The Invention of Childhood

by Hugh Cunningham

Presented by award-winning children's writer Michael Morpurgo, this genuinely ground-breaking history of British childhood from the year 1000 to the present explores, through a wide and colourful range of primary sources, how the idea of childhood has been constantly reinvented down the centuries and why the role of children in society continues to obsess us today.

Fascinating and thought-provoking, it will appeal to parents, grandparents and anyone who has ever been a child themselves. Written by Hugh Cunningham, introduced and presented by Michael Morpurgo, Children's Laureate from 2003 to 2005. It was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 4 September to 13 October 2006.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Parenting, Childrens, Audiobook, 21st Century, Sociology

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2006

Reviews

[Ericka Clou · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is specifically a history of childhood in Great Britain. It's interesting but not as interesting as a larger examination of childhood throughout the world and throughout history. You can't draw any specific or scientific conclusions from the book. It serves more as entertainment than a book to clarify your thinking on the topic of childhood. I also thought the writer was a little overly-casual about the instances of child sexual abuse he covered.

[unperspicacious · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and very broad chronological survey of childhood in Britain since medieval times. I do have a quibble with one of the claims, that home education as a practice was killed off by the more difficult economic times in the 1970s - this is outdated and might be even wrong as well. (pp. 225-6). The year after this book was published it was estimated by one advocate that that were at least 50,000 children being currently educated from home in Britain (very likely a conservative estimate given the nature of the activity) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/...)! Fair to say a good number of these would be unschoolers, rather than children being curriculum-taught by a parent at home.

Some interesting quotes (all specific to British context):

On 'Screentime' - 'children, as the more sophisticated research showed, were capable of interpreting what they saw in their own terms. Children were in a way caught between two forces. Often more media-savvy than their parents, they had access to the world of the internet. At the same time, their access to the world outside their own homes was sharply diminished. With the visual media, they could think of themselves as adults. In the home and its surrounds, their childhood was being prolonged." (231)

School since the 1970s - '...there are...many children who enjoy their schooling and find it a positive experience. But it is hardly in any sense an experience that they have chosen. The state and their parents call the shots. On schooling the two often seem in alliance. On other issues they can fall out badly - witness the history of the Child Support Agency. If families lived up to the ideals held out for them, the state could leave them to their own devices. But families, inevitably, don't always do this. And even if they try to, they can be undermined by forces largely outside their control, like unemployment." (239)

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a history book about the evolution of the concept of childhood and the way children were treated and regarded from the 7th century to the early 21st century by the adult world, their parents, the government and the laws, in the UK.

Not being a historian, I can only comment on the style. The author's style is very accessible and the narrative easy to follow, eventhough I am not a specialist in history and not even British. Sometimes, it's a bit heavy to read especially because in history the emphasise is always more on deads and horrible details than on what is going well! Many examples are provided through quotes taken from biographies, songs and written records. Also many illustrations and pictures in black and white in the middle of the book give life to what the author talks about.
And another good point: the book is not too long - it could have been the risk with such a vast topic.

It's not an 'entertaining'' book and is rather dry but it goes to the point. Overall I learned a lot from it and have now a different and more precise appreciation of children's lifes and the way children were treated in the past, including changes in children rearing in the last decades and the pressures of economic reforms, wars or economic crises on children lifes. It surprised me and was really interesting.

[Sarah Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made for an interesting listen. We certainly have made some progress in how we view and raise children, but we still have a long way to go. Most important, I think, is that children need a voice. There are always adults who debate about what's best for the children, but we seldom ask children what they think.

What was sad, and what I already knew, was the high mortality rate of babies and children over the past 1000 years. Only in the last 100 years has the rate drastically decreased. We should definitely cherish our children.

While the narrative focuses solely on the children of Britain, I'm pretty sure that children in the U.S. and continental Europe had similar experiences. I can't say what situations children in Asian and African countries had to deal with, but I imagine that they also had similar obstacles: death, slavery, forced labor, poverty... But this book isn't all dreariness. There are also a few times when I smiled from the sweet stories about certain children and they're optimistic spirit in the face of adversity. It was also kind of fun to hear - just a few times - old familiar songs and poems that have been sung by children for centuries that have been passed down to modern times. Some things never change :)

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both depressing and insightful, I was original drawn to this book from the BBC radio broadcast, which uses a variety of child actors to read various letters written by historical children. The research-driven book plows through the history of how children have been treated throughout the ages in England.

