UNIVERSITATEA DIN CRAIOVA

FACULTATEA DE LITERE

MASTER: STUDII ANGLO-AMERICANE

LUCRARE DE DISERTAŢIE

ANTHROPOMORPHISM IN ENGLISH BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

Coordonator ştiinţific,

Lector univ. dr. Aloisia Şorop

Masterandă,

Gorun Elena-Loredana

CRAIOVA

2013

ABSTRACT

Some must wonder why I’ve chosen Anthropomorphism in English Books for Children, as

the theme for my work!? Well, you’ll see that it’s a very simple explanation and also a very

reasonable one. I’ve chosen this theme not for its complex name but for the fact that, as we well

know, our self development starts from early childhood, so, I think that it represents the most

important part of our education. In order to understand better literature and to develop a very good

opinion about time, space, and things around us, we have to read and this must be a very important

part for us even from early childhood, that’s why this kind of literature, children’s literature is for

me very attractive and important.

Children’s literature represents a phase that can’t be replaced by anything, is something

primordial and the fact that it has the freedom to express in so many ways makes it more useful for

the educational process. Only in this kind of literature we can speak about anthropomorphic

characters which offer the opportunity to discover a whole new world through fiction and comic

lines and this advantage is very useful in children’s education because in this way we can seize their

attention and their interest.

Anthropomorphism in all children books, not only in English books, is a very useful feature,

is like a straight connection between the real world and the fantastic one. Using characters like a tiny

plush bear, or a sweet little bunny, or even like a peevish mole and a water rat, makes the reading

process easier and children are immediately attracted by the story without much effort.

From a rational and logical point of view, anthropomorphism is a form of personification

that gives human characteristics to non-humans, like animals in our case. In another way of

expressing, anthropomorphism may be seen as a way to make things that are unfamiliar seem more

familiar.

These are some characteristics for which I decided that I must consider thoroughly this

theme and I’ll have many others to discuss below.

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CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION …5

CHAPTER I:CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

1.1. The Importance of Literature for Children …7

1.2. Major Themes Used in Children’s Literature …10

1.3. Main English Books for Children ...12

CHAPTER II:ANIMALS IN ENGLISH BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

2.1. The Role of the Animals in Children’s Literature …14

2.2. The Connection Between Human and Non-Human Characters …17

2.3. Types of Non-Human Characters in English Books for Children …20

CHAPTER III:ANTHROPOMORPHIC FEATURES IN TWO MAIN WORKS

3.1. A. A. Milne: Winnie the Pooh ...23

3.2. Kenneth Grahame: The Wind in the Willows …27

CONCLUSIONS …30

BIBLIOGRAPHY …32

SUMMARY …33

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INTRODUCTION

Talking about children’s literature is both pleasant and complex. Why complex? Well, it is

complex indeed even if we discuss only a kind of literature, it has so many aspects which are worth

to be emphasized and so many genres which can develop our imagination and last but not least, that

of our children/pupils.

It is also called ‘Juvenile Literature’, and involves books, stories and poems which are

enjoyed by children. Children’s literature has its roots in the stories and songs which were told

through oral communication before publishing existed, so, from this point of view, it can be hard to

discover the development of early stories. There are some proves that originally, children’s literature

was often a re-writing of other forms; many classic tales were, in the beginning, created for adults

and have been adapted for a younger audience.

Juvenile literature can be described in many ways, it can be broadly defined as anything that

children read; some would say that it is fiction, poetry, and drama intended for and used by children

and young people. Well, if we think better, that’s not an awkward situation because everyone of us

has a different way of seeing things but, after all, literature remains literature no matter how we

define it, with its genres, teachings and characters.

What is different but very interesting in this kind of literature is the fact that the characters

are replaced with tiny, sweet animals, in other words, it has anthropomorphic features. But what

does it means anthropomorphism?

Well, anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to non-living things,

material objects or abstract concepts.

Only in this kind of literature we can speak about anthropomorphic characters viewed from

a positive point of view, which offer the opportunity to discover a whole new world through fiction

and comic lines and this advantage is very useful in children’s education because in this way we can

seize their attention and their interest. The idea of using animals as characters brought something

different and also something very useful for the development of children’s literature.

We all know that small, sweet animals are very attractive for children and also help them to

understand the real meaning of the story without further explanation. Anthropomorphic characters

were created for amusement and in order to make it easier for children to approach literature, to

develop from early childhood a fine taste for reading, for knowledge.

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Anthropomorphism is present in many English books and not only, we find it in the

universal literature, in every forms and with all kinds of subjects, trying to expose the real life which

is hidden behind those tiny, comic acts which characters are interpreting. As an example to sustain

and to emphasize this feature, I’ve chosen two books, two stories for children, which in my opinion

are the best example from the English books with anthropomorphic characters category: Winnie the

Pooh and The Wind in the Willows, which I am going to discuss later in this work. Of course, there

are many other good examples but I have a vague opinion that these two works represent

anthropomorphism in all its shapes.

I have chosen to discuss first about generalities concerning the domain of literature for

children like: The Importance of Literature for Children, Major Themes Used in Children’s

Literature and Main English Books for Children, because I thought that is necessary a complex view

upon children’s literature before we try to understand particular features of it. After the first chapter

I tried to present in a very explicit manner the main theme of my work, and that would be The

Anthropomorphism, which is related in chapter two. And then, in chapter three, I brought into

discussion two of the most beautiful stories for children: Winnie the Pooh and The Wind in the

Willows.

With no doubt, anthropomorphism in English books for children is a very complex subject to

discuss because it implies many domains to cover, many learning to teach; in some words, this kind

of books have, above all, educational role which implies many responsibilities, especially when we

are talking about children and above all, their development as growing ups.

Further, we are going to discover more profound roots of this kind of literature in general;

also we will try to underline its importance for children’s education; and to find out the real

connection between human and non-human characters which, of course, represents the main idea of

this work.

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CHAPTER I:

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

1.1. The Importance of Literature for Children

When we are talking about the study of English literature we have to be aware about the fact

that it is host to an exhilarating range of critical approaches, theories, and historical perspectives. It

has its roots in the traditional modes and it is varied enough to bring enrichment and enjoyment for

all kind of readers and to challenge preconceptions about what the study of literature involves,

especially if it is about children’s literature.

Nowadays children’s literature has reached a very high level. More and more parents and, of

course teachers, admit and recognize the importance of children’s reading. While the abundance of

books and the growing interest in literature are welcome, they create an even greater need to educate

parents, teachers, and librarians to plan literary experience and to select greater books.

Because sometimes, or almost always children’s pleasure in literature can be foiled by the

boring, the difficult, and the obscure, it is very hard for adults to optimize children’s interactions

with literature; and “moreover, the curriculum and the textbooks used in elementary classrooms cry

out for the richness of literature”1.

As we all know, this kind of literature consists of the books, stories, and poems which are

enjoyed by or targeted primarily at children. Modern literature is classified in different ways,

including by genre or the intended age of the reader which, of course, raises the standards and the

importance of literature for children.

