Abstract
Yaşlılık ve yaşlanma, evrensel okuyucular tarafından kabul görmüş Avrupa ve Anglofon çocuk edebiyatı klasiklerinin çoğunda ya göz ardı edilmekte ya da yetersiz bir şekilde temsil edilmektedir. Çocukluk, toyluk ve masumiyet ile ilişkilendirildiğinden, çocuk edebiyatı ve yaşlılık genellikle birbirine zıt kavramlar olarak görülmektedir. Çocuk klasiklerinin çoğu, çocuk karakterlerin yetişkinliğe ulaşmasıyla sona erer ya da yaşlılık, yaşamın önemli bir dönemi olarak resmedilmez. Yaşlı bireylerin yer aldığı durumlarda ise, bu karakterler çoğunlukla arketipsel veya stereotipik figürler olarak karşımıza çıkmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, çocuk edebiyatının kanonik metinlerinde, çocuklara maceralarında rehberlik eden yaşlı bilge adamlar ve çocuklara zarar verme amacı güden çirkin cadılar, evlenmemiş yaşlı kadınlar ve üvey anneler gibi karakterler sıklıkla yer almaktadır. Bu çalışma, ilk olarak hem Avrupa hem de Anglofon çocuk edebiyatının klasik metinlerindeki yaşlı karakterlerin yokluğunu ve sınırlı temsilini sorgular; ardından çocuk edebiyatının kanonik metinlerindeki yaş ayrımcılığına yol açan söylemleri vurgulayarak seçili örnekler üzerinden yaşlanma ve yaşlılığın çeşitli temsillerini inceler.
Keywords
Yaşlanma Yaşlılık Çocuk edebiyatı Yaş ayrımcılığı Avrupa çocuk klasikleri Anglofon çocuk klasikleri
References
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- Joosen V. 2019, “Aging in Children’s Literature”. Eds. D. Gu & M. E. Dupre, Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Cham, 1-4.
- Joosen V. 2022, Connecting Childhood Studies, Age Studies, and Children’s Literature Studies: John Wall’s Concept of Childism and Anne Fine’s The Granny Project”. Barnboken: Journal of Children’s Literature Research 45, 1-21.
- Joosen V. 2015, “Second Childhoods and Intergenerational Dialogues: How Children’s Literature Studies and Age Studies Can Supplement Each Other”. Children's Literature Association Quarterly 40, 126-40.
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- McCulloch F. 2011, Children’s Literature in Context. London.
- McMunn M.T. & McMunn W\.R. 1972, “Children’s Literature in the Middle Ages”. Children’s Literature 1, 21-29.
- Montgomery L.M. 2010, Anne of Green Gables. New York.
- Nikolajeva M. 2003, The Rhetoric of Character in Children’s Literature. Oxford.
- “Old Age”. (n. d.). In Oxford English Dictionary. Source: [https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?q=old+age](https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?q=old+age)
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- Rousseau J. J. 1979, Émile, or On Education. Trans. A. Bloom, New York.
- Sánchez-Eppler K. 2011, “Childhood”. Ed. P. Nel, Keywords for Children’s Literature. New York, 35–41.
- Sharar S. 1993, “Who were Old in the Middle Ages?”. Social History of Medicine 6, 313-341.
- Spyri J. 1919, Heidi. Trans. E. P. Stork, London.
- Tolkien J. R. R. 2007, The Hobbit. New York.
- Zizza C. A., Ellison K. J. & Wernette C.M. 2009, “Intakes of Community-Living Middle-Old and Oldest Old Adults”. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences 64A, 481-486.
Abstract
Old age and ageing are either disregarded or underrepresented in much of the European and Anglophone classics of children’s literature that have been recognised by global readership. Children’s literature and old age generally appear to be polar opposites due to childhood’s association with immaturity and innocence. Most children’s classics end with child characters reaching adulthood, or old age is not presented as an important phase in life. When older people are present, they appear as archetypal or stereotypical characters most of the time. Consequently, canonical texts of children’s literature are filled with wise old men who serve as friendly and helpful guides during children’s quests, as well as ugly witches, old spinsters, and stepmothers who deliberately harm children. This study first questions the absence or limited presence of older characters in both European and Anglophone children’s classics, and secondly delves into various representations of ageing and old age in selected examples, highlighting ageist discourses in the canonical texts of children’s literature.
Keywords
Ageing Old age Children’s literature Ageism European children's classics Anglophone children's classics
References
- “Ageing”. (n. d.). In Oxford English Dictionary. Source: [https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries\&q=ageing](https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=ageing)
- Amberg A.M. 2020, The Embodiment of Evil in Children’s Literature: How Villainy and Adulthood are Interconnected in Children’s Stories. Hamburg.
- Aries P. 1962, Centuries of Childhood: A Social History of Family Life. Trans. R. Baldick, New York.
- Barnum P.W. 1977a, “Discrimination against the Aged in Young Children’s Literature”, The Elementary School Journal 77, 300-306.
