Almost four centuries ago the poet George Wither worried that nursery rhymes would harm children, calling them “the language and invention of the devil” (Hallelujah, 1641). Other children’s texts such as chapbooks and magazines, even educational primers, were similarly suspect — often because they seemed to reflect changing times.
This exhibition, curated by the students of Professor Laurie Langbauer’s ENGL 295 class, draws on the Libraries’ centuries-old treasures of popular children’s books. It explores the menace that a variety of those forms—fairy tales, dime novels, and comic books among them — have seemed to pose.
For more details, visit the UNC Library News and Events blog.
