From Mythic to Linear

In this approach to text typology, Maria Nikolajeva examines the depiction of time in literature for children. She identifies a continuum of texts ranging from those that depict non-linear time, typical of archaic, or mythical, thought, to those that express linearity, typical of contemporary mainstream literature. She argues that literature is a deconstruction, a displacement, of myth, and that it depicts a symbolic coming-of-age process rather than a strictly representational reflection of a concrete "reality". The texts are categorized by the degree to which the coming-of-age process is accomplished; the movement is from an initial condition of primary harmony (Arcadia, Paradise, Utopia) and moves through different stages toward either a successful or a failed passage. The study encompasses a number of children's novels from different epochs and countries, contributing a better knowledge of children's literature from different parts of the world.