Usually, children’s stories have always been accompanied by pictures, books for younger

children tend to be written in very simple language, use large print, and contain many illustrations,

while the books for older children use increasingly complex language, normal print, and fewer

illustrations. Today children’s books are illustrated in a way that rarely occurs in adult literature in

the 20th or 21st century.

Generally, picture books can be an accessible source of high quality art for young children.

What is a little bit un-comprehensible is the fact that even after children learn to read well enough to

enjoy a story without illustrations they continue to appreciate the drawings found in chapter books

and I have tried to find an explanation for this thing so, I believe that even the adults are attracted by

1 Barbara Stood: Children’s Literature: Discovery for a Lifetime, Ed. Macmillan Education, Australia, 1996, p. xvii.7

illustrations when they are reading a book for the simple fact that it is interesting and takes the

imagination far beyond the story from that book. It is easier to understand better a novel if we see

also some pictures which describe somehow the scenes from that action.

Just as Joyce Whaley said: “An illustrated book differs from a book with illustrations in that

a good illustrated book is one where the pictures enhance or add depth to the text”2.

This statement contains a lot of truth and a lot of hidden thoughts in order to underline the fact that

the real beauty and the real ‘help’ of books for children are given by suggestive pictures through

which the young readers can understand better the stories related in it.

The development of literature for children follows the same basic path anywhere in the

world and, of course, has the same importance. All children’s literature begins with spoken stories,

songs, and poems; in the first phase, the same tales that adults tell and enjoy are adapted for children

and, after that, the stories are created especially for children in order to educate, instruct, and

entertain them. Finally, literature for children is established as being distinct from that of adults,

having its own genres, divisions, expectations, and canon.

Normally, the development of this kind of literature, as all the other ones, is influenced by

the social, educational, political, and economic resources of the country or ethnic groups. So,

according to this pattern, we may assume that the importance of children’s literature has many

different levels and stages to follow.

In order to be more specific, I would like to mention here Peter Hunt’s statement:

“Children’s literature, as a body of oral and written texts to be described, and as a subject of study to

be investigated, is the confluence of many cultures and of many disciplines”3.

In fact, children’s literature is a part of the mainstream of all literature fields, it orders,

evaluates, explores, and illuminates the human experience through imagination. What is really

important is the fact that children, like adults also do, learn about the breadth and depth of life from

literature. While they are reading and listening stories, children enlarge their background and

generate new meanings which are the foundation for their response to literature and in this way they

manage to comprehend more complex literature as they grow up. In more simple words, children’s

literature is that kind of literature to which children respond, it relates to their range of experience

and is expressed in a language that they understand and ‘embrace’ easily.

2 Peter Hunt: The International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature, Ed. Routledge, Canada, 1996, p. xvi.3 Peter Hunt: The International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature, Ed. Routledge, Canada, 1996, p. 1.

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So, the importance of literature for children, as we already seen above, has many levels

which have to be reached step by step and it depends of many things but, at the end of the day, it has

the same resonance and the same employment for all children from all over the world no matter how

their daily life is and what things are imposed to them through religion.

Right bellow we will see how many types of literature for children do we have and also we

will discuss the large field of themes that are involved in this type of literature and many other

important things related with this subject.

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1.2. Major Themes Used in Children’s Literature

Trying to classify children’s literature is a little bit confusing, as Peter Hunt states in the

International Companion of Children’s Literature: “The boundaries of genre…are not fixed but

blurred”4.

Is somewhat difficult sometimes to say for sure if a given work is best categorized as adult or

children’s literature. So, for this reason many books are marketed for both adults and children.

Kline, in his book, says that “modern and Medieval literature for children have common goals:

conveying the values, attitudes, and information necessary for children and youth to survive or even

advance within their cultures”5.

Generally speaking, literary works, by their construction, have many attributes and it include

plot, characterization, symbols, and above all, themes. The themes represent the fundamental part of

the work because gives focus to the story and accelerate the reader’s imagination. There are many

different types of themes and genres used in literary books and according to those themes we can

maintain a difference very well emphasized between adult books and children books, although, as I

said before, the adults may have a fine taste for this type of books.

When we are talking about children’s literature we think of easy, funny themes and comic

action with a very easy language but with a very powerful teaching because children have to learn

something about rules and about life in general from the book they are reading. There are two main

divisions in which children’s literature can be divided: genre and intended age of the reader. We all

know that a literary genre is a category of literary composition and it may be determined by tone,

content, technique, or length.

Matthew O. Grenby lists six categories of children’s literature with some significant

subgenres: “picture books including board books, concept books (teaching and alphabet or counting

for example), pattern books, and wordless books; traditional literature, including folktales, which

convey the legends customs, superstitions, and beliefs of people in past times (this genre can be

further broken down into myths, fables, legends, and fairy tales; fiction including fantasy, realistic

fiction and historical fiction; non-fiction; biography and autobiography; poetry and verse”6.

4 Peter Hunt: The International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature, Ed. Routledge, Canada, 1996, p. 23.

5 Daniel T. Kline: Medieval Literature for Children, Ed. Routledge, New York, 2003, p. 67.6 Matthew O. Grenby: Children’s Literature, Ed. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2008, p. 53.

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Classifying children’s literature by age category is a little bit complicated and confusing

because the criteria for these divisions are vague and books near a borderline may be classified

either way. But we can remind “picture books which are appropriate for pre-readers until 5 years,

early reader books appropriate for children age from 5 to 7, chapter books appropriate for children

ages from 7 to 12, and young adult fiction appropriate for children age between 12 and 18”7.

Literature in general is designed to convey a message and is based on a theme and that’s why

many great books have been written to morally train children and to emphasize the best qualities in

them. If we look better we will see that many themes in children’s books are similar to those found

in adult’s books, especially themes dealing with emotional and societal issues. But readers are more

likely to find themes centered around adventure and happiness. So, in conclusion, young adult

literature reflects almost entirely the experiences of young adults such as future career goals,

environmental, and political issues.

The themes which are more frequent in children’s literature, as Kline states are: “conquering

fears, traditional folkloric themes, adventure and fantasy, cultural diversity, anthropomorphic

themes such as the interaction with an animal, emotional behavior, themes based on seasons with

different meaning and traditions, and many other attractive topics for children”8.

By making a difference between young adults’ literature and children’s literature, we have

the opportunity to discover the fact that there is a connection with our childhood permanently and

that the things that we know as adults come from our early years with the only difference that they

are presented on a different scale and with a different meaning.

1.3. Main English Books for Children7 Matthew O. Grenby: Children’s Literature, Ed. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2008, p. 56.

8 Daniel T. Kline: Medieval Literature for Children, Ed. Routledge, New York, 2003, p. 70.11

As we have seen until now, every people group has its own mythology, unique fables, and

other traditional stories. English literature in general with all its genres, starts from traditional modes

of study such as Shakespeare and Romanticism to popular interest in national and area literatures

such as the United States of America, Ireland, and the Caribbean. So, it is expanded enough to have

the possibility for enrichment and enjoyment for all kinds of readers and to challenge

preconceptions about what the study of literature might involve.

Since the major theme of this work is upon children’s literature, I am going to tell you the

most important works from this area considering the fact that the aim of this chapter is to convey a

deepen understanding of individual children’s books, and of children’s literature as a whole by

depicting the history of the form and, especially, the generic traditions that have emerged over the

course of the last three hundred years.

