Lack of hope or necessary realism?
August 27, 2009Have you caught up with the debate in the UK sparked by comments this week by Anne Fine at the Edinburgh International Book Festival? We have tweeted some of the links, but to recap, the former Children’s Laureate ‘deplored’ the gritty realism of many books today:
…cosy tales in which children’s characters looked forward to future adventures had been replaced by gritty stories that offered no hope for their weary protagonists.Contemporary literature is dauntingly bleak, with depressing endings that do little to inspire.
As someone pointed out The Road of Bones is hardly the cheeriest of reads.
But this is an argument that pops up regularly. We blogged about it a couple of months ago in a US context. Anne Fine must have known that the battle lines would be drawn.
And indeed they have. Arguments are being tossed around but not too many support her point of view. Some Welsh authors appear to, though.
Children can handle the realism, says one commentator. The horror is necessary, says another. And while we are at it, let’s cheer up the classics.
Darkness in children’s literature has a long tradition. And the debates will continue to rage.
Posted by judij
… grrrr.


