Wednesday 30 September 2009

Struwwelpeter






































I was given this book as a child by my grandparents, however my mum thought it was too horrific and hid it away until only recently..! It was written by Heinrich Hoffman in 1845 for German children and then translated and sold in England by the 1960's. It tells tales (horror stories!) of naughty children and their comeuppances, showing examples of brutal punishment and terrifying discipline. Perhaps Hoffmann aimed to frighten children into believing the punishment suffered by the characters would come to them if they didn't behave.

Aside from this, I now admire the strength in the illustrations and concept. There's something quite eccentric about the characters which suits the strictness of the subject matter. I can only describe this as the makings of your childhood bad dream yet there is an element of comedy to it also in that the scenarios are so ridiculous - but definitely make an impression.


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