Children’s literature in Western Europe and the United States began to rise in the 1800s. The

literature and didacticism of the previous age began to make way for more humorous, child-oriented

books. Well, of course, in that age, chapbooks were still being published, many now specifically for

children, restricting classic fairy tales and popular novels like Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe,

which was first published on 25 April 1719: “This story is widely perceived to have been influenced

by the life of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish castaway who lived for four years on the Pacific island

called Mas a Tierra”9.

A few years later, in 1726, Gulliver’s Travels, an adventure novel, was published by

Jonathan Swift. It is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the travelers tales literary sub-

genre. In 1857 we have another major publication which is worth to be mentioned and that is Tom

Brown’s Schooldays by Thomas Hughes.

Then, in 1865, in England appeared Lewis Carroll’s fantasy Alice’s Adventures in

Wonderland, which was named the first English masterpiece written for children and its publication

opened the First Golden Age of children’s literature in Great Britain and Europe that continued until

the early 1900s.

The year 1868 established the genre of realistic family books in the United States of America

and we have as an example the fictionalized autobiography of Louisa May Alcott, Little Women:

“Itself has been read as a romance or as a quest, or both. It has been read as a family drama that

9 Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe, Ed. Edcon, USA, 2008, Introduction.12

validates virtue over wealth. Has been read as a means of escaping that life by women who knew its

gender constraints only too well”10.

A few years later, more precisely in 1876, Mark Twain published Tom Sawyer, which is

another masterpiece of the English literature for children and not only. Realism adopted a dark turn

by showing children from lower-classes being mistreated. The most popular boy’s material was

Sherlock Holmes and similar stories from detective magazines. With the end of World War I, in

Great Britain and Europe the Golden Age of Children’s Literature ended too. The period between

World War I and World War II was much slower in children’s publishing, the main exceptions

being only Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne in 1962, and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Talkien in 1937.

Fantastic literature remained strong in Great Britain through the 1900s and also the historical novel

became popular with children. The first juvenile science fiction novel was The Angry Planet by John

Kier Cross published in 1947.

“John Goldthwaite attributes the rise of the animal story in the late 19 th century to the advent

of empire, electricity, and later, the automobile, and, perhaps, most importantly, of urbanization.

These developments severed people’s links with nature but simultaneously encouraged a nostalgic

Arcadianism that created the demand for books like Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit

(1901), or Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows (1908)”11.

Nowadays literature presents a whole new world beyond story and uses more complex

characters, lines, and actions which take place in a very changes space. Among the major works

from these days we have to remember Harry Potter series published by J. K. Rowling from 1997

until 2007. It was, and still is, an international phenomenon.

Well, until now, we have discussed a few general things about literature and mostly about

children’s literature. From now on we are going to debate some particular aspects of children’s

literature, especially about some characters used in this type of literature having as target to find out

why are so important the anthropomorphic features for a better understanding of this kind of tales.

CHAPTER II:

10 Louisa May Alcott: Little Women, Ed. Serenity Publishers, USA, 2009, Introduction.11 Matthew O. Grenby: Children’s Literature, Ed. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2003, p. 20.

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ANIMALS IN ENGLISH BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

2.1. The Role of the Animals in Children’s Literature

Children’s literature implies a very large domain even though it seems to be a small ‘chapter’

among the wide area of all kind of literatures. It is, in my opinion, the most extensive domain

because it is supposed to be the one who first connects children with the taste of literature. It has a

great responsibility, namely the beginning of young pupils’ education which is the biggest challenge

for every parent and every teacher. So, according to the title, we are going to discover some ins and

outs and, especially, we are going to talk mostly about non-human characters and about all kind of

features that it has.

As we have seen already from the beginning of this study and from our personal experience

in the domain of literature, talking about children’s literature implies a lot of things and a lot of

components which must be taken into account. As we have already discussed above, there are very

important elements for the ‘composition’ of this kind of literature such as theme, genre, metaphors,

the action space and so on.

However, beyond all these things, there is an element which weighs a lot more than the

others and that is the anthropomorphic feature. We all know that when we were little kids we had a

fine attraction for tiny plush animals both in reality and in tales. Well, this attraction has a real name

in this area called literature and that is anthropomorphism.

Anthropomorphism, called also personification, is any attribution of human characteristics to

other animals, non-living things, phenomena, spirits, or deities. Talking about it as a literary device,

anthropomorphism is strongly associated with art and storytelling where it has its roots. In children’s

literature (where we find it most) features in animal fiction and in doll and toy stories.

As Robert W. Mitchell states: “The idea that anthropomorphism is connected to a peculiarity

of human thinking-a type of cognitive default rather than a veridical perception-underwrites much of

the controversy about animal minds, although the peculiarity is seldom specified in much detail”12.

Using animals in children’s literature has a very important role, in my opinion, because, as

we have seen in Mitchell’s statement, there are many resembling from human attitude that can be

attributed successfully to animals in order to make the story very attractive for children. If we take a

better look, there are many cultures possessing a long-standing fable tradition with 12 Robert W. Mitchell, Nicholas S. Thompson, and H. Lyn Miles: Anthropomorphism; Anecdotes and Animals, Ed. University Press, USA, 1997, p. 62.

14

anthropomorphized animals as characters in which we can easily observe types of human behavior.

“Anthropomorphic motifs have been common in fairy tales from the earliest ancient examples set in

a mythological context to the great collections of the Brothers Grimm and Perrault”13.

Among first stories with animals available to children were fables and fairy tales with their

talking animals which were very attractive for kids. Starting with the 18 th century, animals have

featured in books as friends of the protagonists which were usually human. So, we can freely speak

about anthropomorphism because it existed since ever in every writing and in every tale made

specifically for children.

“The Romantic belief in the child’s unity with nature is a major impetus behind the

production of animal stories for a young audience; and the child’s capacity to endow things with life

in pretense play, blurring the boundaries between animate and inanimate objects, is a further

element that inspires writers to do likewise in children’s books”14.

Nowadays, animals have a key role in fantastic literature and hold a very large area in picture

books especially. Why do we say that there is a very important role of the animals in children’s

literature? Well, because “tension between animals and humans can represent that between children

and adults, or the Romantic notion of the child’s unity with nature may surface in the form of a

special relationship between animals and children”15.

So, if you agree with me, there are a lot of motifs for which we find extremely necessary the

use of the animals in children’s literature.

There is a strong connection between a child’s mind and a tiny plush bear for example. In

general, children react promptly when they see and hear talking a plush animal, rather if that animal

has the same thoughts as the child does; animals make children to develop a great interest for

literature, even from young childhood, which is the most important for their education and for their

own opinions in what concerns thoughts and beliefs. In short words, this kind of tales help us, the

adults, to give a proper education to our children and to develop in a good way their imagination.

As every kind of story there are many different types of animal tales such as moral or

developmental account that explore purely human behavior or emotions; narratives in which the

main character is interpreted by an animal and that observes or comments upon human conduct; or

stories that describe the behavior of animals in their natural habitat.

