International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature

4

Ideology

Charles Sarland

Introduction

Discourse on children’s fiction sits at the crossroads of a number of other discourses. In
the late twentieth century the most important among these, for the purposes of this
chapter, are the discourses that surround the subject of ‘literature’ itself, and the
discourses that surround the rearing, socialisation, and education of the young. Thus
discussion of ideology in children’s literature requires the consideration of a number of
issues. The very use of the expression ‘children’s literature’, for instance, brings with it a
whole set of value judgements which have been variously espoused, attacked, defended,
and counterattacked over the years. In addition, discussion of children’s fiction—my
preferred term in this chapter—has always been characterised by arguments about its
purposes. These purposes, or in some cases these denials of purpose, stem from the
particular characteristics of its intended readership, and are invariably a product of the
views held within the adult population about children and young people themselves and
their place in society. Since there is an imbalance of power between the children and
young people who read the books, and the adults who write, publish and review the
books, or who are otherwise engaged in commentary upon, or dissemination of the
books, either as parents, or teachers, or librarians, or booksellers, or academics, there is
here immediately a question of politics, a politics first and foremost of age differential.
But wider than this, the books themselves and the social practices that surround them
will raise ideological issues. These issues may be related to specific debates in adult
society, to do for instance with class, gender or ethnicity, or they may be instances of
more general debate about the role of liberal humanist values in a capitalist democracy.
In addition to all of this, there is a continuing debate about reader response (see
Chapter 6), a debate which also impacts upon considerations of ideology in children’s
fiction. And finally, no consideration of ideology in children’s fiction would be complete
without a glance at the current developments by which children’s fiction is becoming a
commodity in a global market, controlled by a relatively small number of international
publishers.