Memorable characters in illustrated children's literature

Abstract

This thesis is about characters and characterisation in illustrated children's literature. More specifically it deals with memorable character depiction, within textual and visual narrative. There are many successful, extraordinary and unforgettable character portrayals in children's literature. However, at the same time, one can find a plethora of characters that are quite forgettable. The objective of this thesis is to find out, what are the qualities that make a children's book character stand out and become memorable.

As the basis for research and analysis in this narrative study, I have chosen two memorable children's book characters that have stood the test of time: Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Långstrump, and Tove Jansson's Knyttet. With the critical help from previous research, the thesis discusses and analyses the two characters and their depiction – first individually and then in a comparative analysis. By close reading, the study aims to find out if there are any commonalities within their respective (visual and textual) character presentation, and, subsequently, to answer the thesis question "What makes a children's book character memorable?".

The major finding of the study is, that the two characters do share commonalities. In the manner that the characters are psychologically portrayed, and that they both can be referred to as multidimensional, or fully developed, and coherent characters. Due to the findings, this thesis argues that multidimensionality and coherency is key to powerful/compelling characterisation. This is because it allows the reader to understand, identify, and most importantly, get close to a character – and in this way, the character can become memorable/unforgettable.