engleski

The attack of Naughty Children on Children's Literature between Two World Wars

After World War I (WWI), the Croatian market of children’s entertainment was swept with a tide of narratives featuring naughty children. In addition to traditional literary genres, such as stories and novels, these narratives were present in the picturebook Janko Raščupanko (Struwwelpeter) and Busch’s comics, which were then published for the first time in Croatia. Apart from this, a number of newly emerging media chose to present themselves to their audience with narratives featuring unruly children. Thus, such narratives can be found in the first picturebook by Croatian authors, in early comics published in Croatia, in the first Croatian comic, in children’s theatre of shadows, etc. It seems natural that new media and genres will select an appealing topic for their introduction, as such a choice provides them with better chances for being accepted by the audience. At the time, the theme of naughty or unruly children was not new, as it had already been present in children’s literature. The chapter seeks to find answers to the following questions: Why was this theme so popular in Croatia at that time? Was it because of the instability of social values, a consequence of dramatic changes in Croatian society? Or, did these narratives, under the growing influence of the popularity of similar foreign narratives, finally make their inroads into Yugoslavia? Or, is this a result of coincidental interference of social developments and developments in certain segments of culture? How did Croatian authors respond to the market demands? And at last, how did the society react to this phenomenon?

children’s books market in Croatia, postwar children’s literature, mischievous children’s literature, naughty children’s literature

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