GROUP 3 HANDOUTS
and wondrous characters such as elves, goblins, wizards, and
1ST SLIDE: PURITAN PERIOD: Fairytales, Folktales, and Legends
2nd: Learning Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, pre-service teachers should be able to:
• Comprehend the overview of the Puritan period.
• Recognize the various literary works written during the Puritan
Period.
• Classify the differences between fairytales, folktales, and
legends.
3rd: PURITAN PERIOD (1620–1750)
• The Church of England was separated from Roman
Catholicism in 1534.
• Puritans (English Protestants) wanted to rid the Church of
England of any ties to Catholicism.
• Puritans sought to live and reinforce the word of God and the
Bible and refused to follow the law, so they were persecuted.
• Puritan literature emphasizes religious themes, uses a first-
person point of view and a simple writing style, the
incorporation of many Biblical allusions, and an instillation of
fear in the reader.
4th: Characteristics of the Puritan Period’s Literature:
1.) First-person point of view (POV)
Written Pieces uses a first-person point of view to make it easier to
incorporate God and the Bible and create a personable connection with
the readers.
“And when I could no longer look,
I blest His name that gave and took,
That laid my goods now in the dust.
Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just.
It was his own; it was not mine.
Far be it that I should repent;
He might of all be justly bereft.
But yet sufficient for us left."
(Lines 13–20, "The Burning of Our House," Anne Bradstreet, 1666)
5th: 2.) Religious Themes
It provides readers with lessons on religious themes.
"Oh, get a part in Christ, and make the judge thy friend; so shalt thou be assured
of a happy, glorious end."
(Stanza 15, "The Day of Doom," Michael Wigglesworth, 1662)
3.) Simple Writing Style
It shunned elaborate and complex forms of writing to appeal to multiple
levels of education in society.
“It pleased God, before they came half seas over, to smite the young man with a
grievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner, and so was himself the
first to be thrown overboard. Thus, his curses fell upon his own head, which
astonished all his mates, for they saw it was the just hand of God upon him"
(Chapter 9, Book 1, Of Plymouth Plantation (1630-1651), William Bradford).
6th: 4.) Biblical Allusions
Authors often use references to a biblical character or event.
"Now I saw in my dream that the highway up which Christian was to go was fenced
on either side with a wall, and that wall is called Salvation.”(“The Pilgrim’s Progress,”
John Bunyan, 1678)
5.) Instillation of Fear
It utilizes emotional tactics such as fear to have a great influence and
impact.
“For it is said that when that due time or appointed time comes, their foot shall slide.
Then they shall be left to fall, as they are inclined by their own weight. God will not
hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go; and then, at
that very instant, they shall fall into destruction" (Number 4, "Sinners in the Hands
of an Angry God," Rev. Jonathan Edwards, 1741).
7th: *Books seek to instill fear of God, religious instruction, and
preparation for death (which the children did not enjoy).
• Children read books that interest them but are not intended for them,
such as Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
• Some well-known Puritan writers include William Bradford, Rev.
Jonathan Edwards, and Anne Bradstreet.
• Fairytales, Folktales, and Legends in this period were being
discouraged by the Puritans.
• It was only after the Puritan period, with the rise of the Enlightenment
and the Romantic movement, that fairy tales regained popularity and
• started to be collected, published, and adapted in various forms.
8th: Fairytales
• Are stories that are intended for children that feature fanciful
fairies in magical settings.
• It includes Snow White, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland,
Thumbellina, etc.
Example: Cinderella
9th: Folktales
• Are stories (with no authors) about the different aspects of life
(joys, sorrows, animals, magical beings, heroes, and villains)
that are passed on from one generation to another.
• It includes fables and fairytales such as The Tortoise and the
Hare, Little Red Riding Hood, The Gingerbread Man, etc.
Example: Little Red Riding Hood
10th: Legends
• Are traditional stories (rural or urban legends with anonymous
authorship) deemed to explain the origin of certain natural
elements (with a specific and real place) that may or may not
be based on history (unauthenticated)?
• It includes King Arthur, Robin Hood, Medusa, Hercules, etc.
Example: Medusa
REFERENCES:
• https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/english-
literature/american-literary-movements/puritan-literature/
• https://www.scribd.com/presentation/637036123/Untitled
JOHN NEWBERRY ERA: Children's Literature
John Newbery (1713-1767) is an English publisher and was
the first person to create books specifically for children. His work
reflected the changes in attitudes about children during the eighteenth
century and aimed to present entertaining and educational materials
designed for a child's reading level and interests.
