Christine Nostlinger, children's advocate and social critic

165 Pages·2016·5.55 MB·English

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Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, &
Graduate School
Professional Papers
1981
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Nancy Tillman Fetz
The University of Montana
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MANSFIELD LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA
DATE: MAR Z 4 1981

CHRISTINE NOSTLINGER
CHILDREN'S ADVOCATE AND SOCIAL CRITIC
By
Nancy Tillman Fetz
B.A. , University of Oregon, 1968
Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Master of Arts
UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA
1981
Approved by:
//
Chairman, Boa^y of Examiners
Graduate School
Date
UMI Number: EP34720
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Es war einmal ein kleines Madchen. Es hieK Friederike. Es hatte
sonderbare Haare. Ein paar Strahnen waren so rot wie Paradei-
ser. Die Stirnfransen hatters die Farbe von Karotten. Die mei-
sten Haare aber waren so rot wie dunkelroter Wein. Aufierdem
hatte es Sommersprossen und war ziemlich dick.
From Die feuerrote Friederike
written and illustrated "by Christine Nostlinger
ABSTRACT
Fetz, Nancy Tillman, M.A., March 13, 1981 German
Christine Nostlinger—Children's Advocate and Social Critic (153 pp.)
Director: Horst Jarka
This thesis examines twelve works of the award-winning author,
Christine Nostlinger, who is without question the most successful,
the most published and publicized author of children's books in
Austria today.
The main focus of the thesis is on ideological content, rather
than on aesthetic, structural or linguistic aspects of the works.
This approach is well-suited to Nostlinger's writing, for her
intentions as well as the ideology underlying her works are
foremost didactic ones.
Nostlinger's intent is to destroy the myth of the "safe and
sacred" world of children and to expose the oppressive behavior
of those in whose hands the fate of children rest. Her works deal
specifically with the problems children face growing up in
Viennese society today. Throughout her works Christine Nostlinger
remains an ardent advocate for children and other minority groups
whom she sees as being the victims of neglect and authoritarian
abuses at home and in school.
The thesis analyzes Christine Nostlinger's unique contribution
to that body of literature for children which attempts to deal
with contemporary social realities in a critical way but does so
against the broader historical background of children's literature
in the German speaking world, recognizing that Christine Nostlinger's
works clearly reflect certain contemporary trends in children's
book writing in Germany and Austria.
The first chapter offers an historical overview of children's
literature in Germany and Austria since 19^5, giving special
attention to the so-called "anti-authoritarian" and early Marxist
embued children's books. The current status of children's literature
research and criticism in these two countries is also discussed.
The use of fantasy and imagination as a means to escape an
unpleasant reality is the central theme of the first three books
discussed. In Chapters IV through VIII the focus shifts toward
resolution of the problems through a creative use of fantasy and
collective problem solving. The last four works discussed belong
together as realistic novels for teenage readers.
The thesis concludes that children's literature acts as a mirror
to the society in which it thrives and is inextricably bound to
social and economic factors which govern award-winning children's
book publishing today.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ..... ii
PREFACE iv
INTRODUCTION
The German Children's Book Since 19^5 1
Christine Nostlinger 17
IMAGINATION AS ESCAPE
Chapter I: Die feuerrote Friederike 28
Chapter II: Die Kinder aus dem Kinderkeller 38
Chapter III: Lollipop 1+9
IMAGINATION AS LIBERATION
Chapter IV: Wir pfeifen auf den Gurkenkonig 57
Chapter V: Sim-Sala-Bim 71
Chapter VI: Konrad. . 75
Chapter VII: Achtung! Vranek sieht ganz harmlos aus. . . 83
Chapter VIII: Der kleine Herr greift ein 92
REALISM FOR TEENAGERS
Chapter IX: Ein Mann fur Mama 103
Chapter X: Use Jan da, 1^+ Ill
Chapter XI: Der Spatz in der Hand 118
Chapter XII: Luki-Live 127
CONCLUSION 139
BIBLIOGRAPHY 1*17
iii
PREFACE
Children's books in the German-speaking countries in the last
two decades have inspired enormous and ever increasing attention, with
the emphasis ever changing. West Germany is now the third largest
producer of children's books in the world, behind the USSR and the
United States. The body of literature itself has become more
interesting and varied, with the result that established authors of
adult books are taking up children's book writing as a serious
endeavor. During the last few years the press has put more emphasis
on children's book criticism, libraries have established youth
divisions, and the book trade has become more involved than ever in
the promoting and selling of children's books, as was evident at the
1978 Frankfurt Bookfair with its theme, "The child and the book."
There can be no doubt that children's books and children's
literature research are "coming of age" and demand, and are now
getting closer scrutiny from researchers, theoreticians, teachers
and authors.
While it is true that the children's book is in the public
eye more than ever before, it is safe to say that at this time
literary criticism of all but the most famous German children's
books is still in its infancy. There is to date no scholarly
journal in the field, nor is there a thorough literary history of
German children's and juvenile literature."'" A student wishing to
iv
V
pursue an intensive study of German children's literature has the '
choice of only one university in Germany, at Frankfurt.
According to Gerhard Haas, literary critics still shy away
from children's literature, maintaining a somewhat bewildered
distance from this complex discipline:
Da er (der Gegenstand Kinder- und Jugendliteratur) neben
literarischen auch, und nicht zuletzt, psychologische,
padagogiscbe und soziologische Aspekte enthielt, stellte
sich Jugendliteraturforschung als gemischte, unreine und
zudem pragmatisches Kalkul mitverlangende Diziplin dar;
Nicht nur, weil man sich mit dem Gegenstand Kinderliteratur
wissenschaftlich nicht beschaftigen wollte, sondern . . .
weil man sich mit ihm nicht beschaftigen konnte.^
Slowly but surely children's books are winning a legitimate
place within the German literary scene. But the critic who believes
that authors of children's books are artists, in their own right,
whose works deserve as much attention as books for adults, is still
in the minority. For such a view runs counter to the traditional
critical approach to children's literature, which has been to see
children's books merely as the raw materials from which moral
lessons are hammered out. It is my hope that this thesis will con­
tribute to both a general and specific knowledge of the fascinating
field of German children's literature.
In examining the works of Christine Nostlinger, I attempt to
show what the German children's book has become, as her works clearly
reflect certain contemporary trends in children's book writing in
the German-speaking countries. At the same time, a close analysis
will reveal her unique contribution to that body of literature for
children which attempts to deal with contemporary social realities in