THE SCHOOL OF JOY: INGREDIENTS OF A HAPPY CHILDHOOD ACCORDING TO A RECIPE FROM LITTLE NICOLAS AND ITS AUTHORS R. GOSCINNY AND J. J. SEMPÉ

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the components of the concept of “joy of childhood” in the work «The Adventures of Little Nicolas» by R. Gosсinny and J. J. Sempé, which is indicative of the kind of childhood as “carefree joy” in the vision of French authors of the 50s and 60s of the XX-th c. The main problems that remain relevant today have been defined: the perception of the world through the eyes of a child, types of friendship and the ability to make friends, school life as a source of childhood joy, adults as advisers and mentors, collectivity and family, shown through the images of Mom and Dad, adulthood as a continuation of joy, childish spontaneity and clashes with the rules and norms of society. It has been stated that the main character Nicolas is the embodiment of the “joy of childhood”: he is a childlike, direct, cheerful and sincere boy, striving to be polite and obedient, but he does not always succeed. The role of parents and teachers in shaping the “joy of childhood” has been emphasized: the child-adult relationship has been analyzed on the example of Nicolas's family. The relationship between teacher and students has been studied, the main characteristic of the teacher as an authority for the students of the class, which inspired their love and trust, has been indicated. The main types of students (a teacher pet, a lazy, a rich, an initiator of fights, etc.) have been characterized. The mains parts of the concept of “joy of childhood” have been identified: school, family; schoolyard and wasteland as topoi of joy have been mentioned.