Even though it is historical, it brings a lot of insight into how we treat children today and shows that the differences in child rearing philosophies have been on going.

A wonderful read for parents, grandparents and history buffs alike.

[Martine Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on the Radio 4 series, this was my idea of heaven. I love social history (and children) and found the use of primary sources quite exceptional. This was the best sort of social history, in from experiments prompted by Rousseau and Locke, to chapbooks about The Pendle Witches and Victorian guttersnipes. One fact I noted was that before 1800 most children had left home by the age of 14.It truly was another world...

[Corvidianus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew going in that this was going to be limited to European history - I didn't realize it was going to be limited specifically to British history, which is just a 12-hour extended cut of the opening of Picnic at Hanging Rock before they ever get to leave the school, where everyone's just bitchy with each other or desperately shy and sad. To name the book so broadly implies something more universal, or variable, and given the very narrow scope of this history, the name feels quite misleading at best, solipsistic at worst.

That said, it seems inconsiderate to rate this poorly (or at least as "mediocre") due to the research that clearly went into procuring primary source material. On British Children's History. It *was* informative. It *did* answer some of my questions. My frustration was mainly with the title for a number of reasons. First, the aforementioned, but secondly - as a title, "The Invention of Childhood" leads us to gather that childhood was some sort of contrivance, it hints at some manner of conspiracy. But - spoiler alert - the book goes on to slowly unveil that childhood as a period really was *not* invented, but historically almost universally recognized within a certain timeframe of any developing human's life. It's true that the allowed/preferred timeframe was extended later on, but it's an exaggeration to insist that it was "invented". It seems merely to have been given its own word at some juncture, despite the concept existing as long as have written records. You know, we're altricial for an extended period; it takes us ages to develop, on account of our big ol heads. That's baked in. Historically, we as animals have more or less contended with this inevitability.

I appreciate that the author did go to respectable lengths to bring us some pre-Christian anecdotes of parenthood & childhood. They were necessarily few (as a result of low literacy & feverish iconoclasm), but neither tokenized nor condescended.

The statistics on child mortality were quite eye opening & reoriented my perspective on social history considerably. I mean, maybe you "know", but these stories really drive it home with agonizing potency.

Nevertheless, I wish it were more appropriately named. I see that Cunningham wrote another book called "The History of Childhood In Western Society since 1500" and wonder how at all that book could differ from this one. Its scope begins a little later, maybe it expands to a broader view of *Europe* rather than just Britain? Why make 2 books? Isn't this essentially that?

To give you a sense of how the material is covered: in the tradition of many history textbooks, the material is chronological, building up the story over time. I found the author's tone charming and his wording tasteful (weird choice of descriptor, but I mean this to highlight how he's not overly stiff, academic & mechanical, but also never sloppy or haphazard). It's peppered with excerpts from primary sources, which is very engaging - although...

The religious quotes & anecdotes across eras left my skin crawling, and it was quite like reading a horror story at times. I suppose it had to be done! That's just how things were, most likely. Did Cunningham place excessive emphasis on religious views, or is that just what exists on paper today, left over from those ages? Only the clergy could write, so that wouldn't be surprising. All of this amounts to a deeply evocative and disturbing view of what life might have been like in Pre-Industrial Society, and Industrial Society ain't all it's cracked up to be either! So ultimately, it kind of left no escape hatch for hope, there was only despair looking back, looking forward, and around. Hahaha But that's really not the author's job, to hold our hand and make us feel okay about the state of how it was. It's on me for doing a deep dive into Dark Ages real politik instead of reading a nice high fantasy novel when feeling bummed about the current era's anachronisms. Steven Pinker prolly would have waltzed out of this breezily sipping a mai-tai and, twirling the tiny decorative umbrella between forefinger and thumb, purring, "I told you so."

