Philippe Ariès

"The theme of this extraordinary book is the evolution of the modern conception of family life and the modern image of the nature of children. The discovery of childhood as a distinct phase of life, M. Aries shows, is a recent event in Western Man's development. Until the end of the Middle Ages, the child was, almost as soon as he was weaned, regarded as a small adult who mingled, competed, worked, and played with mature adults. Only gradually did...

With 1962's Centuries of Childhood, Philippe Ariès didn't just produce the first comprehensive history of childhood he also called attention to the consideration ordinary people. Ariès argues that the concept of childhood did not even exist until the 17th century; before that, children were regarded simply as small people. When the 'discovery' of childhood came about, it was not because children had changed, but because people's mentalities had...