Didactic Fiction in Alcott's Little Women And Barrie's Peter Pan On the surface, children's literature appears to be very straightforward and light-hearted, failing to carry within a particular story any deeper inherent meaning "the language is simplistic, there's a limited viewpoint, and characters oftentimes are portrayed as caricatures. ... To deal with the darker sides of life, Alcott teaches her young readers to develop the spiritual self, similar to the Transcendentalist movement, to which her father was a part of (Showalter, viii). ... The point Alcott is ...

• Word Count: 1473
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

While it was considered totally safe and normal for men to go out alone at night, women only belonged in the day, and with darkness were expected to lock themselves away from awaiting threats. ... Lavinia, despite her strong appearance, gets frightened (Lavonia felt her heart going loudly within her and she was cold too) when she sees the dead body, and can only try to forget it. ...

• Word Count: 604
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate