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Abstract W.H.G. Kingston, a representative writer of British juvenile literature in mid-Victorian period, was deeply interested in the important social issues of his time. He was particularly devoted to the education of the young. His interest in these issues was best shown in his adventure novels. Two of his representative novels, Peter the Whaler and The Three Midshipmen, describe the growth of the protagonists through various sea adventures all over the world. The young heroes of the novels are portrayed as manly youths with national pride and responsibility, good team spirit and a sense of self-sacrifice. They are also described as pious Christians who are concerned with the expansion of the British Empire. Through the depiction of the growth of such young men, Kingston advocates his ideal of Englishmen. As Kingston’s ideas about the education of the young is typical of that time in Britain, with such defects as justifying the British colonization, a careful examination of his works would help us better understand and criticize the Victorian culture and ideology.
Key words: education of the young; Englishness; manliness; religious piety; empire
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