Abstract
Series fiction for children has always functioned as a way to introduce children to the outside world. Jacob Abbot’s Rollo (1835–64), Jules Verne’s Voyages Extraordinaires (1863–1905), and Joachim Campe’s travels through America for young German readers (1799) are all examples of early children’s series fiction that brought the outside world to young readers. By the late nineteenth century, such fiction also had another function: to instruct children of imperial nations about the wonders and responsibilities of the colonies. G. A. Henty’s novels in Britain (1871–1902), and stories in the French periodical Le Petit Français Illustré1 (1889–1904), both illustrate patterns and promises of European imperial activity. By the early twentieth century, American politicians began their foray into the creation of an American empire, and American publishers were quick to promote the possibilities. A great deal has been written about the British imperial project and its literature, but less about the American imperial project.
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© 2014 Karen Sands-O’Connor
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Sands-O’Connor, K. (2014). The Stratemeyer Chums Have Fun in the Caribbean: America and Empire in Children’s Series. In: Sands-O’Connor, K., Frank, M.A. (eds) Internationalism in Children’s Series. Critical Approaches to Children’s Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137360311_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137360311_4
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