Elements of national identity in children’s literature : a Maltese case study

Abstract

This research presents the social and academic relevance of two topics amalgamated together, concerning one type of identity and one genre of literature: national identity and children’s literature. This compound has been substantially assessed in the foreign scenario, but not as much locally. The purpose of this inquiry was to investigate the validity of the concept of national identity in local literature for children. Is Maltese national identity being transmitted in books for children? If yes, how have the philosophies behind such notion evolved with time? This thesis assembled a general overview of the European setup, with which the Maltese setting was compared and contrasted. Sharing the same age of modern nation states, children’s literature in Europe has come a long way. It started by exhibiting nationness and serving the interests of national construction, and advanced, in the 1960s and 1970s, by deconstructing national identity, arriving at mediating national traumas and crises in the beginning of the twenty-first century. This research argues, however, that local development was delayed, mainly due to Britain’s long colonisation of Malta from 1800 to 1979. It was only after the granting of Maltese Independence on 21 Sep. 1964 that local children’s literature began to represent the Maltese nation – rather than that of the coloniser – in its narratives. Books specifically written for children initiated their journey as a celebration of national pride, lasting well until the end of the twentieth century. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, children’s books appeared to be slowly progressing into an exhibition of a mélange of virtuous elements appertaining to Maltese identity as well as unpleasant national concerns requiring fixing. This development marked a local literary metamorphosis which was finally not merely ushering in a new forma mentis for Maltese children’s literature, but simultaneously proposing an evolved meaning of national identity to Maltese children. To demonstrate how children’s literature reflecting a country’s identity can transcend from an opportunity for self-identification to a prospect for refining one’s nation through further consciousness, a Maltese case study ensued. The latter incorporated data from one-to-one interviews and national identity exercises conducted with a variety of stakeholders for a holistic conduct of research. This study investigated whether two local prominent children’s authors include elements of Maltese national identity in their works for children, and whether two local leading publishing houses are vigilant to publish children’s stories that include elements conveying Maltese identity. It also inquired if parents search for stories containing characteristics of Maltese identity when buying or borrowing books for their children, and if the latter particularly choose narratives reflecting their nation, or if they simply look for books that have good plots. Factors – in both text and illustration – that children (and parents) detect as features defining who they are as a nation were also examined, requiring the participation of two parents and three children, and the use of eight books in total as samples. This research’s results demonstrate that in children’s literature, which is really and truly adults’ work for children, the onus falls upon authors, illustrators and, to a certain extent, publishers, to use this genre as a vehicle for the transmission of national identity. Irrelevant whether this dissemination happens intrinsically or unconsciously, explicitly or implicitly, children’s books portraying the nation potentially help youngsters, at the receiving end of this interchange, relate better, or, with the newly suggested mindset, advocate an improved version of who they are. Their reading of such books nurtures their national identity, validating the fundamental link existing between children’s literature and children’s sense of identity. This study paves the way for further future investigations – possibly involving more samples – relating to this significant ever-evolving concept, national identity, and this important distinct genre of national literature, children’s literature.