Frances Hodgson Burnett | dual personalities

Tag: Frances Hodgson Burnett

By the end of the week I always seem to be tired and rundown. Sometimes I’d even describe myself as discouraged — it just depends on how the week has gone. I’m not going to dwell on the little things that wear me down — like the student who, standing not six feet from me, casually spat on the newly carpeted floor of my building! Really.

Yes, by the end of the week I need civilization and quiet, tea and cakes (hold the cakes, I’m trying to lose weight), and comfort reading. This week’s choice is Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic, A Little Princess, one of my favorite books of all time.

It’s not just a good riches-to-rags-to-riches story; Frances Hodgson Burnett has a lot of valuable things to say. Children’s literature used to teach as well as entertain. Take this excellent piece of advice, for example:

“When people are insulting you, there is nothing so good for them as not to say a word — just to look at them and think. When you will not fly into a passion people know you are stronger than they are, because you are strong enough to hold in your rage, and they are not, and they say stupid things they wished they hadn’t said afterward. There’s nothing so strong as rage, except what makes you hold it in — that’s stronger. It’s a good thing not to answer your enemies.”

This is a book that admits that life entails misfortune and the world is full of mean people. Instead of ignoring these facts or simply making the heroine a passive victim, Burnett teaches that good character and kindness can triumph over adversity.

“If nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that–warm things, kind things, sweet things–help and comfort and laughter–and sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all.”

If you haven’t read the book, do! If you don’t have a copy or the time, then try one of the film versions. I’m partial to the Shirley Temple movie, although they do change the story quite a bit.

Shirley makes a great downtrodden scullery maid

If you prefer color, you can see the 1995 version, although they made it American and changed the time to WWI. I haven’t seen it, but judging from the stills, they (over)-emphasize the girl-power aspects of the story.

a quote from the book

I’ll watch whatever version I can find, but I’m hoping for Shirley Temple!

What do you do on the weekends to recharge?

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April 1, 2012

Speaking of Gardens…

by chuckofish

The Secret Garden illustrated by Tasha Tudor

One of my favorite books (even now) is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Once, when I was home sick for several days my mother read it to me. I was old enough to read it for myself, but too sick, and it was just magic to listen to my mother read it. I’ve never liked reading out loud myself, but both my parent were wonderful at it. No one could read Winnie the Pooh like my father. But I digress.

The Secret Garden is a truly wonderful book: a magnificent house full of mystery, wonderfully drawn characters (including the moor itself), and a great moral to boot. They don’t write them like this anymore. Much as I enjoyed Harry Potter the writing is not in Burnett’s league at all. Take this passage as an example:

“One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. One knows it sometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out and stands out and throws one’s head far back and looks up and up and watches the pale sky slowly changing and flushing and marvelous unknown things happening until the East almost makes one cry out and one’s heart stands still at the strange unchanging majesty of the rising of the sun–which has been happening every morning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. One knows it then for a moment or so. And one knows it sometimes when one stands by oneself in a wood at sunset and the mysterious deep gold stillness slanting through and under the branches seems to be saying slowly again and again something one cannot quite hear, however much one tries. Then sometimes the immense quiet of the dark blue at night with the millions of stars waiting and watching makes one sure; and sometimes a sound of far-off music makes it true; and sometimes a look in someone’s eyes.”

The Secret Garden is one of those books that I find myself going back to again and again — comfort food for the soul as it were. If you’ve never read it, read it! If you haven’t read it lately, go back to it. If you know someone young looking for a good read, share it!
Look for a future blog on another favorite, The Little Princess.

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