HEROES OF EUROPEAN LITERAURE FOR YOUNG ADULTS:
THE LITTLE PRINCE
By Janine Despinette
Excerp (L'Octogonal, n°3, 1993).
Is there, in European literature for young adults, any character whose symbolic force could emerge as stereotype of our contemporary imaginative world?
This topic has triggered a long research in all European countries (by Settore di Ricerca sulla Lettura e la Letteratura Giovanile de l'Università de Padua, for instance).
This question has led to enquiries and stadistic research. A critical distance is needed in order to distinguish a passing fad from an ever-lasting attitude of admiration towards a literary work.
The importance of a literary character in literature for chidlren and young adults can be measured by the number of reprintings of the work and by the fact that excerps of the book are included in school textbooks. Thus the book becomes a classic for teachers, since it is studied in class. Also its translations and adaptations into different languages show that the book is interesting beyond its linguistic and cultural fronteers.