Jane Johnson, A Very Pretty Story

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A Very Pretty Story to tell children when they are about five or six years of age

(1749), written by Jane Johnson (1706-1759), is a unique and private text aiming not only to educate but also entertain her children, Miss Barbara Johnson and Master George William Johnson. Johnson’s children “took vast delight in hearing it told over and over again a vast many times by Jane Johnson” (Johnson, 2001[1744], p. 77).

A Very Pretty Story

reflects the Lockean principles of the eighteenth century and the wider growing trend in the development of children’s literature, moving away from purely didactic texts to those that instruct and delight. It is original in that it is a private writing revealing how a mother of the time educated her children. Johnson’s title,

A Very Pretty Story

, is…

2204 words

Citation: Price, Pamela. "A Very Pretty Story". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 July 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40701, accessed 22 November 2024.]

40701 A Very Pretty Story 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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