The Jungle Book

Warning: If you are expecting singing bears and playful monkeys, prepare to be disappointed. Once again, Disney has given us an inaccurate portrayal of Rudyard Kipling's classic tale. What you will find is a real jungle filled with danger, stories, and The Law of the Jungle, which all noble creatures must obey.

      A Brief Synopsis

The book begins with a small boy wandering into the lives of Mother Wolf and Father Wolf. This little one-year-old is being hunted by Shere Khan, a tiger who is not admired by the rest of the forest. The wolves are taken with the bravery of the little boy, for he is unafraid of the tiger. Much to the anger of Shere Khan, Mowgli is taken to the wolf council were Mother and Father Wolf petitition for his adoption into the pack. Baloo, the kindly bear who teaches the young wolves the Law of the Jungle, and Bagheera the panther whom all greatly respect speak on behalf of the boy, and so he is taken in.

Now, the story does not occur in order. There are technically four chapters in the book, but the first chapter should really be two. So, if the chapters were to be placed in order, it would be 1a, 3, 2, 1b, 4.
Chapters 1b and 4 tell the main story, which is the struggle between Mowgli and Shere Khan. The middle of the book highlights some of Mowgli's adventures as a young boy.


When Mowgli is older, Shere Khan challenges his right to live, and unfortunately he gets many of the younger wolves on his side. Bagheera tells Mowgli that he must return to the world of man, for this is where he belongs. This is the end of chapter 1. Chapter 4 begins with Mowgli's return to the local village. He is taken in, but finds the ways of man very peculiar. The stories that the elders tell of gods and spirits are absolute nonsense to Mowgli, and the caste system is a complete mystery. He has not forgotten the jungle, for he has sworn to kill Shere Khan for all his wickedness. With the help of his wolf-brothers, Mowgli starts a stampede of cattle and tramples the tiger. Pinning his hide to the Council Rock, Mowgli restores order to the wolf-people. He does not wish to be a part of the pack who betrayed him, so he and his wolf brothers go to hunt in the forest alone. The story ends with the words "But he was not always alone, because, years afterward, he became a man and married. But that is a story for grown-ups".

      My Thoughts

I didn't expect to enjoy this book very much. I knew it was very different from the movie and that it would contain the dark violence of a real jungle, but I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the book had its dark moments, but I found myself enraptured with the honour and nobility of the forest creatures. The Law of the Jungle is everything to them, and Shere Khan's defiance of The Law is not to be taken lightly.

While I enjoyed Mowgli's character, I really fell in love with the noble Bagheera. He is wise and feared, kind but dangerous. His presence in the novel was overpowering, and I see that as a sign of good writing.

I found Kipling's commentary of the Indian society to be unexpectedly interesting. I like how he almost bluntly mocked the caste system and their mythology through Mowgli's utter distaste for such bizarre traditions. Kipling knew that the strict caste system was immoral and holding the great country back, and he needed to instruct future generations of its absurdity. It was great to have a bit of social commentary amongst tales of honour and revenge.

This book took my totally by surprise. Kipling created an entire world within the wild lands of India. I know I keep talking about The Law of the Jungle, but the social system of Mowgli's jungle is to be envied. Creatures of all sizes are trusted to uphold the standards of society, and even though the food chain is very much in place, all animals are given equal respect. I wish we could adopt the ways of The Jungle Book.

J.M. Barrie

When I read Peter Pan, I felt as if I actually got to know J.M. Barrie. So often in the book he refers to himself as the narrator, deciding which stories to tell us, saying how he doesn't like Mrs. Darling, for she is the one that urges her children home (he later changes this opinion). I saw Barrie as a fun, light, yet still proper person. I don't know if that is what he was really like, but I like him all the same.

