Table of ContentsIntroductionLiterary CriticismAuthor's WordsConclusionIn this article I will explain how E.B. White's use of a Dialect, specific speech and expressions are important in telling the story of the time period when Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little were written, around the 1940s. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIntroductionAuthor of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, Elwyn Brooks White, more commonly known as EB White, was born on July 11, 1899 in Mount Vernon, New York. His name is EB because he doesn't like his first name, one of his nicknames was Andy. His parents were Samuel Tily White and Jessie Hart, he was the youngest of six children; two older brothers and three older sisters.EB White found himself pursuing graduate studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. At Cornell University, he was editor of the school newspaper. White graduated in 1921. In 1925, White published his first article in The New Yorker magazine. He was officially hired by the New Yorker Magazine as a writer and editor in 1927. Not only did he work for the New Yorker Magazine, but he also worked for The United Press and the Seattle Times. In 1929, EB White married Katharine Sergeant Angell. Together they had a son. He wrote his first book in 1945, Stuart Little. He was inspired by a sleep on a wagon where he dreamed of a little boy who behaved like a mouse. He wrote Charlotte's Web in 1952, his inspiration being a spider he found in his Maine barn spinning a web. Charlotte's Web takes place at The Zuckerman Farm, it's a large farm with a barn and lots of animals. Although a specific time period is never mentioned in either Stuart Little or Charlotte's Web, both are most likely set in the 1940s, due to the simplicity of life. White not only wrote children's books, but he also wrote adult books such as Here is New York. During his life he won several awards. He received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. In 1971, he received the National Medal of Literature. He also won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal. In 1973, after publishing more than 17 works, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. A collection of his essays was published in 1977. E.B. White's wife died in 1977. In White's final years, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He continued to publish until his death on October 1, 1985, at his home in North Brooklin, Maine, at the age of 86. Literary criticism When Charlotte's Web was first published on October 15, 1952, the publishing house Harper & Row was skeptical about a spider being the main character. White wrote Charlotte's Web because it shows the life of a pig and a farm, it shows that a pig needed to be saved. White has always had a fascination with spiders: "Spiders are clever, amusing, and helpful, and only in rare cases has anyone experienced misfortune because of a spider." » (EB White) His inspiration came from a pregnant spider in New York, he put it in a box and brought it to his home in Maine. White's writing was controversial because many people thought talking about death in a children's fiction book was wrong, but White never saw a problem with it. A few weeks before Charlotte's Web was released, White published an essay explaining why he wrote it. "Animals are a weakness in me, and when I got a placein the county I was pretty sure animals would appear, and they did." (EB White) The reason he wrote it was his love and fascination with animals, especially his special bond with one of her pigs Many literary reviews have been written on Charlotte's web, both good and bad "From the first pages, I was hooked, drawn into a barnyard world that seemed to me. more real than anything I had ever encountered on the page." he also said: "I was in tears, the first time a book I chose this reaction in a book. Puffin considers Charlotte's Web as a new and different book; he often says that it is different from anything like it. Puffin had a very high opinion of Charlotte's Web. According to Puffin's essay, it is about a farm girl. who saves a pig from death, the pig later enters Zuckerman's farm, the pig was saved by a spider, named Charlotte. It is a story of true friendship and it shows the beauty of death. In the end, the pig is saved but Charlotte dies when she lays her eggs. Some more positive comments about Charlotte's Web, according to Publisher's Weekly Magazine, Charlotte's Web is the number one children's book in America. Besides White's fascination with spiders, he wrote it because of his anxiety. Two things calmed his anxiety, animals and writing. In Charlotte's Web, he combined those two things. In EB White's old age, when he suffered from Alzheimer's disease, his son read his writings to him. “The History of Charlotte's Web” was written by Micheal Sims who wanted to understand how Charlotte's Web was written. He visited White's barn in Maine. White created a fictional version of the barn and its animals from his childhood. There were also negative opinions of White's writing on Charlotte's Web. In "Let's Ruin Some Childhoods: Charlotte's Web," Tansy Rayner Roberts said, "Seriously, it's about how the female spider does all the work, the male pig gets all the glory and then she dies happily at home." END. » She says there are unrealistic expectations and sexism in Charlotte's Web. The essay also talks about how Wilbur constantly asks for help because he knows they are fattening him, he never tried to save himself until Charlotte died. EB White's Stuart Little, a literary classic, also received literary reviews, mostly negative. White first dreamed up Stuart Little in the 1920s, but did not publish it until 1945. It is the story of a boy who looks like a mouse. It was a controversial story because the main character is so independent that there is no clear difference between being an adult and being a child, so people thought only older children should read it. Little people are seen as big heroes, which gives a false image in the child's head. Stuart Little is meant to be a story of empowerment. The story shows maturity. Many people wonder whether Stuart should be treated like an animal or a human, his parents often treat him like an animal. For example, when his ring fell into the sewer, Stuart's mother asked him to go into the sewer and retrieve it. Stuart goes on adventures across New York and across the country. On a positive note, Malcom Cowley described it as "Stuart Little's parts are bigger than the whole." And “Stuart’s unconventional worldview repeatedly subjects the height of New York City to his microscopic scrutiny.” Author's words The reader can know the period projected in Charlotte's web through the dialect and contexts of the words.