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Ml 48106 18 BEDFORD ROW, LONDON WC1R 4EJ, ENGLAND 8015900 L e v st ik , L in d a S u z a n n e T h o m s REFUGE AND REFLECTION: AMERICAN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AS SOCIAL HISTORY, 1920-1940 The Ohio State University Ph.D. 1980 University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 18 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4EJ, England REFUSE AND REFLECTION: AMERICAN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AS SOCIAL HISTORY, 1920-1940 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillm ent of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Linda Thoms Levstik, B.S. in Ed., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1980 Reading Committee: Approved By Dr. Raymond H. Muessig Dr. Charlotte S. Huck _______ ________ Dr. Robert H. Bremner . • Adviser Department of Humanities Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to acknowledge several persons who have aided in the completion of this study. Dr. Raymond H. Muessig provided probing and critical analysis during the construction of the disserta­ tion . Dr. Charlotte S. Huck provided both encouragement and access to her personal collection of children's literature. Dr. Robert H. Bremner's help in suggesting source material was invaluable. Finally, the author is also grateful for the kind assistance of the librarians in the Children's Division, Library of Congress. VITA December 13, 1945 .......................................... Born - Staten Island, New York 1967 ...................................................................... B.S, in Ed., Capital University, Columbus, Ohio 1967-1971 ......................................................... Teacher, Worthington Public Schools, Worthington, Ohio 1973 ..................................................................... M.A., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1972-1975 ......................................................... Teacher, Columbus Torah Academy, Columbus, Ohio 1976-1980 ......................................................... Graduate Teaching A ssociate, Department of Early and Middle Childhood Education, The Ohio State U niversity, Columbus, Ohio Publications "Mary Elizabeth Walker, Medal of Honor Winner," The Beehive, May, 1976. Contributor to The WEB, Winter, 1978. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Social Studies Education Studies in Social Studies. Professor Raymond H. Muessig Studies in Children's Literature. Professor Charlotte S. Huck Studies in American Social History. Professor Robert H. Bremner < « « m TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. ii VITA ............................................................................................................................ i l i INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER I. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................................. 11 Child and Story ............................................................................ 11 Literature in the Social Studies Curriculum ............ 16 Literature as Social History .............................................. 27 The Relationship Between Children's Literature and Social History ................................................................... 28 II. THE SOCIAL SCENE, 1920-1929 .................................................. 39 Introduction: The Twenties ................................................ 39 American Writers in the 1920's: The Expatriates . 50 American Writers in the 1920's: Children's Literature ............................................................................ 53 Summary .............................................................................................. 66 III. THE SOCIAL SCENE, 1930-1940 .................................................. 77 Introduction: The Thirties ................................................ 77 American Writers in the 1930's: The Proletarian . 84 American Writers in the 1930's: Children's Literature ............................................................................ 88 Summary .............................................................................................. 98 IV. THE OUTSIDE WORLD: THEM AND US ........................................ 104 The Twenties .................................................................................. 106 The T hirties: World Community ............. 117 iv Page V. INTERPRETING AMERICA ................................................................. 131 The Frontier in American Life ............................................ 133 The Colonial Experience in America ................................ 139 Mid-Nineteenth Century America and theCivil War . 141 The Hero Myth ..................................................................... 146 Historical Fiction in the Thirties ................................ 146 Times Remembered: Family Reminiscences ..................... 149 Traditional Stories in Historical Fiction ................ 150 Contemporary America in the Twenties ............................ 153 Contemporary America in the Thirties ............................ 162 VI. URBAN-RURAL CONFLICT ................................................................. 170 Folklore and Storytelling ..................................................... 170 The Image of Primitive People ............................................ 172 The Discovery of the Proletarian ..................................... 177 The Rural Myth .............................................................................. 181 Nostalgia for Simpler Things .............................................. 187 VII. RELIGION AND FAITH: THE CHRISTIAN ASSUMPTION . 192 The Moral Imperative: Puritanism .................................... 192 Manners and Morals in the Twenties ................................ 200 Spirituality and the Depression ....................................... 212 Manners and Morals in the Thirties ................................ 216 VIII. THE GENERATION OF THE CHILD .................................... 227 The Twenties ................................................................................... 227 The Tomboy and the Saint ....................................................... 247 The Thirties ................................................................................... 250 The Demise of the Saint ......................................................... 261 V Page IX. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................... 269 Literature as Refuge ................................................................. 270 Literature as Reflection ....................................................... 274 Literature as Social Studies ............................. 278 Suggestions for Further Research .............................. 284 APPENDIX A. SELECTION OF BOOKS ANALYZED INTHIS STUDY .................... 286 BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................... 325 vi INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to investigate children's literature, 1920-1940, from two perspectives: first, literature as an expression of social history, and second, literature as an influence on children's perceptions of the world. In this study, children's literature will be confined to fiction for the age group, nine through twelve. Chil­ dren's perceptions of the world are assumed to be within the province of the social studies, defined as: 1. The process of learning