This article examines some important children's picture books about fairies, from the Victorian era to modern times, from a historical, pedagogical, graphic and literary point of view. In the past two centuries this editorial genre of children's literature has been little investigated. Writers and illustrators – including Cicely Mary Barker, Sophie Reinheimer, Maria Savi-Lopez, Wil Huygen and many others besides – have told stories of fairies, angels and sprites, using narrative models borrowed from popular traditions, botany and the observation of nature. Examining these books in their historical succession, a constant and – at times – conflictual relationship emerges between fairies and technical and scientific development. Industrialisation and biological discoveries have not deleted these legendary figures from the collective imagination. On the contrary, fairies have transformed, to become a strong and rebellious presence that is not afraid of microscopes and cameras, nonchalantly brushing even with evolutionary and anthropological theories. Over the decades, children's books about fairies have become a narrative sector of particular interest, not only for children's literature but indeed also for the history of cultural and social customs.

L’articolo esamina da un punto di vista storico, pedagogico, grafico e letterario alcuni importanti libri illustrati per bambini sulle fate dall’epoca vittoriana ai giorni nostri. Vi è nella letteratura per l’infanzia degli ultimi due secoli un genere editoriale, poco indagato, in cui scrittori e illustratori – come Cicely Mary Barker, Sophie Reinheimer, Maria Savi-Lopez, Wil Huygen e molti altri – hanno raccontato storie di fate, angeli e folletti, ricorrendo a modelli narrativi tratti dalle tradizioni popolari, dalla botanica e dall’osservazione naturalistica. Esaminando queste pubblicazioni nella loro successione storica, emerge un costante e, a volte, conflittuale rapporto tra le fate e lo sviluppo tecnico-scientifico. L’industrializzazione e le scoperte biologiche non hanno cancellato dall’immaginazione collettiva queste figure leggendarie: anzi, le fate si sono trasformate, divenendo una presenza forte e ribelle che non ha avuto paura di microscopi e macchine fotografiche, entrando in contatto in modo disinvolto anche con le teorie evoluzionistiche e antropologiche. I libri per bambini sulle fate, nel corso dei decenni, hanno costituito così un settore narrativo di particolare interesse non solo per la letteratura per l’infanzia, ma pure per la storia dei costumi culturali e sociali.

Spells and the microscope. Picture books about fairies: fantasy, science and children’s literature

William Grandi
2018

Abstract

This article examines some important children's picture books about fairies, from the Victorian era to modern times, from a historical, pedagogical, graphic and literary point of view. In the past two centuries this editorial genre of children's literature has been little investigated. Writers and illustrators – including Cicely Mary Barker, Sophie Reinheimer, Maria Savi-Lopez, Wil Huygen and many others besides – have told stories of fairies, angels and sprites, using narrative models borrowed from popular traditions, botany and the observation of nature. Examining these books in their historical succession, a constant and – at times – conflictual relationship emerges between fairies and technical and scientific development. Industrialisation and biological discoveries have not deleted these legendary figures from the collective imagination. On the contrary, fairies have transformed, to become a strong and rebellious presence that is not afraid of microscopes and cameras, nonchalantly brushing even with evolutionary and anthropological theories. Over the decades, children's books about fairies have become a narrative sector of particular interest, not only for children's literature but indeed also for the history of cultural and social customs.
2018
William Grandi
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/652463
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