Anna Barbauld, Lessons for Children

Jennifer Tattersall (University of Newcastle upon Tyne)

Ed. by Emily Rohrbach, University of Durham
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.06: English Writing and Culture of the Romantic Period, 1789-1837.
Vol. editors: Robert Clark (The Literary Encyclopedia), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Daniel Robinson (Widener University), Emily Rohrbach (University of Durham)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1787 - 1788

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Children's Literature
Didactic

Resources

Little boy, come to me. Tell me how far from home have you been in your life? I think I should like to go a great long way with you, and see what we could see: for there are a great many places in the world besides home. (Lessons for Children from Three to Four Years Old 31-32)

This extract from Anna Barbauld’s Lessons for Children (1778-9) encapsulates many of the text’s innovations. Groundbreaking in its child-centred format, conversational style, progressive educational philosophy and expansive ethics, Lessons for Children was recognised by Barbauld’s contemporary Frances Burney as instigating a “new walk” in children’s literature (McCarthy 193). As a literary figure, educationalist and religious Dissenter, renowned for her Poems (1773), Anna Barbauld decided to write for children and, in effect, elevated the humble reading primer into...

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2430 words

Citation: Tattersall, Jennifer. "Lessons for Children". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 November 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4019, accessed 09 June 2026.]

Anna Barbauld, Lessons for Children

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

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