Michael Chabon, “Manhood for Amateurs: The Wilderness of Childhood,” The New York Review of Books, July 16, 2009
Chabon recalls his outdoor childhood adventures in Maryland and how they were inspired by the local historical events from an earlier time. He draws a connection between unstructured, unsupervised childhood exploration and the lifelong interest in reading tales of adventure. Chabon wonders if the contemporary approach to parenting that does not allow children to freely and independently explore, will prevent today’s children from having the experiences required to seek and appreciate adventure in literature.
Los Angeles Times file photo
Interesting that you see this as focused on literature. I would think this is making a much broader case - What is lost when someone is only allowed the supervised experiences of play? Are they less likely t show independent decision making as adults? I wonder what the implications are for Exhibition design when we corral children into groups (as we do with block-buster museum exhibits)? Have we moved away from the opportunity to build independent relationships with the art exhibited, thereby restricting creativity?
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I certainly think that there is a broader case to be made. I see it as an instructor with overly sheltered young people coming into my classes and wait to be told every single tiny step.
However, it seemed to me that Chabon focusses on literature, as he devotes a number of paragraphs to this and he ends the piece with the following:
"Art is a form of exploration, of sailing off into the unknown alone, heading for those unmarked places on the map. If children are not permitted—not taught—to be adventurers and explorers as children, what will become of the world of adventure, of stories, of literature itself?"
Perhaps he is speaking of literature as an exemplar or gateway to all other areas of exploration; travel, philosophy, music, food, friendships, and so forth. I'm not sure that he has made this clear, but will review the entire piece to see.
Bottom line, I agree. Adventures in childhood are very significant later in life. Even if one does little or no reading.