Peter Pan(Illustrated) - JAMES M. BARRIE - E-Book

Peter Pan(Illustrated) E-Book

James M. Barrie

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Beschreibung

  • Illustrated Edition: Includes 20 beautiful and original illustrations, bringing the magic of the story to life.
  • Includes a Detailed Summary: A comprehensive summary to enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the classic tale.
  • Character List Included: Meet all the enchanting characters of Neverland with our detailed character descriptions.
  • Author Biography: Delve into the life of James M. Barrie and discover the inspiration behind this timeless classic.
Step into the enchanting world of James M. Barrie's "Peter Pan", a tale that has captivated readers of all ages for over a century. This special illustrated edition brings to life the adventures of Peter Pan, the boy who wouldn't grow up, with 20 stunning illustrations that capture the imagination and essence of this beloved story.
In the heart of London, the Darling children find themselves whisked away to the magical Neverland by the mischievous Peter Pan. Accompanied by the irascible but endearing Tinker Bell, they encounter the fearsome Captain Hook, engage with mermaids, and revel in the company of the Lost Boys. In this land where children can fly and excitement waits around every corner, adventures unfold that are as thrilling as they are timeless.
This edition is not just a book; it's a treasure trove that includes a comprehensive summary to deepen your understanding of Barrie's masterpiece. The detailed character list guides you through the vibrant cast that populates the magical world of Neverland, from the courageous Peter Pan to the villainous Captain Hook, and the nurturing Wendy Darling.
Moreover, the biography of James M. Barrie offers a glimpse into the life of the author who created this fantastical world. Understanding Barrie's inspirations and background adds a new layer of appreciation for this classic work.
Beyond merely telling a tale, "The Call of the Wild" delves into the basic drives that all living things, whether domestic and wild, possess. This story, which takes place against the backdrop of the Klondike Gold Rush, centers on Buck, a robust and gregarious St. Bernard-Scotch Collie mix, whose world is thrown completely upside down when he is taken from his cozy Californian home and placed in the untamed Yukon region of Alaska.

