James Janeway, A Token for Children

Pamela Price (Cardiff University)

Ed. by Dainy Bernstein, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.04: English Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century, 1625-1688.
Vol. editors: Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Neil Forsyth (Université de Lausanne), Claire Preston (Queen Mary, University of London), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1671

Places

United Kingdom (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Children's Literature

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

A Token for Children: Being an exact account of the conversion, holy and exemplary lives, and joyful deaths of several young children

was written by James Janeway, a Puritan minister, and published originally in two parts in England between 1671-1672. Spreading his religious message and encouraging children to be pious, Janeway aims to persuade his young readers to achieve “joyful deaths” to avoid Hell and enter Heaven through the moral messages of the thirteen young children “drawn from life” who die within the text (Thwaite, 27). The children within the text are examples to their families; they enjoy scriptures and sermons. Despite succumbing to illness, they rejoice in that they were chosen for the Lord, reject pity and accept their eternal happiness in the heavenly afterlife…

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

3188 words

Citation: Price, Pamela. "A Token for Children". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 July 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41167, accessed 27 July 2024.]

Save this article