The Future's Mysticism

Wouldn’t it be interesting to study which Children’s books were popular for which generations? I am going on Wednesday to see a rare viewing of a movie here in Pforzheim in its original English version—Narnia. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a popular series for one generation, whereas Harry Potter is extremely popular now. The question is: how would the popularity of a certain children’s series be indicative of the overall society.

Why did one generation prefer relatively realistic mysteries (Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys), whereas one generation may have preferred escapist fantasy (Narnia series)? One generation may have preferred funny themes on everyday life (Roland Dahl), whereas another may prefer thinking that there is a conspiracy of underlying, other-worldly goings on (Harry Potter.) Ultimately, the interesting question extrapolated from such a study would be whether the psychological tastes of the younger generation reflect the society they are in, or, rather, reflect the society the children will become as adults.