     Early Life

James Matthew Barrie was born on May 9, 1860 in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland. He was the ninth of the ten Barrie children, and to make himself noticeable he became an avid storyteller. He became a bit of a boisterous young boy to make up for his small stature (he would grow to be 5'3"). When Barrie was six, his next oldest brother David, who was their mother's favourite, died. Margret, his mother, never fully recovered. She took some comfort in the idea that David would remain a boy forever. This would provide inspiration for Barrie's timeless tale. Barrie took it upon himself to help his mother. He would try to be like David so that she wouldn't miss her favourite boy.

     Writing Career

After graduating from Edinburgh University in 1882, Barrie pursued his love of writing by becoming a journalist. He published his first novel, Better Dead in 1887. This would be the beginning of several popular books set in Scotland. Encouraged by his success, Barrie began writing plays in 1890, beginning with Walker London, a light comedy about marriage that was well-recieved. What became his legacy, however, was the tale of a small boy who would never grow up: Peter Pan. The timeless character first appeared in The Little White Bird (1902), but it was two years later when his story really took off. Barrie's play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up debuted December 27, 1904. He would later write the novel Peter Pan and Wendy, which is simply known now as Peter Pan.

     Peter Pan

Like, yet unlike Charles Dodgson, the inspiration for J.M. Barrie's greatest work came from some young friends. Barrie met Arthur and Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and their then two sons George and Jack and became great friends. The Scotsman would join them in Kensington Gardens on many afternoons to play with George, Jack, and then Peter, Micheal and Nico. Being involved in an unhappy marriage, Barrie saw that Sylvia was everything he wanted in a woman: beautiful and the embodiment of motherhood. Fortunately, Arthur knew he had nothing to worry about, for he and his wife were very much in love. Barrie longed for sons of his own, but he was greatly contented return to childhood with the Llewelyn Davies boys. He was their greatest companion with his endless games, stories, and cild-like imagination. Their childhood innocence and the stories they forced Barrie to tell would be the makings of Peter Pan.

Now, try as I might, I was unable to find any evidence of inappropriate behaviour between Barrie and the boys. I seems he just loved them as sons and nothing more.

Something intersting that I came across was the name Wendy. It has been speculated that Barrie invented the name, but while that has been disproven, one source said "he might as well have!" A young friend of his, five-year-old Margret Henly, would call Barrie "my friendly". However, she was unable to pronounce her "R's", so it came out sounding like "fwendy" or "wendy". Barrie decided to use this name after young Margret died in 1895 at the age of six. The name (the real name) is said to have Welsh origins and possibly a form of Gwendydd, the fistional sister of Merlin. Wherever it came from, Barrie's play made Wendy an iconic name in Britain.




J.M. Barrie, like Charles Dodgson, has a bit of an unfortunate reputation due to his relationships with small children. I hope you have learned that Barrie was an imaginative child-at-heart who created a boy that, like his brother David, will remain a boy forever.





Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._M._Barrie
http://www.biography.com/people/jm-barrie-9200058
http://www.wendy.com/wendyweb/history.html
Birkin, Andrew J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys. London: Constable and Company, 1979
Tartar, Martha The Annotated Peter Pan. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2011

I'm late, I'm late!

I'm so sorry for my lack of posts everyone! I was away for a week and a bit, and I did not expect to be without internet access. My J.M. Barrie post will be up this afternoon, and our next book should come either tomorrow or the next day:)

Thanks for your patience!

Peter Pan: The Boy You Think You Know

"All children, except one, grow up"

This is the first line of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. I don't know why, but it never fails to put a huge smile on my face, filling me with a deep sense of wonder and mystery. Many believe they know this story well, but though amazing the Disney movie does little to represent the true tale of a world called Neverland and the boy who will never grow up.

      A Brief Synopsis

Because this story is so well known, I will be brief in my synopsis. One night, a strange boy visits the home of Wendy, John, and Micheal Darling. He arrives because, at a previous visit to hear the stories told to them by Mrs. Darling, his shadow was taken by their nurse, a Newfoundland dog named Nana. Wendy is thrilled to meet the boy that they all know from their dreams of the Neverland. Peter, for the boy is Peter Pan, entices Wendy and her brothers to come with him to Neverland so that Wendy may be the mother to Peter and the Lost Boys. With the help of some fairy dust from Tinker Bell, the children fly after him.

