History of Children's Literature

History of Children's Literature

In this subject, students investigate the development of literature for children from the traditional literatures of myth and legend, folk and fairy tales, through early publishing, to the emergence of genres of adventure, fantasy and realism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Episodes

January 29, 2013 43 mins

Concluding the history of children's literature.

Copyright 2013 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played

Looking at Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and the Wizard of Oz. Why are tales of fantasy the most popular and enduring?

Copyright 2013 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
January 20, 2013 54 mins

Peter Pan, created by the Scottish author J.M. Barrie, is one of the most popular and treasured literary creations of the early 20th century. What makes it so timeless, and how has the story been interpreted over the last hundred years?

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
January 20, 2013 48 mins

Adventure stories aimed at boys tend to be a lot more exciting and heroic then those for girls. Why is this the case, and what themes are typical in these?

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
January 15, 2013 53 mins

Adventure stories aimed towards girls are often restricted by domestic elements. Is that their only appeal?

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
January 15, 2013 49 mins

The characteristics of an adventure tale, and the golden age of children's literature.

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
January 6, 2013 51 mins

A history of poetry written by adults for children.

Copyright 2013 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
January 6, 2013 49 mins

What are the characteristics of poetry written by children?

Copyright 2013 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
December 17, 2012 51 mins

How medieval literature reflected the changes in the philosophy of childhood.

Copyright 2011 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
December 16, 2012 53 mins

The affecting and instructing history of chapbooks for children, as developed particularly by Mr John Newbery, printer and bookseller.

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
December 10, 2012 51 mins

The origins and retellings of Arthurian legends and Robin Hood.

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
December 10, 2012 49 mins

How heroes work in epic tales, old english tales and literature, the legend of Beowulf, and how these devices are used in the tales of Tolkien.

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
December 2, 2012 53 mins

The formulaic structure of Disney story-telling, and how they change classic fairy tales.

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
December 2, 2012 47 mins

The ways of reading into fairy tales, the types of telling, and why they have endured through the ages.

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
November 25, 2012 46 mins

What is the origin of Little Red Riding Hood, and how has the story been interpreted through the years?

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
November 25, 2012 49 mins

Folk tales and fairy tales were not originally created for children. How are they defined and how have they changed? How are the stories evolving back into tales for adults?

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
November 18, 2012 56 mins

What are myths about? Why are these stories labelled as myth while others aren't? How do myths portray life and death?

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played

Myths and legends - are creatures created by a creator? How the origin of myths play through in themes of children's literature.

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
November 11, 2012 51 mins

How do books work? How are they interpreted and translated? What signs and symbols do we read from their representation?

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played
November 11, 2012 46 mins

History of Children's Literature will take you back to the roots of story telling and examine the beginnings of children's literature.

Copyright 2012 David Beagley / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

    24/7 News: The Latest

    The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

    Latino USA

    Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S. centering Latino stories, hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa Every week, the Peabody winning team brings you revealing, in-depth stories about what’s in the hearts and minds of Latinos and their impact on the world. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.