MELANCHOLY IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: an analysis of The Velveteen Rabbit

Abstract

Children's stories are an old form of literature. Fables, for example, are often related to childhood, dating back to Sumerian society (Adams, 2004, apud Grendy, 2008). Although frequently related to moral behavior, fables may represent delicate human experiences, which can organize the inner chaos and refine emotion (Candido, 2023). Thus, the article investigates the complex concept of melancholy in children's novels through an analysis of The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real's characters, a fable first published in 1922 by Margery Williams. Besides, the objective is to comprehend melancholy as an affective emotion to cope with the presented ambivalent world (Sagdahl, 2021). Further, it portrays melancholy as an aesthetic emotion, appearing in the description of nature (Brady; Haapala, 2003). The analysis suggests that the presence of melancholy as a recurrent theme in children's books confirms it as an important feature to be studied, especially due to its relation with literature, for they both educate individuals' emotions and enhance their human experience.