Literature: Representations of Childhood

Childhood compels us all; it is essential in forming our sense of self. Small wonder, then, that writers find it so powerful and searching a time to recall, describe and reflect upon. In this course we will be studying extracts from such contemporary novels as Jo Browning Wroe’s A Terrible Kindness and Maggie O'Farrell’s Hamnet. We will also be considering extracts from non-fiction such as David Sedaris’ Dress Your Family In Corduroy And Denim, and earlier autobiography including Molly Hughes’ A London Child of the 1870s and Gwen Raverat’s Period Piece. Passages and poems further back in time will be studied from Shakespeare, Dickens and Blake, alongside such with modern writers as Colson Whitehead and Sarah Waters. Poetry, prose and drama, and the very different ways these genres can portray childhood will all be part of our studies; our set text for study in full will be the great classic of autobiography by Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. There will be a wealth of questions to consider. How do authors set about portraying childhood, using what creative choices? What aspects do authors choose to recall and why? What is an author’s purpose in writing about childhood? Together, we will be seeking answers.