He was called the “Father of Children’s Literature,” not because
he was the first to publish children’s books but, because he was the first
to turn them into a profitable business. In mid-18th-century England, a
new and growing middle class had money to spend on their children,
and Newbery gave them something to spend it on.
John Newberry, was a son of a farmer, and his family were involved in
publishing. Newbery, with a love for reading, was apprenticed to a printer in
Reading at 16. He learned from William Carnan and assisted in the production of
the Reading Mercury, eventually becoming an assistant.
Some of Newberry’s most influential published works:
• A Little Pretty Pocket-Book (1744), which is often called the
first children's book. It contains poems, stories, and games
designed to engage young readers.
• The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes (1765), a variation on
Cinderella. It is a moral tale that emphasizes the importance
of education, hard work, and kindness. It teaches children the
value of perseverance and the rewards of being virtuous and
generous.
Some notable works from this time include:
• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen by Rudolf Erich Raspe-
children love fun, adventure and characters that are larger than life,
and the tall stories of Munchausen provide all of those things in
plenty and colorful way.
• Mother Goose's Melody by John Newberry- help to foster
children's love of rhythm and patterns of language in the use of
rhyme and repetition
• The Newtonian System of Philosophy (1761) by Tom
Telescope, John Newbery, and Oliver Goldsmith- it enlightenment
ideas about science and philosophy take center stage in this small
book of lectures presented to children.
• The Renowned History of Giles Gingerbread (1764) – the story
promotes obedience, selflessness, honesty, and industry to its
young readers.
Elements in Children and Adolescent Literature in the John
Newbery Era:
1. Characters:
- Characters in children and adolescent literature
during the John Newbery era often reflected moral
virtues and served as role models for young readers.
- They typically exhibited qualities such as honesty,
kindness, courage, and perseverance.
- Characters often faced moral dilemmas and
learned valuable lessons through their experiences.
2. Settings:
- Settings varied widely, but they often depicted rural
or pastoral landscapes, reflecting the simplicity and
innocence of childhood.
- Urban settings were less common but sometimes depicted
to contrast with the countryside.
3. Plot:
 - Plots usually revolved around the moral and
educational development of the protagonist.
- Stories often followed a linear narrative structure,
with clear beginnings, middles, and ends.
- Common plot elements included journeys,
adventures, and encounters with moral challenges.
4. Point of View:
- Point of view predominantly favored a third-person
omniscient (knowing everything) perspective,
allowing insight into the thoughts and feelings of
multiple characters.
- The narrator often served as a moral guide,
providing commentary on characters' actions and
motivations.
5. Theme:
- Themes in children and adolescent literature of the
John Newbery era included the importance of
honesty, friendship, family, perseverance, and the
triumph of good over evil.
- Stories often conveyed moral lessons and
emphasized the value of virtue and integrity.
6. Style:
- The writing style was typically straightforward and
accessible to young readers, with clear language
and vivid descriptions.
- Dialogues were often used to convey character
personalities and advance the plot.
- Imagery and symbolism were employed to engage
readers' imaginations and convey moral messages
subtly.
Impact on Children's Literature:
Newbery essentially established the market for children's literature for
later publishers (such as John Marshall) and helped popularize using
entertainment and toys to promote reading, which can enhance
children's skills, knowledge, and values.
TRIVIA
• John Newbery produced 30 children`s books. He made sure
all of his books contained a moral so parents would buy them.
Some of his books were published anonymously or under
alternative pseudonyms such as Abraham Aesop and Tommy
Trapwit (Hegel, 2000)
• English publisher John Newbery (1713-1767) was the first
person to create books specifically for children. His work
reflected the changes in attitudes about children during the
eighteenth century and aimed to present entertaining and
educational materials designed for a child's reading level and
interests.
REFERENCES:
• https://libguides.tamut.edu/newberry/history
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Newbery
• https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-
arts/english-literature-1500-1799-biographies/john-
newbery?fbclid=IwAR0TyHgrR7jG93YYMr4zsO1_l4BN7hswGL
F5l5thxWF3ycb9ZLJD1MVHBfs
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/who-was-
john-newbery/2021/06/21/cbd239b6-ac5f-11eb-
acd324b44a57093a_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2rR4mwhO0LDBm
dWoGvmz5BHJNiEe4FUKKizgNeGJ34IaQKoaSndptFzWg
DIDACTIC PERIOD- Books for Teaching Children
Didactism- is a literary movement encompassing written works that is
both to instruct and entertain. It is about teaching and educating.
• Didactics literature philosophy is that children must be
taught about the real things and the world which they live
whether that can be morals or how to make a stew.