13 Robert W. Mitchell, Nicholas S. Thompson, and H. Lyn Miles: Anthropomorphism; Anecdotes and Animals, Ed. University Press, USA, 1997, p. 76.14 Emer O’Sullivan: Historical Dictionary of Children’s Literature, Ed. Scarecrow Press, London, 2010, p. 30.15 Emer O’Sullivan: Historical Dictionary of Children’s Literature, Ed. Scarecrow Press, London, 2010, p. 28.

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“Animals can feature to great comic effect in stories that range from animals getting up to

funny antics through social comedy with animals representing types of human characters”16.

Also, anthropomorphism can vary in degree meaning that there are characters which are

essentially humans with animal heads; or animal characters that wear clothes, possess technology,

and have human activities but are guided by animal instincts; or animals that have the physical

attributes and instincts of their real-life counterparts, being different only in their capacity to reason

and speak.

As Sullivan states in his book: “The functions of anthropomorphism in literature range from

using animals to illustrate simple moral lessons, as in fables, to generating greater sympathy for the

animal and natural world; it can also be used for the purpose of social criticism”17. In my opinion, in

this quotation we find all the principal features of anthropomorphism. Well, I think that some

authors use anthropomorphism in order to make their characters more human and, first of all, more

interesting for the readers because animal behavior is fascinating in and of itself and doesn’t have to

be obscured by ascribing human characteristics to animals.

As a highly literary culture, we make use of texts regularly to organize our thoughts, relay

values, and dialogue with each other. In many cases, for adults as well as for children, animal

characters are there to help us wrestle with complex and emotionally difficult situations. The authors

urge teachers and parents to consider this function of children’s literature and to use the appealing

‘anthropomorphic device’ of animal characters in developing curriculum and opening dialogue with

children about issues of cultural significance.

In spite of all these things, some authors think that anthropomorphism can confuse children

and lead them to believe that animals think and act in reality just as humans do. It is true the fact that

we have to be careful and put a well emphasized limit between human and non-human characters

when we are reading an anthropomorphic story to our children but, above all, I think that animals

have a very important role in children’s literature, if not a primordial one, because in this way they

can be ‘very good friends’ with literature in general and can ‘presume’ a very good education.

2.2. The Connection Between Human

and Non-Human Characters

16 Emer O’Sullivan: Historical Dictionary of Children’s Literature, Ed. Scarecrow Press, London, 2010, p. 29.17 Emer O’Sullivan: Historical Dictionary of Children’s Literature, Ed. Scarecrow Press, London, 2010, p. 32.

16

Non-human characters fascinate us, they have appeared in art and stories throughout time

and across most human cultures, in our stories and art, particularly in children’s literature, fantasy,

and folktales. There is a sense of a larger community of beings of which we are one part and in

which we take delight. The idea of continuity between humans and other animals has generated an

ongoing interest and debate about boundaries between species, about kinship, and particularly about

what it is that makes us human. Many of the twentieth century’s findings of animal studies scientists

in behavior, language acquisition, use, and genetics have challenged species classifications and

assumptions about the capacities of nonhuman characters.

Children’s literature is frequently our first meeting with written words. Everybody knows

that at a very young age there is that curiosity of starting to know everything, especially to know

numbers and letters which represent the ‘gate’ to knowledge. The tales that we have heard and the

morals which reveal help to outline our views as we learn to read and take meaning from what we

read. While almost all adult literature deal with human characters can be assigned genders.

If one wants to test the gender relevance of a text, deciding what relationships of power and

authority are transmitted through the language and characterization, he must study its gendering of

non-human characters. Thus, according to this statement, we understand that, from the beginning,

there is a strong connection between human and non-human characters and between non-human

characters and children’s literature.

Upon this subject the Forliz Study of Children’s Literature found: “in the titles of books, 2-3

human males to every human female; male animals outnumbered female animals by almost 6 to 1;

for central characters in books, the ratio for the whole period was three males for every female; the

leaning towards males was greater if focus was on adult characters, less if focus was on child

characters and much greater if focus was on animals; as for change, the imbalance in depicting

males and females varied through the century: representations of males and females were more

egalitarian in the early decades of the century and in the 1970s and 1980s, while in the male-female

balance among adult characters and animal characters, males got more prominent overtime”18.

These characters are surprising and it is mainly interesting that they unveil gender balances

shifting in the period 1970-1990. Feminist studies in children’s literature have claimed that the

female role models offered to children in fairy tales and nursery rhymes are not at all liberating

(which happens nowadays too frequently if we look beyond appearances). If we look better at some

18 Graverholz and Pescosolido: Gender Representation in Children’s Literature, Ed. Routledge, London, 1989, p. 113.17

of the most popular children’s books, we can easily observe that gender inequalities are represented

there and not only in this domain but in all literature area.

For instance, we have Kenneth Grahame’s book, The Wind in the Willows, which we are

going to discuss later in this work, where most of the characters are male. Another main book that

we are going to discuss here, Winnie- the- Pooh by A. A. Milne, also presents an overwhelming

male world, more exactly, a non-human male world. As we can see, in children’s fiction, characters

are gendered, but this is not the most relevant factor.

Thinking about this whole ‘world’, we’ll see that non-human characters may be viewed as a

marginal case of the same mental event: “their obvious ability to react to their surroundings

complicates matters since it supplies proof of sentience, but their inner life-their susceptibility to

what we might call human passion-remains inscrutable”19.

But there is another side to our relationship with non-human characters, especially in the

modern Western world. Over the last 150 years, in response to Euro‐American Industrialization

practices and some aspects of empirical laboratory investigation, a steadily growing concern for

animal welfare and animal rights has arisen. Increasingly we are coming to understand that our

actions in pursuit of perceived human goals have resulted in the devastation of our natural

environment, including wild animal habitats and populations. Animals are selves in many of the

ways that we are, that capacities such as emotional expression and cognitive processing are present

in non-human animals in ways both similar to and distinct from our own, and that we can

understand and relate with individual animal selves in ways that are not dependent on language.

Animal characters are presented in two broad ways, ‘symbolic human’ and ‘animal self’.

They are distinguished by physical presentation, character voice, and by the activities engaged in.

The imaginative development of naturalistic animal protagonists may itself be informed by the

direct experience and knowledge of animal selves.

Traditional language implies a continuity between human and non-human character

experience. Admitting that non-human animals are in some sense aware is equal to the fact that they

are somehow connected with the mental and emotional equipment of human experience. By doing

this we take the first step in the direction of sentimental anthropomorphism.

Just as Aristotle states: “Animals are seen to have a certain natural capability in relation to

each of the soul’s affections-to intelligence and stupidity, courage and cowardice, to mildness and

19 Bruce Thomas Boehrer: Animal Characters: Non-Human Being in Early Modern Literature, Ed. University Press, Pennsylvania, 2010, p. 2-3.

18

ferocity, and the other dispositions of this sort. Certain animals at the same time are receptive of

some learning and instruction, some from each other, some from humans”20.

Humans and non-humans share the same basic components of character so there is a strong

connection between them which is why non-human characters are used in children’s literature and

not only. Thus we can comprehend the notion of character as a complex of ethical qualities or

tendencies like courage and cowardice, generosity and jealousy, calmness and irascibility, held both

by human and non-human characters equal to a greater or lesser rank, related to the body in both

casual and expressive manner, and susceptible to classification just as are the physical qualities that

distinguish one class or species of being from another.

