The Broken Doll by Charles Lamb
The Broken Doll by Charles Lamb: A poem about a doll that has been broken and left alone, symbolizing the fragility of life and the inevitability of death.
By Charles Lamb · First published 1814 · Genre: Fiction, Short Stories, Children's Literature · 344 words
First lines
An infant is a selfish sprite: / But what of that? the sweet delight / Which from participation springs, / Is quite unknown to these young things.
We elder children then will smile / At our dear little John awhile, / And bear with him, until he see / There is a sweet felicity / In pleasing more than only one, / Dear little, craving, selfish John.
What this Textopian page supports
The Broken Doll is listed on Textopian as a poem by Charles Lamb, dated 1814 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Charles Lamb
- Date: 1814 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Children's Literature, Drama
- Length: 344 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Broken Doll by Charles Lamb
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
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- The Childs Story 1852 by Charles Dickens
Genres
- Fiction — Charles Lamb's 'The Broken Doll' is a short story which falls under broad category of Fiction.
- Short Stories — 'The Broken Doll' is a short narrative, making it fit the Short Stories genre.
- Children's Literature — The narrative revolves around a broken doll, which is a theme commonly associated with Children's Literature.
- Drama — The theme of the story presents dramatic elements common to the Drama genre.
Tags
childhood · imagination · loss · innocence · nostalgia · friendship · grief · memory · transformation · identity · play · sorrow