Now this is where the story begins to differ from the Disney movie. It takes a great many days for them to reach Neverland, and often Peter leaves them to have his own adventures. But when he returns, he always forgets what he has been doing. On a few occasions, he even forgets the children. After saying to Peter "I'm Wendy", he tells Wendy quite worriedly "...always if you see me forgetting you, just keep on saying 'I'm Wendy,' and then I'll remember."

Finally, they do get to the Neverland, home of mermaids, faries, the Picaninny tribe, and a fearsome crew of pirates. There are many great adventures on the island, as the children stay there for a very long time. We are only told of the adventure which we witness in the film: where Peter rescues Tiger Lily of the Picaninnies from the evil Captain Hook.

The Neverland is not quite the commical, fanciful place it seems to be. There is a great deal of death and killing, even among the Lost Boys. When we first meet the boys, the narrator reveals "The boys on the island vary, of course, in numbers, according as they get killed and so on; and when they seem to be growing up, which is against the rules, Peter thins them out...". I was a bit shocked by this statement, but thus is the way of the Neverland.

Wendy eventually remembers her mother and father, who must be missing them terribly. So the children, including the lost boys who believe they wish to have a real mother as well, return home, but not after vanquishing Hook and slaying nearly all the pirates. At home, the Darlings are suffering greatly, missing their children. Mr. Darling has taken to living in the kennel, for he believes it is his fault that Nana was not with the children on that faithful night. The children return home and all are happy, except Peter. But an agreement is made: every year, Peter will come to take Wendy for a week so she may do his spring cleaning. Some years he forgets, and one year he has even forgotten who Tinker Bell was. Wendy eventually grows up, to Peter's utter dismay. But her daughter Jane begins to leave with Peter, then Jane's daughter Margret, and this will go on "so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless".

      My Thoughts

This story is so fanciful and magical. It just seems to capture the epitome of childhood innocence and selfishness. I really love the writing style; it is so developed and uses high diction, even though it is about escaping adulthood. Barrie does an amazing job creating a fantastical world filled with magic and adventure. The book pulls me in entirely, and I can't help but wish that Peter would arrive at my window and take me to Neverland.

I also can't help but feel for Wendy. She loves Peter and wishes for him to love her back, and he does, in his own way. But he is Peter Pan. He doesn't understand love, and he could never stay with Wendy and grow up. When Peter is about to leave, Wendy asks him "You don't feel, Peter...that you would like to say anything to my parents about a very sweet subject?". I find it hilarious how she never gives up, but I also agree with her feelings. I think all girls want Peter to be a little more caring, and a little more loving. But, I say again, he is Peter Pan. He is not of this world.

The violence in this book is almost hilarious because it is so unexpected. Each of the pirates are slayed by Peter and the lost boys, save for Mr. Smee. Even Smee, Hook's trusty first-mate, is not innocent. He refers to his cutlass as Johnny Corkscrew because "he wiggles it in the wound". All of this makes the Neverland a very different place than the one we often imagine, but that just adds to the excitement.

I love the wonder and magic of this classic tale. Even though Peter isn't quite the hero I wish him to be, he is very real in my imagination. I will always enjoy the thrilling adventures of Wendy, Tinker Bell, Hook, and the ever-young Peter Pan.

Illustrations by Scott Gustafson

Lewis Carrol

I love Lewis Carrol, or Charles Dodgson if you go by his real name. He was actually the subject of my grade twelve history paper. The man was just so fascinating! Not only did he write one of the most famous stories of all time, he was a mathematician who taught at Oxford, one of the best amateur photographers in his day, and a great friend to children. Dodgson's diversity and imagination astounds me.

     Early Life

Charles Dodgson was born January 27, 1832 as the third child (first son) of what would be a family of thirteen. His father was a parson, and Charles grew up in a loving, supportive home. As a child, he loved entertaining his siblings with games, puzzles, and his own little newspaper. Dodgson's mathematical mind, like his father's, was very developed, so in 1851 he enrolled in Oxford at Christ Church college. After his initial schooling, he received the Christ Church Mathematical Lectureship which would be his career for the next 26 years.

