind which a “viper” lurked; they were a sign that you had been blessed with one of God’s “cherubs.” (Marshal, 25) This realized concept of childhood and education complicated the task of raising a child for parents and governesses alike. The balance of freedom and control was a new notion in childrearing in the nineteenth century.

Prior to the Victorian era, much of the childrearing literature focused on

Puritan moralistic value and chastisement for innate sin. Starting in the nineteenth century, these Puritan beliefs began to lose ground. The transitioning gentler views that emerged brought with them the need to balance authority and license, and temper control with a gradual increase in freedom. A child’s will was no longer something to be broken—it had to be harnessed and directed. Complete obedience had been a simple concept; however difficult it might be to put it into practice, at least there was no uncertainty as to the goal. (Marshal, 27) This was all concept knowledge to parents; how these ideals were put into practice were different story and can be observed through examination of Victorian childcare literature.

The dilemma of freedom versus control was illustrated throughout the

Victorian era by diverse impressions throughout the available pamphlets and books.

At times the advice was anything but permissive and was reminiscent of the harshness and rigidity that characterized Puritan times. In 1890 Doctor Francis Rankin published Hygiene of Childhood. In this he advised parents to get serious about discipline as soon as possible and stated that “lessons in obedience can be and should be commenced during the early months of infancy, for children, like animals, will intuitively recognize the necessity of obedience.” Later he remarks that should you fail, your offspring was bound to become a “monster of selfishness, and a source of continual discomfort to himself and to those about him.” (Marshall, 28) With this as motivation, parents and governesses were compelled to raise their children with freedom and control in a perfect balance. The morals that the parental figures were trying to instill were many times conveyed through the children’s literature at the time as well as the prominent novels of the era.

Children's books, particularly from the late Victorian period, look familiar to

us today. Instead of the plain fare of instruction, books for the young appealed to adult as well as childish fancies. Picture books were celebrated as works of art and were enjoyed by a large following. (Lundin, 31) These books were not only valued by the children but also by the parents from which they came. Victorian children's books were perceived as commodities, in the sense of being used as prizes or gifts or rewards, gift books, and toy books. Books as prizes had a long tradition in juvenile

publishing. Booksellers would routinely publish an influx of juvenile novels and books two months before Christmas in order to promote the idea of the book as a commodity and a gift. (Lundin, 35) This legacy is still seen today: children’s literature still remains as one of the most stable published titles and has actually seen an increase in recent times. (Shuttleworth, 212) There is a concern, however, how the digital age will change this with the onset of ereaders and tablets.

In the Victorian era, Children’s books and novels were originally designed to impart moral guidelines, to reinforce exemplary behavior, and to caution against evils of intemperance or profanity. (Lundin, 34) Subliminal messages were prevalent and successfully conveyed what was socially acceptable and encouraged.

Reviewers began in earnest to differentiate between boys' and girls' books in the 1890s. Current Literature (a nineteenth century literary review) defined the gender differences by suggesting that morals should be introduced indirectly into stories, so that little boys would intuitively recognize the requisite qualities behind the heroes of adventure fiction, and little girls would be stirred in their feminine stories with “sweetness and innocence in charming profusion.” (Lundin, 43) Many of the most popular stories during this era were simply revitalized fairy tales. Numerous editions of Charles Perrault’s classics, such as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, appeared throughout the nineteenth century, as did the works of the Brothers Grimm. Similar to their reception today, these books were entertaining but the primary intent was moral direction. Perrault, for example, concluded each tale with a moral. The moral of Red Riding Hood was that “children, especially pretty, nicely

brought-­‐up young ladies, ought never to talk to strangers or dwell in the woods.” As for Sleeping Beauty, she reinforced the notion that “a brave, rich, handsome husband is a prize well worth waiting for.” (Marshall, 40) The illustrations that accompanied these works also emphasized the physical demeanor that the children were supposed to possess. In Figures 1-­‐4, several different interpretations of Little Red Riding Hood by different artists. Each highlights the femininity and demure that every little girl should possess and of course the “sweetness and innocence in charming profusion.” In general, the prevalence of illustration accompanying text in periodicals and novels affected the expectations of the public for the reading experience. In suggesting character, advancing plot, stating dialogue, and in-­‐ fusing moral significance, the illustrator's creativity shared the novelist's dramatic quality.

