In the article “The Case of Peter Pan”, disturbing details on how classic “children” novels are written are revealed. When you think of stories like Peter Pan, you generally think of the Walt Disney, happy ending version. Few people know the true original story, and those who do know it definitely question how it ever became a children’s classic. As discussed in class, novels such as Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland serve as outlets to their perverse writers. These writers were obsessed with children and the idea of childhood. Never never land is a phantasmic world where children stay children — however, the price to pay is that they can never leave. During class discussion, a very important point was brought up: children don’t want to stay children, they want to grow up, sometimes a little too fast. It is the adults that wish to go back to childhood and stay young forever. The novel was not even originally intended to be a children’s novel and had to be edited so it could be deemed “appropriate” for children. This brings us to the realization that most children’s books are not really intended with the child in mind and are instead sort of forced upon them. It really beckons the question of what children’s literature really is, and I hope that we will have a better understanding of it as we go forth in the class.
Tag Archives: Peter Pan
The Dark Side of Peter Pan
As many people did, I grew up watching Peter Pan as a kid and wanting to be part of never land myself. As I got older, I realized that there is was always a deeper meaning behind the innocence of these Disney movies filled with adult lessons and sexual humor that I didn’t understand back then. A child is simply drawn to the animations of the story and the desire to be part of it, the last thing any of them would expect is that they are watching real life lessons unfold before them as they go into adulthood and realize it themselves. While I knew Peter Pan was fictional and that never land didn’t exist in reality, it was disturbing to see Peter Pan as well as many other childhood Disney movies I grew up watching in a whole new light, and in a disturbing way strong enough to ruin some childhood memories.
As Jacqueline Rose pointed out in in the class reading of “ The Case of Peter Pan” the twist is that the author of Peter Pan is actually just a man who had a desire and interest in little boys himself. This is what I meant by disturbing memories strong enough to ruin a childhood memory, because the whole image of Peter Pan is now seen as something different and not in a good way. Especially in today’s society, where problems like that happen daily, it doesn’t paint a good image for the author or the fans who grew up wanting to be part of Pan’s fictional life. Now I see that this story wasn’t meant for children at all but rather for adults to know, the worst part is knowing that this story probably would of never existed if it wasn’t for possibly the authors interest to possess these little boys. I’m sure everyone who is familiar with the story of Peter Pan has the same question in mind, and I’m not sure exactly myself either.
The Story Behind Peter Pan
When I was young, around 10 years of age or so, I remember watching commercials on t.v featuring Peter Pan. I never actually saw the movie or read the story, but I got the gist of it. It was about a young boy who could fly and never had to grow up. I thought that was a fantastic idea, what child didn’t want to stay young and carefree forever. I knew even then that Peter Pan was a story meant for young children. However, after reading “The Case of Peter Pan” I am very surprised to discover that Peter Pan was actually never a character intended for children. Instead, Peter Pan was a story written by a man (Barrie) who had a secret desire to “steal and possess” young boys. It was, instead, originally meant for young adults, because back then children could not even afford to buy the book or even understand it’s contents. I also learned that children’s books can be a form of “seduction”, not in a sexual or erotic way though. In the sense that these books entice and draw children into the story, I can see how children’s books might be considered a “seduction” of sorts. The story of Peter Pan also had to go through many revisions in order to make it more appropriate for children. In the words of Rose “there is no child behind the category ‘children’s fiction’….” This quote shows us how adults have a different purpose for writing children’s books, purposes that children do not actually understand, because they are just taking the books for face value. The real reason that adults write children books is probably something that young children can’t grasp, and in the case of Peter Pan, the reason is darker and more “troubled” then children realize.
The case of Peter Pan
Before reading this essay I always think that Peter Pan is a story aimed at children of a young age, however looking closely at the story once again after reading this case have made me realize that Peter Pan is not a story meant for children at all. I did a little bit more research on the author of Peter Pan to gain a better understanding of what was the intended reason for the story Peter Pan. I notice that most of the story written by the author involves children in the story, just like Peter Pan it seems to tell a story that show us the reader that the story was intended to show a deeper feeling the author have towards children. Just as stated on page 58 “Peter Pan has never, in any easy way, been a book for children at all”. I agree with this point that Peter Pan was never meant to be a children book, but was toned down to fit a more innocent role for children to understand. I think that the deeper meaning in Peter Pan is to show the ill side of this children’s classic; to show how the author is in a way a lover of young boys and how he uses the story to write down a fantasy of his. Some books that was never meant to be targeted towards children as seen can be toned down for a younger audience to enjoy, this mean that different age group will see something different in the genre of children lit.
Reflection and Child Appropriateness through Peter Pan, the Black Plague and the Teletubbies.
Although this week’s texts were a bit too scholarly for my taste, they each had their own valid point of which I took to better understanding the concept of what is children’s literature. Kiddie Lit let me think about this concept of what is considered “childish,” and roused my understanding of our use of it, and other comparable words (kiddie, child, boy, girl), as a derogatory context within our language. The Little People essay reminded me that our view of what a child is, in the context of what we now-a-days, within the American culture, socially consider a child, has not always been the case; due in part to both the changing times and the multitude of diverse cultures. The Case against Peter Pan essay (in its first couple of sentences alone) gave me a major epiphany; that not all children’s literature is specifically aimed at stimulating children, and that sometimes adults get much more out of these stories then a child ever could. This epiphany I had was then backed up by the How to Read Children’s Literature text; mainly in its explanation of what an “implied reader” was and its explanation on how a text is meant to grab a specific type of reader. It also reminded me that everyone gets something different then everyone else when reading a genre as specific as children’s literature.
This cadre of confusion brought upon by these four texts has me rethinking not only what is children’s literature, but what is child appropriate in general. However, I know that this institution of child appropriateness is run by adults and is both subject to, and victim to, adult allusions. How many people know that the story of Peter Pan was originally a story within a story about an older man and his connection with a boy who is not his son (not implying anything, but acknowledging its “iffy-ness”)? More importantly, if more people did know about its origin, would that change Peter Pan’s widely accepted child centric draw on a socially acceptable level? There’s also the famous nursery rhyme “Ring around the Rosie,” whose rhymes have been believed to allude to the symptoms of the Black Plague, which is definitely not a child appropriate subject. However, this nursery rhyme is still sung by adults to children and children themselves, all over the world, and very few people have ever not heard of or know it. There’s also the famous incident over the purple Teletubby and this dumb idea that the character represented the gay community. No child, of whom the Teletubbies was specifically made for, would ever distinguish this allusion, let alone care (even if it was true).