Wow, so I guess I'm rating this emotionally. How lame.
Makes me want to give it a counteractive higher rating to cancel out my feelings, but then there's the misleading title, and we really can't get past that. Scope, scope, scope! I want a comparative cultural analysis! It's 2025, goddamnit (well, 2006 when he wrote this but still--)! Give us some diversity!

Ugh so yeah. This hurt my heart. But provided useful context for British historical events & individuals.

[Jamie Bronstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly the kind of social and cultural history that I used to love before becoming a professional historian. Broad sweep of time, good use of individual anecdotes, very sparing on the statistics, it gives a good sense of the continuities that link childhood in the Middle Ages with childhood today, and the changes wrought in the 19th century by the romanticism and the recognition of the importance of play and education to child development.

[Yupa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cunningham ha scritto due libri sull'argomento, e il primo è stato anche pubblicato in italiano: Storia dell'infanzia. XVI-XX secolo.
The Invention of Childhood, più recente, allarga lo scopo temporale e restringe quello geografico: si parte dai secoli oscuri (dal punto di vista documentario) dell'Alto Medioevo e si arriva fino ai nostri giorni, restando tuttavia saldamente ancorati alle isole britanniche, anzi, quasi alla sola Inghilterra.
Il confronto col primo volume è inevitabile, e questo secondo risulta soprattutto più divulgativo, forse anche data la sua origine, quella di una serie di trasmissioni radiofoniche per la BBC.
Più leggibilità si traduce in meno rigore argomentativo e documentario, e in un maggior aneddotismo. Ma, a differenza di casi analoghi, di Cunningham si sa che ci si può fidare, perché conosce la sua materia. Il volume soffre un po' del male tipico di tutte le storie secolari (in questo caso: millenarie) racchiuse in due o trecento pagine, quella di un'eccessiva stringatezza e genericità.Tuttavia, abilità e competenza dell'autore riescono a ovviare quasi sempre al problema, offrendo una visione sfaccettata del suo argomento, senza cadere nella sterile e faticosa lista delle varie teorie e autori contrapposti.
Le posizioni di Cunningham sono note già dal suo precedente volume, e qui vengono riproposte.
Spicca soprattutto la negazione della celebre teoria di Ariés, secondo cui, nei tempi nei tempi passati di alta mortalità infantile i genitori si mostravano distaccati, se non del tutto indifferenti alla morte dei loro figli, per cui l'attenzione quasi ossessiva per l'incolumità dei piccoli sarebbe cosa assai recente. Secondo Cunningham, controcorrente rispetto ai suoi colleghi di storia dell'infanzia, fin dal più lontano Medioevo la morte di un bambino, o di un figlio, era un evento tragico e durissimo da superare.
Al di là di questo, invece, l'autore torna giustamente a porre, come già aveva fatto, la questione se l'infanzia attuale sia un giardino o non piuttosto una gabbia più o meno dorata, problematica soprattutto perché va a estendere le sue sbarre inglobando al suo interno tutta l'adolescenza, o persino gli anni successivi, in contrasto con tempi storici in cui, invece, i figli si prendevano notevoli gradi di indipendenza e autonomia molto presto dopo l'arrivo della pubertà.
La questione è illustrata nel suo sviluppo in relazione alle alterne vicende in cui si sono modificati i rapporti tra famiglia e lavoro, tra marito e moglie, tra privati e istituzioni, tra scuola e tempo libero, senza moralismi o stupidi allarmismi ma, anzi, sentita partecipazione e apertura mentale da parte dell'autore, com'è spesso quando si scrive di una materia che si conosce, e che si ha imparato a conoscere senza la rigidità di schemi precostituiti.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under what age is a person a child? What should children be doing? Should they be studying hard, working hard, risking their lives for a crust of bread, or just ignored and told to look after themselves until they are old enough to be useful? The answer is all, or any, of the above depending on what stage in the development of our society you are looking at.

I had not realised how recent it was that our view of children as we see them now, as separate and different from adults and supposed to be given schooling to study for when they are older, came into force. Really, not long before I was born, almost within my lifetime.

