Miniature Adulthood

The term miniature adulthood can encompass two different definitions, the first dealing with the historical understanding of childhood and second with the literary character. The concept of miniature adulthood relates to the understanding that in the past, children were not seen as a separate category of growth and development in Western society but were treated as miniature adults. The category of literary character called miniature adults often appears in children’s literature. These characters create both a bridge and a complication between what it means to be both an adult and a child, especially in the encounters between miniature people and big child characters. While these two sides of miniature adulthood may seem far apart, they are actually quite closely related through their questioning of the ...