     Writing Career

Dodgson had published several books about mathematics and logic under his given name, but beneath that analytical mind lay a great imagination. He began writing poems and short stories for newspapers under pseudonyms. The very first work to be published under the name that would be ever-linked to his fame was a poem titled "Solitude" that appeared in a magazine. But it was not until he met Henry Liddell and his family, including his daughter Alice, that the great world of Wonderland would come to be.

     Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Dodgson was a quiet, slightly odd man. He was always a child at heart, and enjoyed spending time with children more than adults, particularly little girls. Now, do not say anything improper about these relationships, for those rumours are complete nonsense. Dodgson's friendships with children were just that: friendships. Even in his photography, which mainly contained photos of young girls, he always consulted the mothers and ensured that the children did nothing that made them uncomfortable. The art of nude child photography was popular in the day, and Dodgson would always provide mothers with the photos, or burn them if they were unwanted. So now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about Alice Liddell.

Alice, along with her elder sister Lorina and her little sister Edith, were great friends with Charles. One day, while he accompanied the Liddells on a riverboat ride, he saw that the girls were extremely bored. To entertain them, he began telling the story of "Alice's Adventures Underground". The children loved the story, especially Alice, who begged for Dodgson to write it down. After a great deal of pleading, Dodgson wrote out the story, including some little illustrations of his own, and presented it to Alice. Much later, a publishing friend of Dodgson's came across the little manuscript and encouraged him to publish it. The rest, you might say, is history. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865 and has been a best-seller ever since.

Charles Dodgson wasn't just an imaginative author. He was a great friend to those around him, an ingenious scholar and lecturer, as well as an artistic photographer. Even though he is most remembered for his brilliant masterpiece under the name Carrol, there is so much more we should appreciate about his life. Dodgson succumbed to pneumonia on January 14, 1898, but he lives on through the adventures of a little girl with a great imagination.

   

  Sources

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/carroll/bio1.html

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: A Fantastical Tale

I've recently become fascinated by this story. Its nonsensical plot is both brilliant and slightly crazy. What I love most is that the story is so true to the unpredictibly wild mind of a child. Lewis Carrol does a brilliant job of creating the vast, complicated and utterly mad world of Wonderland.

     A Brief Synopsis

Alice is lazily sitting beneath a tree on a hot summer morning when she sees a white rabbit in a waistcoat running by. What captures her attention is not the waistcoat as you would imagine, but the pocket watch her pulls out of it. Curiosity sufficiently peaked, Alice races after the rabbit, following it down a rabbit hole. To her surprise, she begins to fall for a very, very long time. She eventually reaches the bottom to find a long hall and a glass table. After attempting to get through a very small door to a beautiful garden (an attempt that involves quite a bit of growing and shrinking), Alice finds herself struggling to stay afloat in a sea of her own tears. That is when her adventures begin.

I won't describe in detail everything Alice goes through, for that would take an awfully long time. Let’s just say that in her adventure, Alice participates in a Caucus-race, plays fetch with an enormous puppy, talks with a hookah-smoking caterpillar, meets a rude duchess, her pepper-crazed cook, her baby (that turns into a pig), and their grinning Cheshire cat (who has a habit of disappearing). She also attends a tea party hosted by the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Doormouse (who are all quite off their rockers), plays a curious game of croquet with the Queen of Hearts, and hears the history of the Mock Turtle, as well as going through a great deal of growing and shrinking.

In the end, she is called to witness a very strange trial in which nearly everyone she has met are called as witnesses. Unfortunately, she begins to grow, and is attacked by a pack of card-soldiers. It is then that Alice wakes up.

     My Thoughts

I love this story. It's just so...different. There seems to be no particular plot or theme, it is just a very peculiar adventure. The nonsense of the story is ingenious. I know that the development of this story was not a huge thought-out process (you'll learn about that in my next post!), but the way it perfectly interprets the mind of a child astounds me.

