Animals and Their Significance in Children Literature

Abstract

Animals take part in most of children literature; however, the meanings and the authors’ intentions are not initially obvious to readers. This dissertation attempts to clarify the multitude of senses imbedded in this fiction. It seeks to examine the background of the shared understanding of animals as part of human culture, their impact on literature, and the way they are portrayed in a selected number of literary works, namely Orbis Sensualium Pictus (1658) by John Amos Comenius, Fabulous Histories (1786) by Sarah Trimmer, and Black Beauty (1877) by Anna Sewell. We argue that mostly the literary devices used to transfuse human features into animals throughout these works are imagery, irony, and anthropomorphism. The exposure of children to such techniques, which aim not only to entertainment, but to educational and developmental purposes, leads to both cultural awareness and effective personal growth