This is a facinating story about how all that came about and what effect the way we treat children now is having on them.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of childhood through the years. I found the first few chapters a bit hard going but once I got to the 1800's I couldn't put it down. Totally Absorbing and left me wanting to learn more. Highly recommended.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

British focused. very interesting look on childhood in different times. So many changes.

[Phil Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look and the changing concept of British childhood and the experience of children over many centuries. Very readable.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an abridge-audio presentation done in 30, 15-minute segments. The most interesting part of it, for me, was how expectations of children's lives have changed over time. While I think today our society has gone to far, thinking that children should suffer no hardship and live only in a land where their every wish is granted, there was a time when attitudes swung too far the other way, apparently. There was no acknowledgement for children's need to play, or to have time to dream, and thus imagine. As an anthropology major, one of the most staying facts was a mammal's need for play. We know now that it encourages brain development, and thereby intelligence and physical coordination. What a harsh reality those children must have experienced in their time, and how did change happen?

I've also wondered how parents responded to the death of a child, back when they had many children (because there was no birth control, because they needed the assistance on the farm, but also because child mortality was so high.) I believe love is an instinct experience by all animals, but especially between a parent and its offspring. Therefore I have to assume that no matter how many children they had, losing even one must have been just as painful as it is today. (This is somewhat in contradiction with Cunningham's theory, if I recall correctly. However I suspect people took death more in stride then as a fact of life.) For the same reason, I believe the same is true in the rest of the animal kingdom.

[Andrea Hickman Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather disliked the format and found the music and singing particularly irritating. The content was very interesting, however, and it does rather make one wonder if all the changes that have occurred over the centuries are for the better. Some of them, certainly are, but there are some I wonder about. Certainly it highlights how quickly some things were forgotten -- such as average ages for first marriages, and the ages at which children could afford to live away from their family.

[Clare Kirwan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting history of the life of, and attitudes towards, children from the Middle Ages to the turn of this century in Britain. It felt a little lightweight and I felt I wanted more information, but as a taster it was a good, quick run through. So frustrating and depressing to know that so many children are still living in relative poverty even now while the wealthy few are still raking in the spoils.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A most interesting social history of childhood over the last 1000 years.

[Debra Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating! A must read for parents, grandparents and anyone who had a childhood.

[Ben Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting, full of ideas which I want to research further into, and one’s which have been helpful within my own work and studies.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2023818.html[return][return]An attempt to chart society's attitudes to children in Britain from the earliest times to the present day, using literature. archaeology, historical records and of course social policy research for the most recent period. I had a couple of minor frustrations with the framing of Cunningham's analysis - the narrow geographical focus meant that he is comparing British children of a particular historical period largely with British children of other historical periods, and I think it might have been possible to learn from comparison with other countries (the Commonwealth gets a small look-in, but the rest of Europe, including Ireland, does not). And I actually felt he pulled his punches on one of his key arguments, that children should actually be listened to - though this emerges as an important theme of the book, the reasons why children are often not listened to, and why this might be a Bad Thing, are not really explored. [return][return]I found myself sympathetic to, but not certain about, Cunningham's conclusions: that childhood itself is becoming eroded as a concept in today's Britain, where overstretched parents do not have the social resources available to them that previous generations had, and young people often stay living with their parents much later than used to be the case; and that the media coverage of the most egregious criminal cases tends to project the role of impotent victim onto children, rather than actually listening to them, and perhaps this is driven by the wider uncertainty about childhood and parenthood that Cunningham identifies. But I'd have liked some harder facts as well.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Morpurgo explores a thousand years of British childhood

[Sue Lyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book from the Radio 4 series on the history of childhood. It is an excellent overview with lots of narrative and style. A great book for anyone wanting to think about childhood today.

[Emmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and well-researched. I especially liked how it made room for childhoods of various classes, not only dwelling on the very rich, or the very poor.

[Zandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A readable, interesting book but a bit too broad brush for me to be really satisfied.

[Mavis Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, but I found variation in volume level irritating.