Dislocation and children's relationships with their peers and parents in children's fiction set during the Second World War. by Timothy Johnstone, B.A. A Masters Dissertation, submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Masters of Arts degree of the Loughborough University of Technology. September 1995 Supervisor: Professor M. Evans, BA, MBA CNAA, PhD, PGCE, ALA, MIInfSc. Department of Information and Library Studies. ., © T. Johnstone, 1995. Abstract This dissertation looks at the treatment of dislocation and children's relationships with their parents and peers in novels written for children about the Second World War, in order to identify what are the dominant themes which the authors develop. The first chapter deals with evacuation: its unpopularity and the problems it caused and the deVelopment of themes which show fictional evacuees facing those problems with optimism and their successful adaptation to a new environment. Chapter 11 shows how the situation of refugees in wartime Britain was not approached ill _ children's literature until a decade after the war, when stories containing themes of optimism in adversity, self-discovery, exposure of prejudice and supportive families began to appear. In chapter Ill, the differences the war brought to parent and child relationships are identified, especially their portrayal in a wave of children's novels based upon the writers' wartime, childhood memories, which again develop themes of readjustment and the overcoming of adversity, particularly through the caring of substitute parents and families brought closer by the war. The final chapter covers the depiction of children's relationships with their peers and such themes as the friendships made possible by wartime dislocation, the problems of social isolation, sometimes combined with the sympathetic portrayal of a German soldier, and the strength of sibling relationships In conclusion, the dominant themes in children's literature about the Second World War, developed from the issues of dislocation and children's relationships with parents and peers, have provided authors with the opportunity to write stories which fulfil present- day children's intellectual and emotional needs. CONTENTS PAGE NO. Introduction 1 Introduction References 6 Chapter One 8 Chapter One References 22 Chapter Two 28 , Chapter Two References 38 Chapter Three 42 Chapter Three References 56 Chapter Four 61 Chapter Four References 72 Conclusion 76 Conclusion References 80 Primary sources 81 Secondary Sources 83 0; Introduction 1 Dislocation and children's relationships with their peers and parents are important issues in children's novels irrespective of when they are set. However in novels set during World War Two these issues are give~ a special prominence, due to the disruption and chaos many people had to endure. The war years were a restless time .... To have seven or eight homes, none of them pennanent ..... was not at all uncommon and altogether ..... sixty mimon changes of address were recorded in England and Wales in a civilian population of thirty eight million.l This dissertation will explore how dislocation and children's relationships with their parents and peers have influenced children's fiction set during the Second World War. It is only since the 1970s that critical interest has focused upon children's fiction set during the Second World War- The reason for this is three fold. Firstly there were not many new children's novels published during the Second World War.2 This was due to a paper shortage3, the absence of many authors and artists on war work4, and the damage caused by bombing raids upon London, when publishers stock and printing plates were destroyed.s This resulted in the number of new books declining each year', from 15,000 in 1939 to 6,700 in 1943, where it remained till after the war ended.7 Secondly, it was not until after the publication of The Dolphin Crossing, 1967, that children's fiction set during World War Two established itself as a prominent genre.s Previously the "serious effects of war" had not been seen as suitable for discussion in children's novels.9 Thirdly, the study of children's literature in schools, colleges and universities only began in the 19705.10 Gillian A very, in 1CJ72, wrote that since she wrote Nineteenth Century Children, 1965, Children's books now have their own niche in the study of English and of education.ll The increasing critical interest in children's fiction set during World War Two, has mirrored the increased academic interest in children's fiction as a whole, the period from 1970 has heen one of ..traordinary activity in the discussion of the subject.12 The Nesbit Tradition, 1CJ72, looked briefly at children's fiction written during World War Two but did not go into great depth, The only post 1945 war time novel examined is The Silver Sword, 1956,13 It was not till 1978 that an in-depth analysis of children's wartime fiction written both during and after the Second World War was available. This came with the publication of Women and children first. The fiction o/two World Wars, by Mary Cadogan and Patricia Craig.l4 2 The year before, the journal Children's Literature in Education had begun to take an interest in the increasing popularity of children's war time fiction, with the pUblication of an article entitled Recent World-War-lIfiction: A survey.1S This was followed by Sheila Ray in The Blyton phenomenon, 1982, who concentrated upon the patriotism in children's fiction written during World War Two.16 John Rowe Townsend in Written for children, 1987 briefly focused upon children's novels set during World War Two written both during and after the war.!7 Interest in children's fiction set during the Second World War has continued into the 1990s. Peter Hunt has examined this genre in his book An Introduction to Children's Literature, 1994.18 He has also looked exclusively at war novels written during the Second World War in a chapter entitled Retreatism and Advance in Children's literature. An Illustrated History, 1995.19 Dislocation and children's relationships with their peers and parents are dominant issues which bring to the fore various other issues and themes in children's fiction set during the Second World War and the primary aim of this dissertation is to identify and explore these issues and themes. I have focused upon two specific elements of dislocation to be found in children's novels set during the Second World War. These are, the difficulties faced by children who were evacuated, and the plight of the many children who became refugees. Dislocation is a prominent issue in many children's novels dealing with the period. Novels of exile, alienation. and displacement were part of the fictional treatment of war for children. and continued into the Cold War years.20 As JiII Paton Walsh has stated, it was a time when for children "the whole world was unreliable".21 Children frequently had to move from one environment to a completely different one. In my first chapter I have looked at the major evacuations carried out and their affect upon thousands of children. In order to determine the extent to which evacuation dislocated children, it was necessary to look at the unpopularity of evacuation during the war, the prejudice it aroused and the difficulties children faced in adapting to their new surroundings. Whether hindsight distorts an author's portrayal of World War Two is also explored. The extent to which evacuation was shown as a chance for self-improvement is examined, as well as its social and educational consequences. Finally I have looked at the official ending of evacuation as a subject for children' authors. In my second chapter upon refugees I have looked at the theme of refugees forced to adapt to a . new environment, and the problems they faced. I have also examined how child refugees in children's novels are usually portrayed as optimistic in the face of adversity, the symbolic importance offamiIies, and how the theme of self-discovery permeates the process of dislocation the child undergoes. 3 In chapter three, this dissertation will examine the depiction of the affects of war on children's relationShips with their parents, and the social changes brought about by World War Two which affected the concept of parenting, such as the rising number of illegitimate births, the rising divorce rate and the phenomenon of women left to bring up children on their own. I have also looked at the portrayal of opportunities for mothers to enjoy increased freedom, as well as the difficulties many ex-service men faced when they returned home. The separation of children from their parents was common place during World War Two, be it due to evacuation, death or having a father who was called up. I have attempted to determine how fictional children reacted to these separations and I have also looked at the relationship between parents and children who were not separated; how much did parents tell their children about the world in which they were growing up? The importance in novels of substitute parents is also considered. In my final chapter the portrayal of children's relationships with their peers in children's fiction will be explored. I have focused upon the importance of peers in helping children to develop psychologically and emotionally and how the Second World War brought together children who would otherwise never have met. I have also looked at sibling relationships, and the extent to which fictional children emulated adult behaviour when they were with their peers . This dissertation will concentrate upon children's novels as opposed to picture books or comics, because it is in children's novels that writers have the freedom to explore the themes and issues the.Second World War raises.