The Victorian Fairy Tale : How to Believe Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Abstract

It is my purpose in writing this paper to examine the children's literature of the Victorian period in terms of what it reveals about the adult Victorian view of life. The justification for this attempt is my contention that much of the adult's attitudes and values are exposed in the nature of the world which they present to their children and how they prepare them to deal with this world. Specifically, I will analyze the fairy tales and works which are based on fantasy, because they pertain most directly to the creation of an ideal world, allow the freest bounds to the imagination, and contend with abstract concepts. Most significant is that the appearance of the fairy tale in the world of children's literature is the unique contribution of the Victorian period and therefore reflects the Victorian spirit most closely.