Discussion Questions for January 21

Discussion Questions: “The Early History of Children’s Literature” & Anne of Green Gables

Reflection

1.     How do you define children’s literature?

Small Group Work   

1.     Hintz and Tribunella name Anne as a “Golden Age” book, one that “though ostensibly written for children, held much appeal for adults” (71). In what ways is Anne crafted to appeal to both of these audiences?

2.     In 1798, Maria Edgeworth claimed that reading “books of mere entertainment […] induces indifference for those common pleasures and occupations which, however trivial in themselves, constitute the far greatest portion of our daily happiness” (62). In what ways is this suspicion of pleasurable reading supported/refuted in Anne?

3.     Hintz and Tribunella discuss the ways in which children’s literature can put forth morals grounded in religion. Do you see examples of this in Anne?

4.     Hintz and Tribunella discuss the ways in which children’s literature can put forth morals grounded in rationality (66). Do you see examples of this in Anne?

5.     Hintz and Tribunella state that during the Golden Age of children’s literature, “didacticism occurs in tension with pleasure” (69). Do you think Anne is designed more for didacticism or pleasure? How so?

6.     In this section of the book, Anne and Diana undergo some changes in terms of faith (both religious and secular). What are some of these changes, and how do they impact the book’s overall didactic effect?

7.     In this section of the book, we see Anne develop as an artist, both in terms of writing and performing. How does her changing relationship with the arts develop her character? How does it impact Anne’s relationships within her community?

8.     In this section of the book, Anne experiences several moments of trauma. Do you see any similarities between the causes of these episodes?

9.     Overall, in what ways do you see Anne as maturing in this section of the book? Does the book frame these changes as positive or negative? What effect do they have on you as readers?

Class Discussion

1.     Anne of Green Gables was published in 1908. In what ways is Anne still relatable to North American tweens and early teens? In what ways might she seem outdated?

2.     Perry Nodelman provides a lengthy list of criteria that define children’s literature (Hintz and Tribunella 53). How does Anne fit these criteria? How does it resist them? Would you add or subtract any criteria from Nodelman’s list?

3.     In what ways does the text frame “scope of imagination,” as Anne calls it, as a uniquely juvenile ability? In what ways is this idea detached from childhood?

4.     Do you see any changes in Anne’s attitude toward romance in this section?