(Lundin, 40) This was most common in the popular novels of the era but still had a distinct effect on the children’s literature of the day.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Red Riding Hood by George Frederic Watts

A depiction by Gustave Doré.

Figure 4

Figure 5

Woodcut by Walter Crane

Woodcut by Walter Crane

In each of these pieces of Victorian art (figures 2-­‐5) the girl (Little Red Riding Hood) is depicted as an innocent and pure child. Her feminine features are highlighted by her dress, timid posture and beholding eyes. These illustrations convey to their young audience that girls are to amiable and gentle and when trouble ensues to flee to the male protector.

In Figure 1 two papers defined the roles and expectations of young boys and young girls. The text details recommended reading for each gender as well as helpful quotations. The illustrations are important to note. In the boys’ document, the male is depicted both on horseback and standing tall and with a confident spirit.

In the girls’ paper, a girl is first detailed in a kitchen scene and then sitting reading.

In both figures the female is sitting with a timid posture while the male stands upright and dauntless. (Marshall, 46)

In the Victorian era, literature as a whole is an immense topic to examine

because it was the central form of communication and entertainment at the time.

Aside from childrearing guides and children’s literature, the popular and serialized novels also influenced Victorian childrearing and serve as commentary to the topic of childhood in the nineteenth century. Many readers of the era witnessed the Victorian novels of childhood and new ways of thinking about the child mind were being constructed in the novels of George Eliot and Charles Dickens. For example it has been suggested that readers can gain a decent understanding of childhood in George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss (1860). A quote from the passage when the young Maggie Tulliver, having impulsively cut off her hair, is suffering the

consequences. Eliot’s narrator comments: “We can no longer recall the poignancy of that moment and weep over it as we do over the remembered suffering of five or ten years ago. Every one of those keen moments has left its trace and lives in us still, but such traces have blent themselves irrecoverably with the finer texture of our youth and manhood; and so it comes to pass that we can look on at the troubles of our children with a smiling disbelief in the reality of their pain.” (Shuttleworth, 212) This is a prime example of the remnants of the Puritan thought of childrearing and discipline. The consequences, however, were for Maggie’s deliberate rebellion against what Victorian culture wanted to do. Maggie had not read her moralistic fairy tales correctly.

George Orwell claims that no one “has written better about childhood than

Dickens. In spite of all knowledge that has accumulated since, in spite of the fact that children are now comparatively sanely treated, no novelist has shown the same power of entering into the child’s point of view.” (Benziman, 225) In a closer reading of Hard Times by Dickens we see how children are described in the first two chapters: “Thomas Gradgrind now presented Thomas Gradgrind to the pitchers before him, who were to be filled so full of facts. Indeed, as he eagerly sparkeled at tehm from the cellarage before mentioned he seemed a kind of cannon loaded to the muzzle with facts, and prepared to blow them clean out of the regions of childhood at one discharge.” Here in this passage and throughout chapters one and two, the children are metaphorized as plants, pitcher, cannon targets and machines waiting for an electrical charge. This group of metaphors convey an extreme depersonalization of children. (Lincks, 215) Similar to the previous interpretation of

Maggie Tulliver and The Mill on the Floss, Mr. Gradgrind remains on the strict Puritan side of parenting and education. The children are not seen as individuals with rights or wills but rather as mere objects to be filled with knowledge.

The Victorian era was a time of incredible advancement, the child-­‐centered

literature was no exception to this progress. Childrearing guides, children’s literature and the popular fiction novels serve as commentary in this revolutionary time. The education of many children rested on the pages of the aforementioned works and therefore helped shape the youngest generation in the Victorian era. This is reason to consider how the literature of present day is shaping the children of this millennial generation.

Works Cited

Marshall, Peter. Sex, Nursery Rhymes, & Other Evils. Vancouver: Whitecap

Books, 1995. Print.

Benziman, Galia. Narratives of Child Neglect in Romantic and Victorian Culture.

New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print.

Shuttleworth, Sally. "Victorian visions of child development." The Lancet. 379

(2012): 212-­‐213. Print.

Lundin, Anne. "The Reception of Children's Books in England and

America." Library Quarterly. 64.1 (1994): 30-­‐59. Print.

Cunningham, Hugh, Caroline Arscott, and Sally Shuttleworth. "Victorian

Children and Childhood"Journal of Victorian Culture. 23.14 (1994): n.

page. Print.

Lincks, John. "The English Journal." The English Journal. 58.2 (1969): 212-218. Print.