Kritikerens personlige projekt: Barndomsopfattelser, dannelsessyn og personlig positionering i romantikkens børnelitterære kritik i Danmark

Abstract

This article addresses the romantic children’s literature criticism in Denmark and pin points the educational ideals and conceptions of childhood of the critics respectively. The theoretic basis of the survey is Hans-Heino Ewers’ account of children’s literature being inextricably bound up with the conception of children and childhood. In the light of readings of Adam Oehlenschläger, Poul Møller and Søren Kierkegaard the article argues that this is also the case when it comes to children’s literature criticism, and that the evaluation criteria, which underlie it, are based on personal conceptions of childhood and educational ideals. The article concludes that this criticism becomes a source of knowledge of primarily conception of childhood and educational ideals, and that it is possible to deduce from this knowledge how categories such as child and childhood easily become vague specimens, which are moulded at the whim of the critic or in accordance to a personal project.

(Published: 5 September 2011)

Citation: Nordic Journal of ChildLit Aesthetics, Vol. 2, 2011 DOI: 10.3402/blft.v2i0.8393