Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens & Peter and Wendy
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Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens & Peter and Wendy
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Narrated by:
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Steven Crossley
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By:
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J. M. Barrie
About this listen
J. M. Barrie's timeless tale of the "boy who would not grow up".
Peter Pan is edited with an introduction by Jack Zipes in Penguin Classics.
When Peter Pan and his fairy companion, Tinker Bell, fly in through the window of Wendy's nursery one night, it is the beginning of an adventure that whisks Wendy and her brothers, Michael and John, off to Neverland. There, they will find mermaids, fairies, pirates led by the sinister Captain Hook, and the crocodile who bit off his leg - and still pursues him in hope of the rest!
Peter Pan originally appeared as a baby living a magical life among birds and fairies in J. M. Barrie's sequence of stories Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. His adventures capture the spirit of childhood - and of rebellion against the role of adulthood in conventional society. In his introduction, Jack Zipes sifts through the psychological interpretations that have engaged critics, explores the cultural and literary contexts in which we can appreciate Barrie's enduring creation, and shows why Peter Pan is fundamentally a work that urges adults to reconnect with their own imaginations.
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Also, the first story hasn't stood the test of time - it struck me as far too dated, referring to things that wouldn't even have seemed relevant in my childhood, especially to a working-class child.
I'm so glad I did listen to this, before it gets sanitised by "woke" culture.
Yes, it's bloodthirsty, insofar as there are references to pirates being killed, etc. - but it IS fantasy and that was obviously what children of my generation ("Boomers") liked! I remember games of "Cowboys & Indians" or "British v the Nazis" (don't forget that this was less than 20 years since the war had ended) that resulted in us saying things like, "Bang! You're dead!" - so our games were rather bloodthirsty in meaning (though not in reality, of course).
Yes, it makes use of terms (like "redskins") that are now regarded as racist - but they weren't so then - and, despite what the topplers of statues seem to believe, you can't change the past!
The bit that did surprise me was the reference to fairies coming home late from "an orgy" - as I thought that would have been regarded as a bit risque for children, even in the 50s & 60s - but, then again, I wouldn't have known what it meant at primary-school age and the adults would never have thought about censoring it back then, "cancel culture" being very much a 21st-century thing.
Only one criticism of the excellent narration - and it is a very little thing - I would have though the narrator would have known that the forecastle of a ship, despite the spelling, is always pronounced "fo'c'sle"!
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this nostalgic trip down memory lane to the days of my childhood.
I DO believe in fairies!
My favourite book as a child, brought to life.
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