Inventing the Child: Culture, Ideology, and the Story of Childhood (Children's Literature and Culture, 17) [Hardcover]

J. Zornado (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 20, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0815335245 | ISBN-13: 978-0815335245

This book traces the historical roots of Western culture's stories of childhood in which the child is subjugated to the adult. Going back 400 years, it looks again at Hamlet, fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, and Walt Disney cartoons. Inventing the Child is a highly entertaining, humorous, and at times acerbic account of what it means to be a child (and a parent) in America at the dawn of the new millennium. John Zornado explores the history and development of the concept of childhood, starting with the works of Calvin, Freud, and Rousseau and culminating with the modern "consumer" childhood of Dr. Spock and television. The volume discusses major media depictions of childhood and examines the ways in which parents use different forms of media to swaddle, educate, and entertain their children. Zornado argues that the stories we tell our children contain the ideologies of the dominant culture--which, more often than not, promote "happiness" at all costs, materialism as the way to happiness, and above all, obedience to the dominant order.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Inventing the Child will be an insightful read for anyone interested in children's literature and children's psychological development.
–Choice

This book is passionate, accessible, often clever, and always irreverent discussion of the ways that child-rearing pedagogy has shaped not only children's books in the western tradition but 'the story of childhood' itself.
–Children's Literature Association Quarterly

About the Author

Joseph Zornado is Associate Professor of English at Rhode Island College and co-editor of the forthcoming Cambridge Guide to Children's Literature.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Garland Science (December 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815335245
• ISBN-13: 978-0815335245
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,950,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cultural Creation Discovered, May 16, 2002

By 

Dani Nofal (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inventing the Child: Culture, Ideology, and the Story of Childhood (Children's Literature and Culture, 17) (Hardcover)

This book will change your views on how to raise your kid and, in a deeper level, help understand the deadlock our society is in and how to try to break free of our habits of violence and destruction.
It analyzes the myths and books we feed our children and the subconscious message we hand to them everytime they go to a Disney movie or consume merchandising. It also explain the amount of violence they are directly subjeted too by unknowing and loving parents. Truly an eye opener.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A revolutionary book--brace yourself!, February 21, 2001

By 

Mary Galbraith (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inventing the Child: Culture, Ideology, and the Story of Childhood (Children's Literature and Culture, 17) (Hardcover)

Come and see a new intellectual baby! With this book, a new field is born: interpretation of literature from the perspective of a child's primal needs. Inventing the Child asserts two radical ideas: (1) that each work of literature reveals specific culturally sanctioned childhood violations of its author, and (2) that adultist ideology is necessarily propagated through literature, no matter how "great" that literature may be. J. Zornado has written an angry, impassioned, intellectually courageous book about childhood, literature, and adult blindness. His radical childhood studies perspective gives entirely new readings to Hamlet, Grimm's fairy tales, and Where the Wild Things Are, among other works. You don't have to agree with all his ideas--I don't agree with his second assertion above, if I understand it correctly--to be deeply impressed with what this book attempts and glad to embrace the new field it represents. Welcome to the world, Baby-as-yet-unnamed! (Radical childhood studies is not too catchy, but it will do for now.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cultural impact on our children., February 8, 2001

By 

Teddy (NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inventing the Child: Culture, Ideology, and the Story of Childhood (Children's Literature and Culture, 17) (Hardcover)

J. Zornado's clever and often humorous account on what it means to be a child is highly entertaining and thought provoking, touching on the works of Calvin, Freud, and Rousseau. The book delves deeply into the influence on the children of our culture through all mediums. A must read for all who are interested in the survival of our planet.