In this paper, the 'Hidden Adult' will be considered as a theoretical framework that helps explain how different textual layers in children’s literature come into being and how adults’ views about children are conveyed by its adult authors. Nodelman, author of the "Hidden Adult," argues that although children’s literature usually offers an easy and simplified access to a topic, adult content is still present at all times. Another theory will prove unavoidable to use: the Freudian concept of the ‘unconscious.’
Many ideas about childhood are used in everyday life as well as in literature, certainly often with the author unaware of that fact. They have become so familiar to almost everyone that they will usually be overlooked. In a first step, I will explain Nodelman’s 'Hidden Adult' in more detail and Freud’s well-known concept of the ‘Unconscious’ will be linked to the conception of the 'Hidden Adult.' To give an example where we can find instances of these ideas I will take a closer look at the "UN Convention on the Rights of a Child" in its child-friendly version.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Nodelman’s Hidden Adult and the ‘Unconscious’
3. Case Study: The UN Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC)
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This paper examines how adult-authored children's literature serves as a medium for propagating conventional, Westernized notions of childhood. By applying Perry Nodelman’s theory of the "Hidden Adult" alongside Freudian concepts of the unconscious, the research explores how adult perspectives and didactic goals are embedded within texts—even those purportedly centered on the child’s voice—and investigates how these layers influence the reader's understanding of childhood.
- The duality of textual layers in children's literature (surface vs. deep).
- The influence of the Freudian ‘unconscious’ in authorial choices.
- The didactic function of children’s literature in molding societal views.
- Analysis of adult-centric ideologies within the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC).
- The role of "protection" and "harm" as central adult-imposed narratives.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Case Study: The UN Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC)
The CRC (in its child-friendly version) makes the presence of an adult speaker or voice very obvious. In the short paragraph that introduces the child reader to what the articles are about alone, there are many ideas about childhood introduced. Some of them stand out very distinctively, as for example the statement that rights express what is “the best for a child in a situation” and that “as [children] grow, [they] have more responsibility to make choices and exercise [their] rights.” The adult in these two sentences defines himself as the one to make the choices in lieu of the child and expects them to do the same when they have grown up. Responsibility and agency are linked to the world of the adult although the CRC aims at giving children their rights.
It remains important to consider that although “the CRC identifies the more recently recognized right to voice, agency, and active participation of the child as a bearer, not merely an object, of human rights”, the child still is defined by its “vulnerability and its domination by adult decision makers” (Bhabha 1259). Saguisag and Prickett observe that “adult ideologies of what it means to be a child have also shaped children’s rights” (vii) and therefore “attempt to ‘secure’ children in a particular [i.e. Western world’s] definition of childhood” (viii). However, not all instances are that obvious and hint not at a conscious, but rather at an unconscious use of childhood ideology. Interesting in that light is the choice of words throughout the text.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter establishes the theoretical framework, arguing that children’s literature is inherently an adult construct, and introduces the methodology of analyzing textual layers through the lens of the "Hidden Adult" and the Freudian "unconscious."
2. Nodelman’s Hidden Adult and the ‘Unconscious’: This section explores how authors project their own repressed memories and adult ideologies into stories, creating a didactic model that shapes the child reader’s perception of the world.
3. Case Study: The UN Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC): This chapter applies the established theoretical framework to the child-friendly version of the CRC, demonstrating how concepts like "harm" and "protection" reflect adult-centric definitions of childhood.
4. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the findings, asserting that children’s literature—and even legal documents for children—ultimately function to maintain Western conventional ideas about childhood, keeping the adult as the dominant authority figure.
Keywords
Children’s literature, Hidden Adult, Freudian unconscious, childhood ideology, adult voice, didactic function, UN Convention on the Rights of a Child, CRC, textual layers, childhood stereotypes, agency, vulnerability, protection, representation, Western society.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The research focuses on the inherent presence of the adult perspective in literature written for children and how this perspective shapes the reader's conceptualization of childhood.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed?
The primary fields include children's literature theory, psychoanalytic criticism, the construction of childhood in adult narratives, and the analysis of rights-based texts for children.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to analyze how adult authors consciously or unconsciously transmit their own ideologies and "repressed" views of childhood into literature, thereby influencing the child’s worldview.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The study utilizes a theoretical framework based on Perry Nodelman’s concept of the "Hidden Adult" and Sigmund Freud’s theory of the "unconscious" to perform a qualitative content analysis of specific texts.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body examines the duality of textual layers in children’s books, the didactic nature of these texts, and a case study of the child-friendly UN Convention on the Rights of a Child.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include the "Hidden Adult," "unconscious," "didactic function," "childhood ideology," and "adult voice."
How does the author view the "child-friendly" version of the CRC?
The author views it as a significant example of how adult-centric ideologies, such as the concepts of "harm" and "protection," are encoded in language that claims to empower children but often maintains adult dominance.
Why is the concept of the 'unconscious' significant in this paper?
It is significant because it explains how authors embed their own personal and cultural "shared memories" and repressed infantilism into their work without necessarily intending to do so.
What does the term "Hidden Adult" imply?
It implies that there is a complex, adult-directed layer of meaning within children's books that caters to the adult reader or the adult consciousness of the author, residing beneath the simpler, child-friendly surface.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Sven Klees (Autor:in), 2017, How Conventional Ideas about the Child Survive in Literature for Children. Conscious and Unconscious Uses of the Adult Voice, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/954649
