Sounds in children’s and youth literature

The school bell in some works by Christine Nöstlinger

Abstract

School, children’s rooms and playgrounds have always been considered firmly established narrative spaces in children’s and youth literature. The narrative setting ‘school’ in particular is a prominent subject in the children’s literary discourse and also offers an interesting spectrum of sounds: noisy children in the cloakrooms, strictly enforced silence in the corridors during class time, teachers’ tirades that can be heard muffled through the walls in neighbouring classes, approaching footsteps of an unloved teacher and – last but not least – the ringing of the school bell.

The transit area between leisure time and the ‘school territory’ is clearly marked: Besides the school gate as a spatial portal, the acoustic signal is ‘the ringing’. The school bell embodies the strongest non-verbal authority in the institution to which a functioning school community from the management to the school staff and the students must adhere. Disregarding this authority leads to considerable consequences on a personal, but also on a social-systemic level. Based on an analysis of selected works by Christine Nöstlinger (1938–2018), this article shows how the school bell influences the structure of space and time, the behaviour of the characters, as well as their families and friendships.