Part XI: Nesbit/L. Carroll/Potter/Grahame/Milne/Wyke-Smith/Kipling/Pyle

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Masters of Fantasy: Part XI

<img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.lostpathway.com/images/coir/carroll.jpg" alt="" width="300">

Photo: Lewis Carroll

Once again, we dip into the realm of children's fantasy, both intended for children and appropriated by children. Let's dive right in.



E. NESBIT (1858-1924)

Co-founder of the Fabian Society and a follower of William Morris, Edith Nesbit may have led a troubled personal life, but her contribution to fantasy influenced P. L. Travers, Diana Wynne Jones, J. K. Rowling, and even C. S. Lewis, having turned the focus away from secondary worlds to the hidden magic of the ordinary world and truths previously found only in adult works. Among her best known works are the Bastable series, an adventure of a family of children who seek to recover their fortune (The Story of the Treasure Seekers, The Wouldbegoods, and The New Treasure Seekers); the Psammead series, in which five children befriend the eponymous creature - a sand fairy - and encounter magical happenstances (Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, and The Story of the Amulet); The House of Arden, another adventure about lost fortunes and time travel; and single novels such as The Railway Children, The Magic City, and The Enchanted Castle.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Nesbit)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=nesbit_e)
The New York Review of Books - The Writing of E. Nesbit by Gore Vidal (http://www.nybooks.com/articles/1964/12/03/the-writing-of-e-nesbit/)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/E-Nesbit)
The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/mar/26/theatre.booksforchildrenandteenagers)



LEWIS CARROLL (1832-1898)

Mathematician, deacon, logician and photographer, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson is one of the most beloved figures in literature for his offbeat nonsense work, primarily the intelligent duology of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, as well as poems such as "Jabberwocky" and The Hunting of the Snark. A precocious child with mathematical gifts, reading Bunyan by age 7, he managed to rise above his lifelong stammer to attend Christ Church in Oxford, where he remained a fellow for the rest of his life. Recent years have called some parts of his private life into question, such as his sexuality and the subsequent extent of the relationship he had with the Liddell children, yet he is still fondly remembered by both children and adult readers all over the world.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=carroll_lewis)
The Lewis Carroll Society of North America (http://www.lewiscarroll.org/)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lewis-Carroll)
Famous Authors: Lewis Carroll (http://www.famousauthors.org/lewis-carroll)
Smithsonian.com - Lewis Carroll's Shifting Reputation (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/lewis-carrolls-shifting-reputation-9432378/?no-ist)
LiveScience - 5 Odd Facts About Lewis Carroll (https://www.livescience.com/51438-lewis-carroll-wonderland.html)



BEATRIX POTTER (1866-1943)

In an age where women were underrepresented, Helen Beatrix Potter managed to gain some considerable respect in mycology (the study of fungi), as she showed a keen interest in the natural sciences; she was also skilled at farming and sheep breeding. Her literary interests lay in old fairy tales and Aesop's Fables as well as Shakespeare and Scott and the animal folk tales of Joel Chandler Harris. Eventually she wrote and illustrated her own animal fantasies in the style of nursery tales, in which fantasy and reality are blended in watercolors, with characters such as Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Tom Kitten, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, and others. These stories, abounding with a respect and fascination for nature and the countryside, continue to enchant new generations through film, ballet, television, and other media.

Offsite resource:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrix_Potter)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=potter_beatrix)
Peter Rabbit - Official Site (https://www.peterrabbit.com/)
The Beatrix Potter Society (https://beatrixpottersociety.org.uk/)
Weekly Standard - The Hidden Life of Beatrix Potter (http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-hidden-life-of-beatrix-potter/article/2004905?custom_click=rss)
Beatrix Potter - A Life in Nature (http://www.bpotter.com/Default.aspx)



KENNETH GRAHAME (1869-1932)

A banker unhappy with a life of business, Kenneth Grahame wrote nonfiction pieces about the outdoors and the glory of nature as well as short whimsical fiction such as "The Reluctant Dragon." His fantasy output is confined to a single book - The Wind in the Willows, perhaps the single most famous animal fantasy ever written. The story of wise Rat, simple Mole, grouchy Badger, and the outrageous Toad has kept readers enthralled since its publication and remains one of the key texts of childhood; of particular interest to adults is the chapter "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", an idyllic praise of nature in which the god Pan is encountered.

