COVE

John Bunyan's allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, which was released in two parts in 1678 and 1684, is among the most influential and consistently circulated books ever written.  Bunyan, an English author and preacher, created a narrative that reflects his understanding of the trials every Christian must endure and the perseverance they must exert to overcome them. The story follows the character Christian, who is burdened by the terrible weight of sin and is driven by a deep desire to reach the Celestial City, representing Heaven. A didactic stronghold among English literature, ...

Today "goody two shoes" is a derogatory reference to a sicky-sweet person who is insufferably virtuous, but few people know where the phrase originated or that it was not always a disparaging label. "Goody Two Shoes" refers to the allegorically named Margery Meanwell, the lead character in the didactic work The History of Little Goody Two Shoes (1765), a children's book believed to be written by Irish author and playwright Oliver Goldsmith of She Stoops to Conquer (1773) fame. The term "Goody" is an abbreviation of "Goodwife," a designation for "...

A very popular stable in the Victorian schoolroom, The Water-Babies (1863) is a fairy tale with a purpose now little read today. The protagonist named Tom, a chimney sweep with no morals or education, falls into a river and transforms into a "water baby." In his underwater world filled with fairies, water nymphs, and other water babies, Tom has a series of adventures and essentially undergoes a pilgrimage. He proves his worth and ultimately returns to the human world. Author Charles Kingsley, who was also a reverend, wrote the tale both to delight and instruct young readers about...

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women was published in two volumes across 1868 and 1869. The novel follows four Civil War era sisters--Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy--as they come of age in New England. The four sisters bond as they experience strife and loss and journey from young girls to, as the title suggests, little women. Like many pieces of literature in the nineteenth century, Little Women seems particuarly interested in imparting lessons to its readers. While these lessons are not as harsh as some earlier texts, such as John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (1678,...

Treasure Island is an adventure novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson for young boys during the Victorian era. As the nineteenth century was unfolding, children's literature began moving away from didacticism and towards entertainment. Robert Louis Stevenson spent most of his life traveling to climates where he could cope with his repiratory illness while his father expected him to follow in his footsteps as a lighthouse engineer, something Stevenson didn't want. As a compromise with his father, Stevenson agreed to study law at the University of Edinburgh and earned his degree...

When people say The Wizard of Oz (1900), they think of Judy Garland and her ruby red shoes, or Idina Menzel belting a high E6 in Wicked. But few have read the actual book, nor do they know all the characters and creatures. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum follows Dorothy Gale, a young girl living in Kansas with her Aunt 'Em and Uncle Henry. She is suddenly swept away by a tornado with her dog, Toto, to the magical land of Oz. Her house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her, and freeing the Munchkins, who have been oppressed by the witch....

Peter Pan (1904) by J.M. Barrie is an imaginative and adventurous story that has remained a staple in the children’s literature canon. Protagonist Peter Pan is a boy who does not want to grow up. Peter visits the home of the Darling family and takes siblings John, Michael, and Wendy from their nursery in London, England to the magical world of Neverland. In Neverland, Peter and the Darling children face swashbuckling pirates, whimsical fairies, mischievous lost boys, and mystical mermaids. While their adventures are exciting, the Darling children must choose between staying with...

A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) has become one of the most well-known children’s books across the world, with one of the most recognizable protagonists. The book was first published on October 14, 1926, by the U.S. publisher E.P. Dutton and the British publisher Methuen & Company. By the end of the year, Dutton had sold over 150,000 copies, a stark comparison to the less than one thousand first edition copies that were printed. Pooh follows its eponymous protagonist as he goes on a variety of different adventures with his friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Rabbit...