Now, this is a very, very well-known story. I thought I knew the full story, but it turns out I had been relying on an abridged copy, so I was excited to read the full text for the first time. I really enjoyed the story (as you might be able to tell). It really captivates you, for new and completely un-related things happen one after the other. It is an ideal story for the wandering mind of a child.

I loved Alice. She is the absolute perfect main character for this story. She is not just a girl on an adventure. Alice is the strangest, most peculiar girl you will ever meet. The way she approaches all these happenings, and even just her thought process is just...odd. For example, at one point when she grows very large and cannot see her feet, she worries about who will look after them and put socks on an such. She then decides that she'll send them a new pair of boots each Christmas to the address:
     ALICE'S RIGHT FOOT, ESQ.
     HEARTHRUG,
     NEAR THE FENDER,
     (WITH ALICE'S LOVE).
 Isn't she just hilarious? I laughed so much reading this book.

I read once that Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is the second most-quoted book next to the bible, and I wasn't too surprised. The writing style is scattered and absurd, but there is just so many interesting happenings and little tidbits hidden in the crazy "plot". I don't believe Wonderland to be the dark, frightening place that Tim Burton made it out to be. The way I interpret the land is a fantastical, nonsensical place with people who live in quite a different way than we do. I really enjoyed visiting, but I don't think I'd like to live there:)

Illustrations are from the original book and are done by Sir John Tennial

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Frances Hodson Burnett is one of the world's most famous early female authors. Her books have been made into countless movie adaptations and have enthralled children for over a century. Whether you are reading about Sara Crewe, Cedric Errol, or Mary Lennox, you are instantly transported to their world and living alongside them. Here's to an amazing storyteller.

     Early Life

Frances Eliza Hodgson was born November 24, 1849 in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, England. Her father died when she was three and her mother Eliza took over his ironmongery. As a little girl, Frances loved writing little stories in notebooks and telling tales to anyone who would listen. When she was sixteen, the ironmongery went bankrupt, and Eliza decided take the family to join her brother in America. So in 1865 Frances, along with her mother, two older brothers and two younger sisters,  
moved to Knoxville Tennesse.

     Writing Career

 Frances was always making up stories, so it was natural that when her family needed some extra finnancial support she began writing to help pay the bills. Some of her first stories such as "Miss Caruthers' Engagement" appeared in Godey’s Lady’s Book, a magazine for women, in 1868. By the time her mother died and the family's finnancial burden was put almost entirely on Frances' shoulders, she was earning a regular income from her writings. She married Swann Burnett in 1873 and would have two sons Lionel and Vivian. Beginning in 1876 with The Lass O’Lowries Frances published a series of novels and even co-wrote a play. None of her works however, recieved critical acclaim until Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886. She went on to write her most famous books A Little Princess (1905) and The Secret Garden (1911).

     The Secret Garden

Ever since she was a little girl living in England, Frances loved gardens. Whenever possible, she would find a spot of nature and play, read, or write. It's no surprise then that one of her most famous novels would take place in a garden. The particular garden in which the story of Mary, Dickon, and Colin was written was the walled garden at her home, Maytham Hall. When she first moved to Maytham, the garden was neglected and overgrown. Frances soon added roses and grasses to make it alive once again.

Various people in her life added inspiration to Frances' later works. As a girl, Frances had a friend named Emma who spoke with a broad Lancashire accent. Frances was entranced by the sounds and words of this different dialect. This would inspire her to use these in her books, which is very apparent in The Secret Garden.



With a legacy of over fifty books as well as numerous plays, short stories, and poems behind her, Frances Hodgson Burnett died on October 29, 1924. She is not gone though, for she will always be remembered through her timeless tales, especially that of Miss Mary Lennox.






     Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Hodgson_Burnett
http://www.online-literature.com/burnett/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2041.Frances_Hodgson_Burnett
Collins, Carolyn and Eriksson, Christina Inside the Secret Garden. New York: HarperCollins, 2001