Offsite resource:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Grahame)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=grahame_kenneth)
The Kenneth Grahame Society (http://www.kennethgrahamesociety.net/index.htm)
The Literature Network - Kenneth Grahame (http://www.online-literature.com/grahame/)
The Telegraph - Kenneth Grahame: Lost in the Wild Wood (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/donotmigrate/3671092/Kenneth-Grahame-Lost-in-the-wild-wood.html)



A. A. MILNE (1882-1956)

Milne was a noted humorist for the famous British magazine Punch as well as a playwright and novelist of considerable talent; of note is his detective story The Red House Mystery, and he also adapted Grahame's The Wind in the Willows to the stage as Toad of Toad Hall. The bulk of his fame, however, for better or for worse, rests on the short story collections he wrote for his son featuring the legendary Winnie-the-Pooh and the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard - Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, plus the children's poems collections When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. Although he was none too fond of being pigeonholed as a children's writer, the glorious wit and clever whimsy of the stories cemented his place as a beloved storyteller.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._A._Milne)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=milne_a_a)
Just-Pooh.com (http://www.just-pooh.com/)
Scholastic.com - A. A. Milne (https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/authors/a--a--milne/)
Bio.com - 5 Facts About 'Winnie-the-Pooh' Author A. A. Milne (https://www.biography.com/news/winnie-the-pooh-author-biography-facts)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/A-A-Milne)



E. A. WYKE-SMITH (1871-1935)

Windjammer, cowboy, and mine manager, Edward Augustine Wyke-Smith wrote several children's books, the best-known being The Marvellous Land of Snergs, which J. R. R. Tolkien expressed a keen fondness for and which also contributed to the creation of Hobbits. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find much more biographical information on him.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wyke_Smith)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=wyke-smith_e_a)



RUDYARD KIPLING (1865-1936)

Kipling was one of the most celebrated writers in the late 19th/early 20th century - a master of the short story and a fine craftsman of a poet. Today, the extent of his support for the British Empire has made him quite a controversial figure. Drawing upon his experiences in India provided some of his best-known work, such as the novel Kim and stories of horror and fantasy such as "The Mark of the Beast" and "The Phantom 'Rickshaw." His fantasy work lay in his immensely popular collections of animal adventure-fantasies, The Jungle Books, which follows the young Mowgli, raised by the wolves of the jungle but torn between his animal home and the world of men. Also of interest is Just So Stories, a series of fables regarding the origins of various animals, and Puck of Pook's Hill, a set of interconnected stories in which magical Puck himself plucks different people out of time for the delight of two young children.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=kipling_rudyard)
The Kipling Society (http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/)
New World Encyclopedia (http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rudyard_Kipling)
Poetry Foundation (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/rudyard-kipling)
Bio.com - The Inside Story of Rudyard Kipling and 'The Jungle Book' (https://www.biography.com/news/the-jungle-book-rudyard-kipling-facts)
BBC History - Rudyard Kipling (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/kipling_rudyard.shtml)
The Literature Network - Rudyard Kipling (http://www.online-literature.com/kipling/)



HOWARD PYLE (1853-1911)

One of the finest illustrators of the turn of the century, inspiring a great many others after him (as well as conceiving the modern interpretation of pirate dress), Howard Pyle was also responsible for The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, which syncretized the various ballads and legends of Robin Hood into a unified whole suitable for both adults and children, and a four volume collection of the stories of King Arthur - The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, The Story of the Champions of the Round Table, The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions, and The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur. Though he is remembered primarily as an illustrator, his prose works continue to hold interest to this day.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Pyle)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=pyle_howard)
Delaware Art Museum - About Howard Pyle (http://www.delart.org/collections/howard-pyle/about-howard-pyle/)
Bio.com - Howard Pyle (https://www.biography.com/people/howard-pyle-9449021#!)
New World Encyclopedia (http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Howard_Pyle)
The Howard Pyle Blog (https://howardpyle.blogspot.com/)
National Museum of American Illustration (https://americanillustration.org/project/howard-pyle/)



That's all I got for this entry. More is still to come. As usual, the forum topic is found here: http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html