Characterization is usually understood as being limited to human, while the non-human

characters are understood simply as an extension of the human; so, in more simple words, the non-

human characters should be understood as characters with their own individual morality and

integrity; even from definition we realize that there is a connection between human and non-human.

As we well know, non-human is a general term that describes an object or creature that

displays some human characteristics. That said, it is very easy to compare these terms and to use

them in literature being it for children or, why not, universal. We can find some non-human

characters in all kind of books with all kind of subjects.

In conclusion, human and non-human characters own the same main features and we can

assert the fact that there is a strong connection between them and that both have the same

importance in literature and convey the same things.

2.3. Types of Non-Human Characters

20 Aristotle: Historia Animalum, Ed. Cambridge University Press, London, 2011, p. 215. 19

The literature for young readers is full of animal characters widely understood to be

symbolic humans. They are designed to provide the reader with a combination of delight and the

neutrality and emotional distance thought to be indispensable for navigating various stages of

maturation or complex and charged social issues. But we have to take into account the fact that

animal characters may sometimes be understood as animal selves, and not as symbolic humans. The

interest for this area has been gaining a lot of credits, resulting the dilemma of what animal selves

might consist of and how we may already know those selves.

Current thinking on the function and role of animals in children’s literature is briefly

discussed. The study itself is designed to distinguish patterns in animal characterization in order to

build the framework for the disambiguation of anthropomorphism, a term referring to the common

practice, often considered a categorical fallacy of attributing human like characteristics to non-

humans.

In a recent study consisting of a survey and analysis of some contemporary children’s books

with domestic animal characters were developed using criteria from theoretical concepts presented

on animal selfhood: “significant differences were found in those characters portrayed as clothed and

bipedal and those presented more naturalistically, in the activities engaged in, and in the characters’

voices suggesting at least two broad approaches by authors and illustrators to animal characters, here

labeled ‘symbolic human’ and ‘animal self’”21.

Non-human characters spread something like a spell upon us, not only in literature but in the

real life too. They have appeared in art and stories throughout time and across most human cultures.

Animal characters are showed in two extensive ways: symbolic human and animal self. They only

distinguish in physical presentation, in character voice, and by the activities engaged in. Some

results of animal studies scientists in behavior, language acquisition, use, and genetics have

challenged species classifications and assumptions about the capacities of non-human characters.

Associations between children and animals raised in Anglo-American culture, and they are

often portrayed together in visual images. Animals are primordial in children’s literature; they

provide simplicity, neutrality, and challenge even if we talk about a bear, a rabbit, a turtle, a dog, or

a kitty. These are the most common, but we have also more special non-human characters as a mole,

a water rat, or a badger like we have in Kenneth Grahame’s book The Wind in the Willows. It is

difficult to imagine these animals wearing clothes, walking bipedal, having last hour technologies,

21 Bruce Thomas Boehrer: Animal Characters: Non-Human Being in Early Modern Literature, Ed. University Press, Pennsylvania, 2010, p. 10.

20

being very polite to each other but, in the last minute, this is why anthropomorphism is used in

children’s literature, because it transmits something funny but, in the same time, something which

can be very attractive for young readers, making them ‘falling in love’ very easy with literature.

Due to the fact that animals in children stories walk and talk like people are considered to be

symbolic humans delighting us with their simultaneous similarities and differences from us. About

the realistic portrayals of animals as characters, although they have been with us since the British

children’s book publishing industry began to flourish in the mid-eighteenth century. Just as human

narrators are, animal protagonist narrators may be considered animal selves telling the story from

their own perspective. The tales of this type, were often general life histories, commentary on

human behavior, or anti-cruelty stories, which fit very well upon non-human characters.

Toward the end of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, a style both dramatic and

realistic was being developed. According to their naturalistic character portrayals and settings, these

books emphasize relationships among the animals or between animals and humans that are rich,

mannered, important, and recognizable from the perspective of the reader. So we have to deal with

very sophisticated types of non-human characters, which is quite strange to imagine that a mole can

be friendly and smiling, or that a bear can walk and talk like a man and wear clothes like a man, but

at the end of these, we have to admit that this is the ‘salt and pepper’ of children’s literature.

For example, animal characters who are symbolic humans, tend to speak out loud using

human language; they are bipedal and often wear clothing. These characters engage in human

activities like cooking, using carpenter’s tools, and superhero adventuring.

“Historically, animals have been portrayed in two broad ways in children’s literature: as

symbolic humans, animals are neutral stand-ins who help young readers navigate life issues; as

realistic animal characters, animal selves, they provide glimpses into a more-than-human world”22.

Traditionally animals are observed closely in daily life, their powers and behaviors, and this

feature makes the tale and especially the characters more truly. We have seen until now that animals

are emotional and feeling beings, they are conscious individuals; they are not interchangeable and

they are self-aware in a different way than we are. So, all these features show the fact that non-

human characters are divided in many types just like humans do. Non-human characters suffered

some dramatic changes in animal character types. In early modern European culture, animals not

22 Robert W. Mitchell, Nicholas S. Thompson, and H. Lyn Miles: Anthropomorphism: Anecdotes and Animals, Ed. State University Press, USA, 1997, p. 33.

21

only served humans as sources of labor, clothing, and food, they helped to form an understanding of

personhood.

Having all these as examples, I think that is more than clear the fact that non-human

characters divide into many different character types not only in literature but also in real life.

Anyway, we take into account these aspects from children’s literature point of view because animals

with their human resemblance have a very important role to accomplish in this area.

CHAPTER III:

ANTHROPOMORPHIC FEATURES IN TWO MAIN WORKS22

3.1. A. A. Milne: Winnie-the-Pooh

Alan Alexander Milne (1882-1956) was an English author and he became well known

especially for his book about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh. He was a renowned writer, first of all

as a playwright, before the huge success of Winnie-the-Pooh which overshadowed all his previous

work. Milne published eighteen plays and three novels, including the murder mystery The Red

House Mystery (1922). A few years later, in 1925, a collection of short stories for children, Gallery

of Children, and other stories that became part of the Winnie-the-Pooh books were published.

He also was a screen writer for the nascent British film industry, writing four stories filmed

in 1920 for the company Minerva Films: The Bump, Twice Two, Five Pound Reward, and

Bookworms. But Milne is most famous for his two Pooh books about a boy named Christopher

Robin after his son, Christopher Robin Milne, and also most of the characters were inspired by his

son’s stuffed animals, most notably the bear named Winnie-the-Pooh; only two characters were

created by Milne’s imagination: Rabbit and Owe.

“The success of his children’s books was to become a source of considerable annoyance to

Milne, whose self-avowed aim was to write whatever he pleased and who had, until then, found a

ready audience for each change of direction: he had freed pre-war Punch from its ponderous

facetiousness he had made a considerable reputation as a playwright on both sides of the Atlantic; he

had produced a witty piece of detective writing in The Red House Mystery”23.

