As far back as the 1700s, window seats were being incorporated into homes where the windows were tall and narrow with a sash at chair height. George Hepplewhite was one of three major English furniture makers of the eighteenth century who built window seats, with scrolled arms, arched backs or no backs, and upholstered and padded for comfort. A precursor to today's window seat cushions that can be found settled into basic, straight-lined window seats built right into wall and window structures, these early pieces, especially Hepplewhite's, were elegant and light in form. One can imagine a child enjoying the warmth and slant of mid morning winter light, feasting on some fairy tale or adventure story in one of these elegant "coves."
Interestingly, the appearance of window seats preceded the event of literature created just for children, but eventually these two art forms (for that is what they are, both the sculptural and functional art of the window seat and the literary and artistic form of the child's tale) converged. While it is not the purpose of this article to retrace the development of the window seat or the emergence and triumph of children's literature (heavy tasks indeed, and more suited to coffee table books or doctoral dissertations!), it bears mentioning that these two elements in some way encapsulate the impulse that inspires making a house a home.
One only need countenance the heavy weight of "hearth and home" magazines on racks in bookstores, and on coffee tables in homes, medical offices and other places of temporary leisure in all corners of the world, to be reassured of one basic truth. That is, no matter how sophisticated we become, no matter how global the economy is, no matter how far we travel, ultimately we desire the comforts of home first and foremost. This stands to reason, since it is from a well-appointed home that we can launch our dreams and our ambitions. Thus journals on decorating, cooking, renovating and more are published and purchased month after month, year after year, and the human spirit continues to turn back to the hearth for sustenance.
Take the window seat. Though it can be made to be practical with storage space beneath the seat, it nonetheless nods toward things not so practical. It beckons one to rest, to delight in what lies outside a home, or to relish in what lies between the pages of a well-written book. It is not upon a window seat that one usually pays the bills or repairs a broken fixture. Those tasks are better suited to the workbench or the kitchen table. No. The window seat is for dreaming big. And so it is especially suited to children and to children's literature.
When the window seat first emerged a few hundred years ago, children's literature was sparse. All that was written for children in the 1700s and early 1800s would have barely filled a bookshelf or two. Compare that to the great cargo of books you'll find at your local bookstore today!
With an eye trained only on Western children's literature, the genre had a fair start when the German brothers Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm collected and published fairy tales in the early 1800s, with such cultural gems as "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Little Mermaid." Of course, the Brothers Grimm wrote down many, many stories, some rather macabre and not suited to very young children. An unabridged collection, in fact, of original tales from the Brothers Grimm can be quite captivating for adults.
Not long after came Lewis Carroll with his Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Johanna Spyri and her Heidi, and L. Frank Baum, the genius behind the Wonderful Wizard of Oz series. And the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh seem almost to have been created for reading on a sunny window seat with the ticking of the grandfather clock and the smell of something good cooking to bring perfect bliss. A.A. Milne, the author of stories about Pooh and Rabbit and Eeyore and Owl and Piglet and all, created a treasure chest of satisfying, charming tales in the early 1900s. Here are a few other authors whose stories have been loved by many a lucky child perched cozily near the window:
Laura Ingalls Wilder, sending out the pioneer spirit in her Little House on the Prairie books beginning in 1933
C.S. Lewis, who published the first of the Narnia stories in 1950
Beverly Cleary, fascinating generations of young with her tales of Henry Huggins, The Mouse and the Motorcycle and Ramona the Brave since 1950
Madeleine L'Engle, who wrote A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door in the 1960s and 1970s
These early stories and other classics are still worth reading. This almost goes without saying. Some, in fact, burn more brightly than stories ostensibly written for children today. And while the gracious, elegantly upholstered window seats of yesteryear are rarely to be found in most households today, a modern form is still being used by children (and grownups). One can assume this is because the concept of the window seat rests soundly on a universal truth about where people like to be when they are thinking long thoughts or reading good stories. It is so universal - if the concept of universality can take a superlative form - that those who haven't got a window seat might tug a chair over to catch the sun on a chilly day in January or a enjoy a breezy morning in May, settling in with something especially good.
Great children's classic literature also rests on universal truths about those things people like to read about, generation after generation. Why do adults find so much pleasure reading books like The Cricket in Times Square or The Wind in the Willows to their children, sometimes continuing to read long after the little one has dozed off? It is because no matter how old you are, good literature is good literature. It is rich and it feeds the human spirit. To find some of these gems, ask your librarian or look at the Newbery and Caldecott award websites. You can also take advantage of The New York Times Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children, The National Review Treasury of Classic Children's Literature, and many others. Look online or start with one of the books listed here and see where it leads.
Petra Travesen began learning about design as a wayward art student decades ago. Years of decorating - everything from stitching up window seat cushions and settling in for hours with the latest whodunit to scouting out durable adirondack chair cushions to make a friend's sunroom breathe new life - has taught her a thing or two about what to do and what not to do (Scarlet paint for the laundry room? Maybe not.) These days, Petra is busy enjoying a little more down time writing and reading about all things design/architecture. She's deep into the latest John Le Carre mystery novel!
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
No comments:
Post a Comment