‘Small Existential Fractures and an Interrogative Relationship with the World’: An Existentialist Reading of Frances Hardinge’s A Face Like Glass

Abstract

Philosophical approaches to children’s literature constitute a burgeoning area of the field. This article focuses on the existentialist dimension of A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge. The Heideggerian existentialist analysis of the novel examines the ambiguity of childhood, its temporality, adult–child power relations, existential fractures, and potency. In this radical fantasy, the positive power of a protagonist who privileges her being-with-others can transform social inequality. This moral fantasy tale links to contemporary society, referencing complex political and social issues, and cautions against extreme societal control.