Also Kenneth Grahame’s novel The Wind in the Willows, which we are going to discuss

next, was adopted by Milne for the stage as Toad of Toad Hall, and so a special introduction written

by Milne is included in some editions of Grahame’s novel. In this story, Winnie-the-Pooh, we have

the opportunity to find very little funny characters and very funny actions but, also, very important

lessons to learn which is why I have chosen this one for my work. The Pooh stories were translated

into many languages, including Alexander Lenard’s Latin translation, Winnie Ille Pu, which was

first published in 1958. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-

Pooh (1926) and was followed by The House at Pooh Corner (1928).

Milne also included a poem about the bear in the Children’s Verse Book When We Were

Very Young (1924) and many more in Now We Are Six (1927). All four volumes were illustrated by

E. H. Shepard.

23 Ernest H. Shepard: Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh, Ed. Dutton Children’s Books, New York, 2001, p. 63. 23

Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear. The Pooh

books are Milne’s gift for his son, Christopher Robin. Due to the fact that it was written for a child,

they reflect the concerns, the games, and the guidance of an ongoing childhood. “In the course of

two multi-chapter books, Christopher Robin and his boy animals, have one adventure after another-

everything from filching honey from the angry bees to welcoming Tigger (a very bouncy animal),

consoling Eeyore (the gloomy donkey), enduring a flood, and seeking out the South Pole”24.

What I think is very important to emerge here is connected with the description of some main

characters from this story.

Due to the fact that it is the most prominent character from the tale I’ll take into discussion

the little bare Winnie the Pooh – or shorter Pooh, is designed as a small golden bear wearing an old

red color t-shirt. He is a friendly character and thoughtful who is always willing to help his friends,

although, sometimes his best intentions make things worse. His great love is, as you all can imagine,

the honey which sometimes leads to trouble. Since he is the main character he is best friend with

everyone in the 100 Acre Wood.

Christopher Robin – the only main human character for whom the story was originally

written. He has a great personality and despite being a child, he is much wiser and more mature than

the other characters. Also he is everyone’s best friend and takes part in activities to help his friends

to get out of tricky situations. What he likes doing best is, surprisingly, nothing: “It means just going

along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”25

Piglet – he is Pooh best friend especially because he is a kind, gentle and small animal who

is quite shy. Deep inside, he is very brave and with no fear faces danger in order to help his friends.

Eeyore – he is best described as a slow-talking, sarcastic and pessimistic donkey friend who

has trouble keeping his tail attached to his bottom. He is more sensible than other animals and is

often reluctant to go along with their actions, but usually does not bother trying to oppose anyone

because he believes it to be futile to try.

Tigger – he is a less responsible and trouble-making tiger friend. He loves to bounce,

especially bouncing on others; he is full of energy, likes to have fun and is so overconfident. He is

easily recognizable by the stripes, springy tale, and his long chin.

Rabbit – is one of the two real animals which are recognized by their actual animal names in

Milne’s books. He is a little bit pushy and takes his own decisions and also, has a very elevate

24 A. A. Milne: Winnie-the-Pooh, Ed. Penguin Groups, USA, 2009, p. ii.25 A. A. Milne: Winnie-the-Pooh, Ed. Penguin Groups, USA, 2009, p. 16.

24

vocabulary. He likes doing things in his way and is obsessed with rules, order and planning and

often loses his temper.

Owl - Owl is the stuffy and talkative main character who acts as a mentor and teacher to the

others; he was not based on a stuffed toy, so in the illustrations, he looks more like a live animal.

Along with Rabbit he is considered to be the smartest animal because he is capable of writing and

some illustrations face him holding a pen in his talons.

The language used in this book is extremely childish and includes bursts of poetry,

rudimentary logic, and a great deal of remarkably in-depth character study. Every character has his

own personality as we saw above: neurotic Eeyore, impulsive Tigger, self-important Rabbit and

Owl, humble Piglet, no-nonsense Kanga, and, of course, direct and simple Pooh. “The animals

might be any group of typical siblings or playmates and teach, through their adventures, many real

life lessons”26.

Besides all these, the story reflects a very good understanding of the way in which children

think and play; they are gently guided into a rich world of child sized experiences, observing cause

and effect and non-magical solutions to problems which are play versions of situations they will

have to deal in real life; the good characters are encouraged and the mean ones are shown as silly;

and also, real virtues are thought, especially charity and humility. Another important aspect is the

fact that very little mention is made of family life.

“Christopher Robin is an only child and is, himself, the ‘parent’ to the animals. This can be

very amusing as he solves problems with the mind of a young child, but obviously, nothing of real

family life can be thought”27. This story takes us into a world of autonomous creatures living in a

private wood, having their own houses and fancy daily doings. Chapter one brings us the young

child pulling Winnie-the-Pooh behind as he descends the stairs to visit his father in the evening.

Chapter two through five, each are complete adventures, introducing more characters. At the end of

chapter six we are reminded that a father is telling these stories to his son’s bear, when the boy asks

details about his birthday gift to Eeyore. Chapter nine includes an aside to the reader, and chapter

ten ends the same way as chapter one, with the author describing Christopher bumping Pooh back

up the stairs.

The Pooh books have been taken over by Disney Studios and presented in both cartoons and

picture books. Winnie-the-Pooh is a very good book indeed, enjoyable to both children and adults.

26 Ernest H. Shepard: Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh, Ed. Dutton Children’s Books, New York, 2001, p. 65.27 Sonia Vogl: Animals and Anthropomorphism in Children’s Literature, Ed. Macmillan, Australia, 1996, p. 16.

25

So, in my opinion, this is one of the most interesting story for children from which we have many

good things to learn and also spend a very good time reading it.

3.2. Kenneth Grahame: The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) was a Scottish writer, most famous for The Wind in the

Willows (1908), one of the classics of children’s literature. He also published light stories in London

periodicals such as the St. James Gazette. Only after ten years from his penultimate book he 26

published his masterpiece The Wind in the Willows. This book was a real hit and is still very popular

for both adults and children. Also, with this book, he won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958.

Since its first publication in 1908, entire generations of readers have beloved Kenneth Grahame’s

classic novel The Wind in the Willows.

In this charming lyrical world of gurgling rivers and whispering reeds live four of the wisest,

wittiest, noblest, and most lovable creatures in all literature: Rat, Mole, Badger, and Toad of Toad

Hall. They are true adventurers who love life’s simplest pleasures and natural wonders. As I just

said, it focuses upon four anthropomorphized animal characters in a pastoral version of England.

The novel its well known for its mixture of adventure, morality, mysticism, and camaraderie, and

celebrated for its evocation of the nature. It was, and still is such a great book, that the play-writer A.

A. Milne adapted a part of it for the stage as Toad of Toad Hall in 1929.

About the main characters there is a lot to say and to think, so we have a short description

right below: “Mole-a mild-mannered, home loving animal, and the first character to be introduced,

fed up with spring cleaning in his secluded home, he ventures into the outside world; Ratty-actually

a water vole is cultured, relaxed, and friendly, with literary pretentions and a life of leisure; Mr.

