Children’s Neo-Romanticism: The Archaeological Imagination in British Post-War Children’s Fantasy

Abstract

The focus of this study is a trend in British children’s literature concerning the ancientness of British landscape, with what I argue is a Neo-Romantic sensibility. Neo-Romanticism is marked by highly subjective viewpoints on the countryside, and I argue that it illuminates our understanding of post-war children’s literature, particularly in what is often called its Second Golden Age. Through discussion of four generally overlooked authors, each of importance to this formative publishing era, I aim to explore certain aspects of the Second Golden Age children’s literature establishment. I argue that the trend I critique is characterised by ambiguity, defined by the imaginative practice entailed in the archaeological view

Date of Award	10 Oct 2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Roehampton
Supervisor	David Priestman (Supervisor) & Alison Waller (Supervisor)