BIBLIOGRAPHY
ARRANGED CHRONOLOGICALLY AS A BASIS FOR TRACING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REALISTIC STORY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Most of the authors in the following list wrote other books of a realistic nature, in some cases greater books than the one mentioned. The book named is usually the first important one in this field by its author and has, therefore, unusual historical value.
1765. Goldsmith, Oliver, The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes.
1783-1789. Day, Thomas, The History of Sandford and Merton.
1792-1796. Aikin, Dr. John, and Barbauld, Mrs. L. E., Evenings at Home.
[?]-1795. More, Hannah, The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain.
1796-1800. Edgeworth, Maria, [The Parent's Assistant, or Stories for Children].
1808. Lamb, Mary and Charles, Mrs. Leicester's School.
1818. Sherwood, Mrs. M. M., The History of the Fairchild Family.
1840. Dana, Richard Henry, [Two Years Before the Mast].
1841. Martineau, Harriet, [The Crofton Boys].
1856. Yonge, Charlotte M., [The Daisy Chain].
1857. Hughes, Thomas, [Tom Brown's School Days].
1863. Whitney, Mrs. A. D. T., [Faith Gartney's Girlhood].
1864. Trowbridge, J. T., Cudjo's Cave.
1865. Dodge, Mary Mapes, [Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates].
1867. Kaler, James Otis, Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus.
1868. Alcott, Louisa May, [Little Women].
1868. Hale, Edward Everett, [The Man without a Country].
1871. Eggleston, Edward, [The Hoosier Schoolmaster].
1876. Twain, Mark, [Adventures of Tom Sawyer].
1878. Jackson, Helen Hunt, Nelly's Silver Mine.
1879. Ewing, Juliana Horatia, [Jackanapes].
1882. Hale, Lucretia P., [Peterkin Papers].
1883. Stevenson, Robert Louis, [Treasure Island].
1887. Wiggin, Kate Douglas, [The Birds' Christmas Carol].
1890. Jewett, Sarah Orne, Betty Leicester.
1895. Bennett, John, [Master Skylark].
1897. Kipling, Rudyard, [Captains Courageous].
1899. Garland, Hamlin, Boy Life on the Prairie.
1906. Stein, Evaleen, Gabriel and the Hour-Book.
1908. Montgomery, L. M., [Anne of Green Gables].
1912. Masefield, John, [Jim Davis].
1917. Crownfield, Gertrude, The Little Taylor of the Winding Way.
1920. Latham, Harold S., Jimmy Quigg, Office Boy.
SECTION VIII. REALISTIC STORIES
INTRODUCTORY
Origin. The history of realistic stories for children may well begin with the interest in juvenile education awakened by the great French teacher and author Rousseau (1712-1778). He taught that formal methods should be discarded in juvenile education and that children should be taught to know the things about them. The new method of education is illustrated, probably unintentionally, in The Renowned History of Little Goody Two-Shoes, the first selection in this section. Rousseau directly influenced the thought of such writers as Thomas Day, Maria Edgeworth, Dr. Aiken, and Mrs. Barbauld. The stories produced by these authors in the last quarter of the eighteenth century are among the first written primarily for the purpose of entertaining children. To these writers we are indebted for the creation of types of children's literature that modern authors have developed into the fascinating stories of child life, the thrilling stories of adventure, and the interesting accounts of nature that now abound in libraries and book stores.
The didactic period. When we read these first stories written for the entertainment of children, we can hardly fail to observe that each one presents a lesson, either moral or practical. The didactic purpose is so prominent that the term "Didactic Period" may be applied to the period from 1765 (the publication of Goody Two-Shoes) to 1825, or even later. The small amount of writing for children before this period was practically all for the purpose of moral or religious instruction; hence it was but natural for these first writers of juvenile entertainment stories to feel it their duty to present moral and practical lessons. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that these quaint old stories would not be interesting to children today, for they deal with fundamental truths, which are new and interesting to children of all ages.