ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the three social spheres, or institutions, to which children in the Nordic countries belonged, and which strongly shaped their ideas and experiences. These spheres include: the home, which was the basic unit for children and adults alike; the Lutheran church, which was the predominant religious institution throughout the Nordic countries; and society, which for children would have included the local community, sometimes the school, and the state or nation. The book deals with children's development and explores several factors that in crucial ways shaped children from infancy, such as: formation, education at school, and children's work. It also deals with a variety of genres, such as: novels written for adults that describe children on their way to adulthood and stories explicitly written for children, and even with the intention of seeing the world from children's own perspective.
