Abstracts
Abstract
This article sets out to demonstrate the potential of memoirs and autobiographies as sources to study children’s use of books and other media in Denmark between around 1750 and 1850. Research on historical children’s reading cultures in the Nordic countries has been limited, and knowledge of children’s own experiences of reading, including how, when, where, what and with whom they read, is scarce. Despite the fact that most autobiographical writings were put on paper late in the authors’ lives, and even though most were composed by privileged or exceptional individuals, these sources can open up aspects of children’s book and media history which are otherwise largely inaccessible. Inspired by media scholars Hepp and Hasebrink’s concepts of media repertoires and media ensembles, we point to the importance of studying individual children’s selections of media (“repertoires”) in relation to those available in specific social contexts (“ensembles”). The article looks at six memoirs, representing boys and girls, urban and rural settings, and rich and poor families. We consider how these ego‑documents may tell unexpected stories about children’s media repertoires in practice and about the social life of children’s books and reading.
Keywords:
- Reading Culture,
- Children’s Literature,
- Autobiographies,
- Media Repertoires,
- Agency,
- Eighteenth Century,
- Nineteenth Century
Résumé
Cet article explore ce que révèlent les mémoires et autobiographies quant au rapport qu’entretenaient les enfants avec les livres et d’autres médias au Danemark entre 1750 et 1850. Peu de travaux de recherche ont porté sur la culture de la lecture chez les enfants des pays nordiques dans une perspective historique. On en sait peu, dès lors, sur leurs expériences : Que lisaient-ils? Comment lisaient-ils? Où, avec qui et à quel moment s’adonnaient-ils à la lecture? Ces écrits sont pour la plupart l’oeuvre de personnages éminents ou privilégiés, dont les mémoires ont été couchées sur papier des décennies après qu’eut pris fin l’enfance dont il y est question. Néanmoins, ces sources ouvrent des perspectives en histoire du livre et des médias qui sont autrement difficilement accessibles. Nous appuyant sur les concepts de « répertoires médiatiques » et d’« ensembles médiatiques » élaborés par Hepp et Hasebrink, nous insistons sur l’importance que revêtent les médias qu’une personne choisit de consulter (le « répertoire ») parmi ceux qui sont disponibles dans un contexte social donné (« l’ensemble »). Nous analysons ainsi les mémoires de six auteurs, tant des garçons que des filles, vivant à la ville ou à la campagne, issus de familles aisées ou modestes. Il émerge de ces « écrits du soi » des histoires inattendues quant aux répertoires médiatiques obtenant la faveur des enfants, et quant à la dimension sociale du livre et de la lecture chez les enfants.
Mots-clés :
- Culture de la lecture,
- littérature pour enfants,
- autobiographies,
- répertoires médiatiques,
- agentivité,
- dix‑huitième siècle,
- dix‑neuvième siècle
Appendices
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