- Barnum P.W. 1977b, “The Aged in Young Children’s Literature.” Language Arts 54, 29-32.
- Barrie J.M. 2014, Peter Pan. New York.
- Barstow A.M. 1975, “The Concept of the Child in the Middle Ages: The Ariès Thesis”. Children’s Literature 4, 41-44.
- Beauvoir S. 1972, The Coming of Age. Trans. P. O’Brian, New York.
- Brothers Grimm 2013, Grimms’ Fairy Tales. London.
- Dahl R. 1964, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. London.
- Dahl R. 1983, The Witches. London.
- Dickens C. 2003, A Christmas Carol. New York.
- Donlan D. 1972, “The Negative Image of Women in Children’s Literature.” Elementary English 49, 604-611.
- Frick J. 2017, “Of Wicked and Wise Men: Older Characters in Children’s Books.” Silver Century Foundation: Preparing for a Longer Life, Kaynak: [https://www.silvercentury.org/2017/04/of-wicked-witches-and-wise-men-older-characters-in-childrens-books/](https://www.silvercentury.org/2017/04/of-wicked-witches-and-wise-men-older-characters-in-childrens-books/)
- Grenby M.O. 2008, Children’s Literature. Edinburgh.
- Gullette M.M. 2004, Aged by Culture. Chicago.
- Güven D.Ç. 2019, Reviewing the Concepts of “the Modern Child” and “Small Adult”— A Plea for “Third World Small Adults’ Literature” as an Alternative to “Children’s Literature”. Journal of the Human and Social Sciences Researches 8, 897-915.
- Henneberg S. 2010, “Moms do Badly, but Grandmas do Worse: The Nexus of Sexism and Ageism in Children’s Classics”. Journal of Aging Studies 24, 125-34.
- Jenks C. 1997, Childhood. New York.
- Johnson P. 2003, “Historical Readings of Old Age and Ageing”. Eds. P. Johnson & P. Thane, Old Age from Antiquity to Post-Modernity. London, 1-18
- Joosen V. 2020, Adulthood in Children’s Literature. London.
- Joosen V. 2019, “Aging in Children’s Literature”. Eds. D. Gu & M. E. Dupre, Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Cham, 1-4.
- Joosen V. 2022, Connecting Childhood Studies, Age Studies, and Children’s Literature Studies: John Wall’s Concept of Childism and Anne Fine’s The Granny Project”. Barnboken: Journal of Children’s Literature Research 45, 1-21.
- Joosen V. 2015, “Second Childhoods and Intergenerational Dialogues: How Children’s Literature Studies and Age Studies Can Supplement Each Other”. Children's Literature Association Quarterly 40, 126-40.
- Joosen V. 2024, “What’s the Point of Grandpa?: Grandparents in Children’s Literature”. Eds. E. Sperncer & J. D. Craig, Family in Children’s and Young Adult Literature. New York, 55-68.
- Kingsley C. 2014, The Water-Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby. Oxford.
- Lewis C.1985, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. London.
- Locke J. 1779, Some Thoughts Concerning Education. London.
- McCulloch F. 2011, Children’s Literature in Context. London.
- McMunn M.T. & McMunn W\.R. 1972, “Children’s Literature in the Middle Ages”. Children’s Literature 1, 21-29.
- Montgomery L.M. 2010, Anne of Green Gables. New York.
- Nikolajeva M. 2003, The Rhetoric of Character in Children’s Literature. Oxford.
- “Old Age”. (n. d.). In Oxford English Dictionary. Source: [https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?q=old+age](https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?q=old+age)
- “Older Persons”. In UNHCR, Accessed 10 March 2025. [https://emergency.unhcr.org/protection/persons-risk/older-persons](https://emergency.unhcr.org/protection/persons-risk/older-persons)
- Porter E.H. 2000, Pollyanna, New York.
- Rousseau J. J. 1979, Émile, or On Education. Trans. A. Bloom, New York.
- Sánchez-Eppler K. 2011, “Childhood”. Ed. P. Nel, Keywords for Children’s Literature. New York, 35–41.
- Sharar S. 1993, “Who were Old in the Middle Ages?”. Social History of Medicine 6, 313-341.
- Spyri J. 1919, Heidi. Trans. E. P. Stork, London.
- Tolkien J. R. R. 2007, The Hobbit. New York.
- Zizza C. A., Ellison K. J. & Wernette C.M. 2009, “Intakes of Community-Living Middle-Old and Oldest Old Adults”. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences 64A, 481-486.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | European Language, Literature and Culture, British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture |
| Journal Section | Derlemeler |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | June 27, 2025 |
| Submission Date | February 6, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | April 9, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 15 Issue: 1 |
| Adres: Akdeniz İnsani Bilimler Dergisi Akdeniz Üniversitesi, Edebiyat Fakültesi 07058 Kampüs, Antalya / TÜRKİYE | E-Posta: mjh@akdeniz.edu.tr |