Time flies when there is a book deadline.
Next Friday I'll be submitting a book manuscript that has taken *far too long*, and although I have four conference papers to turn into articles by April, and a major paper for May, I am anticipating a little writing time; if only of the 500 Words Before Breakfast variety.
So it is with great pleasure that I have begun printing the notes for chapter 4: Mr. Trease's History of England.
In which Mr. Trease encourages us to consider history from below, and takes young English men and women on a grand tour of Europe. In this chapter I will consider the historical adventure books in strict chronological order of setting, in order to consider the England (and it is England), it’s history and geography, that Trease created, at a time when Englishness was clearly something to be renegotiated, and in which historical fiction for children was part of the conversation. While this chapter will touch on the influence of socialism and the new social history on his work (and vice versa), it will reserve those important issues to a later discussion and chapter in order to make space for a consideration of the more conservative aspects of Trease’s historicals, in particular, the way in which even European History is filtered through the eyes of an English child. Over the course of the chapter a sharp eye will be kept on the changing fashions of history teaching within the English and Welsh curricula and the ways in which Trease created a counter-narrative to much of what was taught in the classroom. Meek cites Dorothy Neal White, but without a ff. ‘Reading a Trease story when one is an adult is mildly confusing because, vaguely remembering one’s own childhood, one is surprised to find that the erstwhile “bad uns” have become the heroes.” (Meek, 1960: 91)
This entry was originally posted at http://treaseproject.dreamwidth.org/5332.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
So it is with great pleasure that I have begun printing the notes for chapter 4: Mr. Trease's History of England.
In which Mr. Trease encourages us to consider history from below, and takes young English men and women on a grand tour of Europe. In this chapter I will consider the historical adventure books in strict chronological order of setting, in order to consider the England (and it is England), it’s history and geography, that Trease created, at a time when Englishness was clearly something to be renegotiated, and in which historical fiction for children was part of the conversation. While this chapter will touch on the influence of socialism and the new social history on his work (and vice versa), it will reserve those important issues to a later discussion and chapter in order to make space for a consideration of the more conservative aspects of Trease’s historicals, in particular, the way in which even European History is filtered through the eyes of an English child. Over the course of the chapter a sharp eye will be kept on the changing fashions of history teaching within the English and Welsh curricula and the ways in which Trease created a counter-narrative to much of what was taught in the classroom. Meek cites Dorothy Neal White, but without a ff. ‘Reading a Trease story when one is an adult is mildly confusing because, vaguely remembering one’s own childhood, one is surprised to find that the erstwhile “bad uns” have become the heroes.” (Meek, 1960: 91)
This entry was originally posted at http://treaseproject.dreamwidth.org/5332.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
