Virginia Lee Burton’s Little House in Popular Consciousness: Fuelling Postwar Environmentalism and Antiurbanism?

Abstract

This article considers the significance of Victoria Lee Burton’s authorship, specifically The Little House, for lifestyle preferences and the development of environmental consciousness in the postwar period. The article argues that Burton deliberately designed her work to evoke country-friendly sensibilities and ambiences in her audience and portrayed the city in troublesome ways. The enduring success of The Little House for young audiences suggests that Burton struck a chord. Burton’s origins and upbringing probably also infused her depiction of a cosmopolitan rural idealism. Burton’s importance for modern environmentalism deserves greater recognition than it has received and may bear comparison to that of Rachel Carson.