British Children’s Literature of the 19th Century

Many beloved classics of children’s literature, including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit, were written at the end of the nineteenth century, an era known as the “Golden Age” of children’s literature. Notable figures like William Godwin, Harriet Martineau, Christina Rossetti, and Charles Dickens contributed to children’s literature while juvenile periodicals first appeared to young readers during this time.
This is the first comprehensive reference work about the Golden Age of children’s literature and the emergence of juvenile literature as a major publishing phenomenon. Alphabetical entries include foundational figures like Sarah Trimmer, Maria Edgeworth, and Mary Martha Sherwood, who helped establish the market for children’s literature. New genres for the time like the moral tale, religious fiction, children’s poetry, school stories, and prolific authors like Hesba Stretton, L. T. Meade, and G. A. Henty are also included.

Patrick C. Fleming is a scholar of Victorian studies and children’s literature and is the former director of the honors program at Fisk University. His articles have appeared in Teaching Victorian Literature in the 21st Century, Pedagogy, and the Children’s Literature Association Quarterly. He lives in McLean, Virginia.

“Victorian scholar Fleming explores everything from Neverland to Toad Hall in this wide-ranging resource focused on British authors and illustrators, their works, publishers, genres, influences, and literary culture. A short and academic introduction and a chronology of major works and events set the groundwork before the book’s individual entries begin and will be of wide interest. … Each entry is sufficient to understand the subject and to make leaps of inquiry across the text. An affordable and expansive source that will support undergraduate reference and early-stage research. It will also be of use to lay readers interested in the subject and to literature collectors.”—Library Journal

Patrick C. Fleming. Series Editor Ronald D. Morrison; Associate Editor Matthew D. Sutton
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 268
Bibliographic Info: bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7798-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5250-4
Imprint: McFarland
Series: McFarland Companions to 19th Century Literature

McFarland Companions to 19th Century Literature  v
Acknowledgments  ix
Preface  1
Introduction  5
Chronological List of Major Texts and Events  15
The Companion  19
Works Cited  233
Index  249