Children’s Literature - A Cinderella Story

Children’s literature is probably the most controversial and belittled literary genre, except, maybe, for that of popular literature. It is subject to a permanent debate: firstly, due to its lack of consistency with genre definitions; secondly, due to the fact that it contains multiple genres; and, finally, due to the fact that it has ethical issues. It is constantly ignored by the world of literary critics, academics, and even by the popular opinion, being continually compared to popular literature; it is dismissed as too simple, and often assimilated with genre literature. This article is an attempt to examine the origins of this situation; to look into the similarities and differences between children’s literature and adult fiction from a narratological point of view; to summarise the issues of children’s literature as a genre; to try to define the popular literature as a genre; to discover the common traits of children’s literature and popular literature; but, most importantly, to point out the differences between the two genres. It will try to address the qualities that make children’s literature a unique genre, deserving to be considered worthwhile, and seen as literature at its best.