Toad-good natured, kind-hearted and not without intelligence; Mr. Badger-gruff and solitary, who

‘simply hates society’; Otter and Portly-a friend of Ratty, Otter is tough and self-sufficient, Portly is

his young son; and inhabitants of the Wild Wood-are described by Ratty as ‘all right in a way…

but…well, you can’t really trust them”28.

It is necessary to present here a very well detailed description of some of the main characters

from this story. So, I will begin with Mr. Badger – who is a kind but lonely character for a simple

reason, he hates society and crowds. Physically we can describe him having a big black and white

head and is a very strong animal. He is perceived like the wise personage who always advises and

guides the other characters. He is that kind of friend who will always come and help if you need

him.

Mr. Toad – as we all can figure from the novel, he is the richest character and the owner of

Toad Hall. He never learns from his mistakes and although he is good natured he is impatient and

adores adventure. He has an obsession with cars even though he doesn’t want to take some driving

lessons. He is strong and fearless and finally, he forgets about cars.

28 Jackie C. Horne and Donna R. White: Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows: A Children’s Classic at 100 , Ed. Scarecrow Press, USA, 2010, p. 19.

27

Ratty – he appears as a very kind character, hardworking, relaxed, and friendly. He loves the

river which is why he shows the Mole many interesting things about it. He has a brown little face

with whiskers, bright eyes, small ears and thick shiny hair.

The Mole – he is a mild mannered home loving animal because, being the first character

presented in the story, we find him cleaning his house for spring. He is shy, hardworking and,

strangely, enjoys sunshine and loves the river which is why he wants to swim and to row a boat.

At the beginning of the novel, Mole has a sudden case of spring fever, as we saw in the

description above, gives up his house cleaning, and wanders in the fields and meadows. He finds

himself by a river and because he has been such a stay-at-home he has never seen it, and there meets

the Water Rat, who invites Mole into his boat: “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing-

absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats”29.

From that moment, a world of friendship, of picnicking, and playing opened for Mole. A few

chapters later, Mole, Water Rat, and the Badger go to Toad Hall in order to help their friend, Mr.

Toad, who has a bad habit of reckless driving. Because of his irresponsible life, he loses his home

and his fortune. The four friends go to battle to regain Toad Hall. A t the end of the book there is a

celebration where all the friends rejoice at Toad’s return.

Beyond the charming story, there is an insidious encouragement in kindness, patience

industry, and loyalty. This story presents the meaning of true friendship. For example, Badger

reproofs Toad’s foolishness: “Independence is all very well, but we animals never allow our friends

to make fools of themselves beyond a certain limit, and that you’ve reached”30. Also, in this novel

the leisure is well emphasized. Nowadays people shift back and forth from work to working at

making recreation, generally, we forget the value of spontaneous play. In The Wind in the Willows,

the river is where leisure is enjoyed. “The Wind in the Willows shows us a quartet of endearing

characters, friends with real virtues contributing to each other moral growth”31.

As I said before, the story emphasizes the power of close friends and provides something

that few novels of its time can claim: all round entertainment for all ages and for all generations. The

story shapes the image of English life, an upper-middle-class take on the world in which the country

side is covered by a relentless summer time. The characters are completely humanized and they

embody the English values of fortitude and good humor.

29 Kenneth Grahame: The Wind in the Willows, Ed. Smithmark Pub, New York, 1988, p. 5.30 Kenneth Grahame: The Wind in the Willows, Ed. Smithmark Pub, New York, 1988, p. 26.31 Jackie C. Horne and Donna R. White: Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows: A Children’s Classic at 100 , Ed. Scarecrow Press, USA, 2010, p. 35.

28

This is a book which has everything to please children. It is a thrilling adventure, with

moments of terror, but, at the same time, the story is also very reassuring. This book is separated

into two books: on the one hand, we have chapters concerned with the adventures of Toad, and on

the other hand, there are some chapters that explore human emotions.

The Wind in the Willows is one of the greatest children’s books of all time due to the fact that

includes such great anthropomorphized characters and such great learning which is very useful for

young readers.

CONCLUSIONS

Children’s literature is full of animal characters widely understood to be symbolic humans.

They are believed to provide the reader with a combination of delight and the neutrality and

emotional distance considered necessary for navigating various stages of maturation or complex and

charged social issues.

The main theme of this work was children’s literature and one of his features, the

anthropomorphic characters. We call it also juvenile literature and, as we well know, includes

29

stories, books and poems that are enjoyed by children. Nowadays, children’s literature is classified

in different ways: by genre or by the intended age of the reader. This kind of literature has its roots

in the stories and songs which were told through oral communication. Due to the inability to publish

stories, it may be difficult to track the development of early children’s literature. About all this and

about how literature for young readers developed, is discussed in the first chapter.

Another important part is the anthropomorphism used in children’s literature. The use of the

animals as characters, brought something different and also something very useful for the

development of children’s literature. Anthropomorphism or personification means any attribution of

human characteristics to animals. It is associated with art and storytelling where it has ancient roots.

Most cultures have a tradition anthropomorphized animals as characters that can stand as commonly

recognized types of human behavior.

Non-human animals fascinate us. They have appeared in art and stories throughout time and

across most human cultures. In our stories and art, particularly in children’s literature, fantasy, and

folktales, we ourselves transform into other animals, we communicate with them, we even marry

them, live with them, and learn from them. There is a sense of a larger community of beings of

which we are one part and in which we take delight.

Animal characters may sometimes be understood as animal selves, and not as symbolic

humans. Interest in the selfhood of non‐human animals has been gaining ground in academic

debates in the fields of animal and cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and anthropology,

resulting in theoretical work that paints an intriguing picture of what animal selves might consist of

and how we may already know those selves.

Anthropomorphic characters were created for amusement and in order to make it easier for

children to approach literature. As you have the possibility to see in my work, I have chosen, in

order to emphasize anthropomorphism, two main works: Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the

Willows, and A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh. I think that these two stories reveal the true aspect of

anthropomorphism and also include the main features of children’s literature.

Winnie-the-Pooh reveals the story of an anthropomorphic bear and because it was written for

a child, Milne’s child, it reflects the concerns, the games, and the guidance of an ongoing childhood.

The Wind in the Willows, is a novel which focuses upon four anthropomorphized animal

characters in a pastoral version of England and it is well known for its mixture of adventure,

morality, mysticism, and camaraderie.

30

So, anthropomorphism is a very complex subject to discuss because it implies many areas,

but its more important role is the educational one which implies many responsibilities. Besides,

children’s literature represents a primordial phase that can’t be replaced by anything. It has the

freedom to express in so many ways, which, of course, makes it more useful. Usually, children’s

stories have always been accompanied by pictures. They are written in a very simple language and

contain many illustrations which represent another strength for this kind of literature.

Because children are often considered to be growing through earlier stages of human

development when, it is supposed, humans were closer to other animals, they are especially drawn

to animals. They understand animals as fictitiously standing in for them and for other people.

Normally, the development of children’s literature is based on the social, educational,

political, and economical resources of the country or ethnic group. Eventually, children’s literature

is a part of the mainstream of all literature domains. It orders, evaluates, explores, and illuminates

the human experience through imagination.

So to speak, children’s literature is that kind of literature to which children react. It relates to

their range of experience and is expressed in a language that they understand and embrace easily.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Alcott, May Louisa, Little Women, Ed. Serenity Publishers, USA, 2009.

