A Reassessment of the Child Detective in Bangla Children’s Fiction
Editorial
December 2021, volume 45, No 12

The portrayal of children who resent getting stifled within the regimen of home and school is a recurring feature of children’s fiction in Bangla, although they are by and large unable to break free of it. In the sub-genre of domestic fantasy within it, the child tries to find an outlet from the regimen of home and school for a while, but the most radical implications of her/his breaking out of the system get contained within the predominantly middle-class worldview of the narratives. Detective stories deviate from this sub-genre umbrella inasmuch that the child gets caught or initiates an adventure in which s/he is able to realize her/his fantasy of solving a mystery. During this interlude, s/he not only transgresses the norms of respectable households but is appreciated for accomplishing an onerous task that is usually the prerogative of very clever adults. The sub-genre usually follows a serialized format, so the child can start on a new escapade, presumably after being compliant within the parameters of acceptable behaviour for a while.

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