Affective Discipline, Persistence, and Power in Pollyanna 1

Abstract

Sentimental fiction in the late 19 century often emphasized affective discipline, or the use of love and affective ties as a tool for vulnerable populations to gain power over others and enact a positive change in their views or behaviors. In this way, vulnerability became a form of power. Affective discipline suggests that vulnerability serves a necessary social function; individuals must witness the suffering of others in order to change their ways and follow the path of righteousness. During the Progressive Era, these tropes were adopted and adapted by the writers of orphan girl stories. These stories feature orphan girls who transform the lives of their reluctant guardians through affective discipline, using the power of their emotional bonds to effect change. Building on this trope, early 20 century authors also demonstrate suspicion of its glorification of vulnerability. The power that affective discipline offers does not always compensate for the vulnerability it requires. Eleanor H. Porter’s Pollyanna and Pollyanna Grows Up offer particularly fertile ground for an examination of how turn-of-the-century children’s authors re-imagined affective discipline and adapted the trope of vulnerability as power. Growing out of the sentimental tradition, the Pollyanna texts explore ways in which vulnerable populations can obtain power through sympathy. As products of the Progressive Era, however, the texts also interrogate this power, acknowledging its limitations and demonstrating the need for larger, institutional changes to address problems beyond its scope. Porter modernizes the tropes of affective discipline with a few key changes. First, she replaces the dying or suffering child at the center of much 19 century sentimental fiction with a healthy and happy one. She foregrounds the power of youthful joy, optimism, and imagination, using the child’s positive influence rather than the adult’s sense of guilt or pity to effect conversions. Despite her vulnerability and the loss of her parents, Pollyanna is not a figure of suffering or pity; she seems generally pleased with her life and seemingly unaware of both her vulnerability and