2. Aristotle, Historia Animalum, Ed. Cambridge University Press, London, 2011.

3. Boehrer, Bruce Thomas, Animal Characters: Non-Human Being in Early Modern Literature,

Ed. University Press, Pennsylvania, 2010.

4. Defoe, Daniel, Robinson Crusoe, Ed. Edcon, USA, 2008.

5. Goodman, Lizabeth, Literature and Gender, Ed. Routledge, London, 1996.

6. Grahame, Kenneth, The Wind in the Willows, Ed. Smithmark Pub, New York, 1988.

31

7. Graverholz, Pescosolido, Gender Representation in Children’s Literature, Ed. Routledge,

London, 1989.

8. Grenby, O. Matthew, Children’s Literature, Ed. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh,

2003.

9. Horne, C. Jackie, Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’: A Children’s Classic at

100, Ed. Scarecrow Press, USA, 2010.

10. Hunt, Peter, The International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature, Ed.

Routledge, Canada, 1996.

11. Kline, T. Daniel, Medieval Literature for Children, Ed. Routledge, New York, 2003.

12. Milne, A. Alexander, Winnie-the-Pooh, Ed. Penguin Groups, USA, 2009.

13. Mitchell, W. Robert, Anthropomorphism: Anecdotes and Animals, Ed. State University

Press, USA, 1997.

14. O’Sullivan, Ernest, Historical Dictionary of Children’s Literature, Ed. Scarecrow Press,

London, 2010.

15. Shepard, Ernest, Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh, Ed. Dutton Children’s Books, New

York, 2001.

16. Stoodt, Barbara, Children’s Literature: Discovery for a Lifetime, Ed. Macmillan Education,

Australia, 1996.

17. Vogl, Sonia, Animals and Anthropomorphism in Children’s Literature, Ed. Macmillan

Education, Australia, 1996.

ANTROPOMORFISMUL ÎN LITERATURA ENGLEZĂ

PENTRU COPII

După cum am vazut în această lucrare, literatura pentru copii reprezintă cea mai importantă

parte din cultura unei persoane deoarece ea îşi face debutul încă din fragedă pruncie, astfel oferindu-

ne ocazia de a dezvolta o perspectivă cât mai amplă despre literatură ca un întreg, despre timp,

spaţiu şi despre toate lucrurile care ne colorează viaţa de zi cu zi. De asemenea, ne deschide noi

orizonturi spre o altfel de realitate facându-ne capabili să ne formăm propriile opinii despre situaţiile

cu, care suntem confruntaţi în realitatea de dincolo de cărţi. Astfel de argumente, în opinia mea,

32

reprezintă cel mai bine concepţia pe care ar trebui să ne-o creăm despre literatură încă din copilărie

şi astfel să dezvoltăm capacitatea de a-i ajuta pe cei mici să se “îndrăgostească” de literatură.

Literatura pentru copii îşi are originile în cântecele şi poveştile spuse pe cale orală cu mult

înainte de a exista posibilitatea unei editări. Ceea ce este diferit dar foarte interesant la acest gen de

literatură este faptul că autorul se poate “juca” în foarte multe feluri cu spaţiul în care se desfăşoară

acţiunea, cu tipul de acţiune pe care vrea să îl prezinte, dar mai ales poate jongla cu felul

personajelor pe care decide să le prezinte într-un mod foarte nostim. Personajele întruchipând

oameni cu tot felul de caractere, personaje pozitive sau negative din cărţile pentru adulţi, pot fi

înlocuite cu personaje interpretate de animăluţe mici şi dulci care să îi atragă pe cei mici şi de ce nu,

şi pe cei mari.

Acest artificiu folosit în literatura pentru copii se numeşte Antropomorfism şi se defineşte

prin atribuirea unor însuşiri şi calităţi umane unor fiinţe non-umane, obiecte sau fenomene naturale

ori supranaturale. Numai în acest gen de literatură putem vorbi despre personaje antropomorfice

privite dintr-un punct de vedere distractiv, ceea ce ne oferă posibilitatea de a descoperi o lume total

nouă dincolo de ficţiune şi de replicile haioase.

Antropomorfismul este prezent în multe cărţi din literatura engleză pentru copii şi nu numai.

Îl găsim în literatura universală, în toate formele şi cu tot felul de subiecte, încercând să expună

realitatea care se ascunde dincolo de acele mici animăluţe şi dincolo de conversaţia oarecum

amuzantă.

În această lucrare, am încercat sa cuprind tot ceea ce este esenţial pentru înţelegerea acestui

tip de literatură şi din acest motiv am început prin a relata anumite lucruri generale despre literatura

pentru copii. În primul capitol intitulat simplu Literatura pentru Copii, am expus cele mai esenţiale

informaţii despre această arie şi anume: importanţa acestui gen de literatură pentru copii, cele mai

importante teme care se regăsesc în aceste cărţi şi, desigur, care sunt cele mai importante cărţi din

literatura pentru copii. După această scurtă introducere în lumea copiilor, am început prin a descrie

cea mai importantă caracteristică a acestui gen de literatură, antropomorfismul: rolul animalelor în

literatura pentru copii, conexiunea care există între personajele umane şi cele non-umane şi,

bineînţeles, ce fel de personaje antropomorfice întâlnim cel mai des în literatura engleză pentru

copii.

Dat fiind faptul că am discutat despre tot ce era important pentru a înţelege frumuseţea

acestui gen de literatură şi mai ales că am dezbătut pe larg tema acestei lucrări, am considerat că este

imperios necesar să aduc în completarea ei, două dintre cele mai frumoase şi mai explicite poveşti 33

care implică antropomorfismul la cel mai înalt grad şi anume: Winnie-the-Pooh şi The Wind in the

Willows. Aceste capodopere cred că sunt cele mai reprezentative pentru a înţelege ideea de

antropomorfism în literatura pentru copii şi tocmai din acest motiv le-am ales pentru a face parte din

aceasta lucrare.

În cele din urmă, literatura pentru copii reprezintă cea mai importantă parte din domeniul

literaturii. Ordonează, evaluează şi iluminează oarecum experienţa umană prin intermediul

imaginaţiei. Altfel spus, reprezintă un întreg care ne ajută să creştem, să evoluăm şi să ne formăm ca

adulţi şi tocmai din acest motiv eu cred că este cea mai importantă parte din viaţa fiecărei persoane.

Domnule Rector,

Subsemnata, Gorun Elena-Loredana, domiciliată în Tg-Jiu, Str. Olteţului, Bl. 1, Sc. 2, Ap.

14, jud. Gorj, masterandă în cadrul Universităţii din Craiova, Facultatea de Litere, Master Studii

Anglo-Americane, declar pe proprie răspundere că prezenta lucrare de disertaţie cu titlul

Anthropomorphism in English Books for Children, realizată sub îndrumarea doamnei profesoare

Aloisia Şorop, nu este un plagiat.

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Vă mulţumesc!

Data: Semnătura:

01.07.2013 Gorun Elena-Loredana

Domnului Rector al Universităţii din Craiova, Judeţul Dolj!

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