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The image of childhood in Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking

University of British Columbia

This thesis, both philosophical exploration and literary analysis, examines the image of childhood within the text of Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking (1945). Through a close textual analysis of three separate passages, one from each of the Pippi books, the thesis writer considers the phenomenological experience of childhood as portrayed through the character of Pippi Longstocking and her friends Tommy and Annika. By considering the ways in which specific words, phrases and descriptions render the author's expression of childhood, the thesis writer proposes a more accurate appreciation for the broad and enduring appeal of the book than has been made to this point. Throughout the analysis, the thesis writer reflects on how the image of childhood within Pippi Longstocking can inform the work of parenting and educating. The thesis concludes by reflecting on what Pippi Longstocking is and how her character and the image of childhood presented within the text offer insight into relationships with children.

Thesis/Dissertation

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2009-08-12

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/12047

Curriculum Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace