Why did Heinrich Wolgast argue that children’s literature should be a work of art?

In his 1896 work Das Elend unserer Jugendliteratur ("The Sad State of Our Children’s Literature"), educator Heinrich Wolgast argued that children’s literature must be a work of art to counter the prevalence of commercialized, low-quality writing that dominated the era.1

Wolgast was specifically motivated by the rise of sensationalist and sentimental literature, such as the popular but fabricated adventure tales of Karl May, which he viewed as detrimental to young readers. By asserting that literature for children should be a true work of art, Wolgast sought to reject the "deformations" caused by excessive didacticism—the practice of writing primarily to instruct or moralize—and nationalistic agendas. His critique sparked a significant controversy, ultimately advocating for a higher standard of creative integrity in books intended for the young.1