Between the Covers: Suffering, Trauma and Cultural Perspective in Children's Picture Books (1980–2006)

Abstract

This paper proposes that cultural change in literature alters the lens through which life is viewed, thus producing a different kind of ‘story-child’ which reflects the cultural perspective, or frequently termed, ‘worldview’ of the writer. Across a sampling of children's literature from 1980–2006, this research explores the history and subsequent changes in children's literature across the themes of trauma, suffering and the sublime, and investigates how the representation of the child in relation to suffering has altered. Suggestions arise which challenge further exploration of the value of story and the way readers may become the stories they tell.