Introduction: The Figure of the Child

Abstract

The introduction provides background to the formation of the modern concept of a child from the eighteenth century, locating these developments alongside the evolving concepts of memory and an interior self. The author refers to the influence of Rousseau and Freud, and previous research on this subject by Breithaupt and Steedman. He also refers to the doctrine of original sin that posited an inherent evil in the child. The author discusses the uses and abuses of children in literature and film and argues that the dual view of children as either pure and innocent or bad and in need of discipline is a thread that continues now in society’s conflicting attitudes to children. The reduction of children to representational images is associated with their mistreatment and denial of a voice.