• Function of didactism in literature is to give readers a way
to better themselves. This type of literature is written in order
to give the audience specific moral conduct advice and is
oftentimes aligned with a spiritual or religious belief.
• Jean Jacques Rousseau- a French philosopher started this
philosophy in education of children notably in 17th century
(1712 to present times)
• Didactic- is instructive.
• The word derives from the Greek word “didaktikos” which
means “Skilled in Teaching”
Didactic Writings- are written for a particular purpose, such as
imparting moral lessons, instruct way of life, while entertaining readers
or listeners. Works that fall under its definition may certainly possess a
heavy-handedness and preachy, such as moralizing or lecturing, but
these qualities are prerequisites, so long as here is some amount of both
instruction and readability in a piece.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Didactic text is instructional, not always preachy
2. Before how-to videos and self-help books came fables,
myths, and proverbs.
3. Literature that has an ethical message among its themes
can be didactic.
ORIGIN- Didactism has its roots in oral traditions, early ancient cultures
dispersed knowledge an entertainment through oral story telling in which
spoken fables, parables, and myths were a means to educate as well as
to amuse offering listeners a source of entertainment along with moral
lessons. One generation passed them on the next and stories altered
slightly to reflect cultural changes and evolution before they were
collected for printing (15th century).
Aims of Didactic literature is typically to teach
• Morality- Didactic literature often seeks to convey moral
principles or values.
• Ethics-Didactic literature involves principles of conduct and
moral considerations.
• Practical Lessons-Didactic offers guidance for navigating life
e.g. advices, decision-making, interpersonal relationships, or
facing challenges.
WORKS VARID FROM:
• Moral-Focus is on morality, emphasizing concepts of right and
wrong, and virtues like honesty, integrity, and kindness (i.e.
fables).
• Religious-some didactic literature has a religious orientation,
imparting spiritual or moral lessons based on religious beliefs
(i.e. the bible and the pilgrim’s progress by john Bunyan in
1678- story about how one should live their life as Christian).
• Political- Didactic literature can also address political themes,
aiming to instruct readers about governance, societal
structures, or political ideologies (i.e. allegorical stories)
• Practical Teaching-Beyond moral, religious, and political
aspects, didactic works can offer practical guidance for
everyday life (i.e myths and folktales about survival,
cooperation, and adapting to challenges or books on how to
make a stew, bake, and essential skill and scientific books).
While many types of literature can be didactic, not all literature is
explicitly designed for educational or instructional purposes.
Some genres like
• Fables- Short stories typically features animals with human-
like qualities and end with moral lesson (i.e. he tortoise and
the hare-teaches importance of perseverance)
• Parables- use allegorical stories to illustrate moral or spiritual
lessons (i.e. the good Samaritan-which convey importance of
compassion)
• Myths- often explains the origin of the world, natural
phenomena, or cultural practices. Within these stories are
moral or ethical lessons embedded providing guidelines for
behavior or explaining societal norms.
• Fairy Tales- while entertaining, it often conveys moral
messages and cultural value (i.e. Cinderella or little red riding
hood that contains lessons about kindness, resilience, or the
consequences of disobedience).
• Poems, poetry and verse-emphasize emotion and explicit
lesson (i.e. Now we are six)
• Drama and play- although play, it may convey moral
messages, focus on character development (i.e. jack and the
beanstalk)
• Fiction and Non-fiction- tells story but carry moral themes
(i.e. Molly’s Pilgrim and the story of Martin Luther King Jr.)
Trivia
• the now famous fable is originally attributed to the slave Aesop
-believed to be a teacher, writing to instruct his students in
cultural and personal values. Who was freed from being slave
because of his cleverness, humor, and wit-serve as an advisor
to King Croesus of Lydia 6th century.
• The Aesop’s Fable- written by a former Greek slave (ancient
storyteller), in the late to mid-6th century BCE (collected
stories of animals acting people and retold to children during
classic times) are now world’s best-known collection of
morality tales. The fables were originally told from person to
person as much as entertainment purposes but largely as a
means for relaying or teaching moral or lesson. These early
stories are essentially allegorical myths often portraying
animals or insects e.g. foxes, frogs, grasshoppers, cat, dog,
ants representing human engagement in human like situation
(a belief known as animalism)
• Epistolary format- letters written didactically (i.e. letters of St.
Paul in the New Testament).
• As the influenced of Christianity spread, so too did one of the
most monumental works of didacdic literature: The Bible-
which is both wisdom and entertainment- the exact definition
of didactism. It shapes reading material, theatre, politics, and
way of life. This led to development of morality plays.