- Peter Pan
- $1.99 USD
"All children, except one, grow up." Thus begins a great classic of
children's literature that we all remember as magical. What we tend to
forget, because the tale of Peter Pan and Neverland has been so
relentlessly boiled down, hashed up, and coated in saccharine, is that
J.M. Barrie's original version is also witty, sophisticated, and
delightfully odd. The Darling children, Wendy, John, and Michael, live a
very proper middle-class life in Edwardian London, but they also happen
to have a Newfoundland for a nurse. The text is full of such throwaway
gems as "Mrs. Darling first heard of Peter Pan when she was tidying up
her children's minds," and is peppered with deliberately obscure
vocabulary including "embonpoint," "quietus," and "pluperfect." Lest we
forget, it was written in 1904, a relatively innocent age in which a
plot about abducted children must have seemed more safely fanciful.
Also, perhaps, it was an age that expected more of its children's books,
for Peter Pan has a suppleness, lightness, and intelligence that are
"literary" in the best sense. In a typical exchange with the dastardly
Captain Hook, Peter Pan describes himself as "youth... joy... a little
bird that has broken out of the egg," and the author interjects: "This,
of course, was nonsense; but it was proof to the unhappy Hook that Peter
did not know in the least who or what he was, which is the very
pinnacle of good form." A book for adult readers-aloud to revel in--and
it just might teach young listeners to fly. (Ages 5 and older)
“Why can’t you fly now mother?”
“Because I am grown up, dearest. When people grow up they forget the way.”
“Why do they forget the way?”
“Because they are no longer gay and innocent and heartless. It is only the gay and innocent and heartless who can fly.”
Wendy to her daughter Jane
If you think this is simply a children’s book, and that as an adult you should just ignore it, well, then you’re absolutely crazy. This is one of the few books that have ever made me cry. Yes, I actually cried when I read this book, because the story is just that good.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Product Format: Adobe PDF
Platform: Windows and Macintosh
Download Format: Compressed .ZIP
“Because I am grown up, dearest. When people grow up they forget the way.”
“Why do they forget the way?”
“Because they are no longer gay and innocent and heartless. It is only the gay and innocent and heartless who can fly.”
Wendy to her daughter Jane
If you think this is simply a children’s book, and that as an adult you should just ignore it, well, then you’re absolutely crazy. This is one of the few books that have ever made me cry. Yes, I actually cried when I read this book, because the story is just that good.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Product Format: Adobe PDF
Platform: Windows and Macintosh
Download Format: Compressed .ZIP
