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Bezig met laden... Divine Songs Attempted in Easy Language for the Use of Children (1715)door Isaac Watts
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. In his Divine Songs, Isaac Watts warns children of their damnation in no uncertain terms. His visions of burning and hell-fire held nothing back. His poems are called “elegies,” and this refers to not just the rhyming format but the subject matter: death and dying and mourning. Watts obviously wrote his children’s poems to teach children Christian and moral principles (although the Christianity is not quite as charitable as we may expect today). After reading his poetry, I’d have nightmares of damnation if I were a child, which has been pointed out to me, was certainly his intent! In the end, I’d rather read my son Sandra Boyton’s bedtime poetry. More detailed review on my blog Watts's legacy was described in a recent Church Times article as mostly pernicious, and I am inclined to agree. Some are amusing, but most are quite horrid, threatening children with damnation for the slightest of childish misdemeanours. If any should show insufficient respect to parental authority, the ravens will peck out his eyes. "One stroke of his almighty rod Shall send young sinners quick to hell". No doubt this oppressive interpretation of Christianity was commonplace in early 19th century Britain, but from today's perspective it is pretty repellent. MB 15-iv-07 geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
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These divine songs may be a pleasant and proper matter for children's daily or weekly worship, to sing one in the family at such time as the parents or governors shall appoint; and therefore the verse is confined to the most usual psalm tunes. The reader will find nothing here that savors of a party: the children of high and low degree, of the Church of England or dissenters, baptized in infancy or not, may all join together in these songs. The language is presented to the level of a child's understanding and it is hoped these composures may be of more universal use and service. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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"How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour,
And gather honey all the day
From every opening flower!"
Many readers will perceive, in this poem, the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's parody verse, "How Doth the Little Crocodile," which appears in the Victorian classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. British and American children of the 18th and 19th centuries were made to memorize these poems, and they crop up in all sorts of places, in addition to Carroll's work. Song XVII, which warns against fighting amongst siblings, contains the line: "Birds in their little nests agree," which any reader of Louisa May Alcott's American children's classic, Little Women, will immediately recognize as a line spoken by Beth March during an argument between her sisters. These and other connections make Watts' book a fascinating read for those with an interest in children's books. It was an assigned tex, in fact, in one of my masters courses, on early children's literature. I have seen some reviewers comparing it unfavorably to more recent children's titles, and it certainly won't be to the taste of most of today's adults, let alone children. That said, it is an important book, in the history of Anglophone children's literature, and it paved the way for later works. Recommended to those interested in religious Christian children's books, and/or 18th-century English children's literature. ( )