ABSTRACT
The narratives which are representative of the genre of traditional juvenile fiction are, in general, best regarded as sets of characteristics with little to distinguish them one from the other. This is not to deny that with writers like Ballantyne and Kingston there was a new departure in children's literature. As well as assuming the role of instructor there was a recognisable attempt to entertain the young reader. By the early twentieth century, however, the genre was exhibiting symptoms of weariness. Overall, these narratives are alike in their uniformity, and having read one Biggies book you have read them all. The tradition of fantasy writing too was entering the doldrums as the ‘First Golden Age’ drew to a close. By and large the next fifty years are not noted for originality or creativity in the production of children's books. Overall, in the great majority of books published during this time there is little or no complexity of character or exploration of those emotions and feelings that are the hallmarks of the best of today's books for young readers.