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                       PETER PAN                                                    
                        BY                                    
                                  JAMES M. BARRIE
ABOUT BARRIE
James M. Barrie, born on May 9, 1860, in Kirriemuir, Scotland, was a distinguished Scottish author and playwright, most famously known for creating the timeless character of Peter Pan. Barrie's early life was marked by the tragic loss of his older brother David, a death that deeply affected his mother. This event profoundly influenced Barrie's writing and themes, particularly the exploration of childhood and innocence.
Barrie's education began at Glasgow Academy and Forfar Academy, followed by his attendance at the University of Edinburgh. After graduating in 1882, he worked as a journalist in Nottingham, then moved to London to pursue a career in writing. His early works included "Auld Licht Idylls" and "A Window in Thrums," which reflected his Scottish upbringing and showcased his skill in depicting quaint village life.
In the 1890s, Barrie turned to playwriting, gaining notable success with "The Little Minister" and "Quality Street." However, it was the creation of Peter Pan that catapulted him into literary fame. First introduced in "The Little White Bird" (1902), Peter Pan's story was expanded into a stage play, "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up," premiering in 1904. This play, and its later novelization as "Peter and Wendy" in 1911, captured the hearts of audiences worldwide, becoming a symbol of eternal childhood.
Barrie's life, however, was not without its complexities. His marriage to actress Mary Ansell ended in divorce, and he formed a close bond with the Llewelyn Davies family, becoming a guardian to the boys after the deaths of their parents. These relationships, particularly with the Davies children, were significant influences in his creation of Peter Pan.
Throughout his career, Barrie received numerous honors, including a baronetcy in 1913 and the Order of Merit in 1922. His contributions to literature and theater were immense, leaving a legacy that continues to enchant and inspire. James M. Barrie passed away on June 19, 1937, in London, but his work, especially the enchanting world of Peter Pan, lives on as a testament to his imaginative genius and understanding of the child within all of us.
SUMMARY
James M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" is a timeless and engrossing story that takes readers to the fantastical realm of Neverland. The narrative starts in London when Peter Pan, a young child who can't seem to grow up, pays the Darling family a visit and persuades Wendy, John, and Michael to go on an adventure with him. They take off for Neverland, a realm of endless youth and limitless imagination, with a dusting of pixie dust.
In Neverland, the children encounter a whimsical and sometimes perilous landscape, inhabited by mermaids, fairies, and the infamous Captain Hook, a villainous pirate with a personal vendetta against Peter Pan. The central figure of the tale, Peter, is the fearless leader of the Lost Boys, a group of children who, like Peter, wish to remain young forever.
The narrative is a blend of whimsy and danger, as the Darling children navigate thrilling escapades, from battling pirates to engaging with the cunning Tinker Bell. Themes of freedom, innocence, and the bittersweet nature of growing up are woven throughout the story, as Wendy and her brothers ultimately face the decision of returning to their life in London or staying in the enchanting world of Neverland.
"Peter Pan" is not just a children's story; it's a poignant exploration of the joys and pains of childhood, capturing the essence of imagination and the inevitable journey towards adulthood. Barrie's masterful storytelling and rich characterizations make "Peter Pan" a beloved classic, cherished by generations and a testament to the enduring power of youth and dreams.
CHARACTERS LIST
Peter Pan: The central character, a mischievous and adventurous boy who can fly and never grows up. He lives in the magical world of Neverland and is the leader of the Lost Boys.
Wendy Darling: The eldest of the Darling children, Wendy is a kind and maternal figure to the Lost Boys. She embarks on the adventure to Neverland with Peter Pan.
John Darling: Wendy's younger brother, John is intelligent and adventurous. He joins Wendy and Michael on their journey to Neverland.
Michael Darling: The youngest of the Darling siblings, Michael is innocent and playful. He looks up to Peter Pan and his siblings.
Tinker Bell: A small, fiery fairy and Peter Pan's close companion. She is often jealous of Peter's attention to Wendy.
Captain James Hook: A dangerous pirate captain who wants to exact revenge on Peter Pan for amputating his hand and feeding it to a crocodile is the major enemy.
Mr. Smee: Captain Hook's loyal but bumbling first mate and the comic relief among the pirates.
The Lost Boys: A group of boys who, like Peter, don't want to grow up. They live with Peter in Neverland and include characters like Tootles, Nibs, Slightly, Curly, and the Twins.
Mrs. Darling: The mother of Wendy, John, and Michael. She is caring and loving, embodying the ideal mother figure.
Mr. Darling: The children's father, a somewhat blustering and pompous figure, yet caring in his own way.
Nana: The Darling family's nursemaid, who is actually a dog. She is very caring and protective of the Darling children.
The Crocodile: A fearsome crocodile that swallowed a clock, making it tick. It constantly pursues Captain Hook, as it has developed a taste for him.
Tiger Lily: The princess of the Piccaninny tribe native to Neverland. She is brave and has a mutual respect with Peter Pan.
The Mermaids: Inhabitants of the Mermaids' Lagoon in Neverland, known for their beauty and less-than-friendly attitude towards outsiders, especially Wendy.
Contents
1. Peter Breaks Through
2. The Shadow
3. Come Away, Come Away!
4. The Flight
5. The Island Come True
6. The Little House
7. The Home Under The Ground
8. The Mermaids’ Lagoon
9. The Never Bird
10. The Happy Home
11. Wendy’s Story
12. The Children Are Carried Off
13. Do You Believe In Fairies?
14. The Pirate Ship
15. “Hook Or Me This Time”
16. The Return Home
17. When Wendy Grew Up
1. Peter Breaks Through
All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, “Oh, why can’t you remain like this for ever!” This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.
Of course they lived at 14, and until Wendy came her mother was the chief one. She was a lovely lady, with a romantic mind and such a sweet mocking mouth. Her romantic mind was like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East, however many you discover there is always one more; and her sweet mocking mouth had one kiss on it that Wendy could never get, though there it was, perfectly conspicuous in the right-hand corner.
The way Mr. Darling won her was this: the many gentlemen who had been boys when she was a girl discovered simultaneously that they loved her, and they all ran to her house to propose to her except Mr. Darling, who took a cab and nipped in first, and so he got her. He got all of her, except the innermost box and the kiss. He never knew about the box, and in time he gave up trying for the kiss. Wendy thought Napoleon could have got it, but I can picture him trying, and then going off in a passion, slamming the door.
Mr. Darling used to boast to Wendy that her mother not only loved him but respected him. He was one of those deep ones who know about stocks and shares. Of course no one really knows, but he quite seemed to know, and he often said stocks were up and shares were down in a way that would have made any woman respect him.
Mrs. Darling was married in white, and at first she kept the books perfectly, almost gleefully, as if it were a game, not so much as a Brussels sprout was missing; but by and by whole cauliflowers dropped out, and instead of them there were pictures of babies without faces. She drew them when she should have been totting up. They were Mrs. Darling’s guesses.
Wendy came first, then John, then Michael.
For a week or two after Wendy came it was doubtful whether they would be able to keep her, as she was another mouth to feed. Mr. Darling was frightfully proud of her, but he was very honourable, and he sat on the edge of Mrs. Darling’s bed, holding her hand and calculating expenses, while she looked at him imploringly. She wanted to risk it, come what might, but that was not his way; his way was with a pencil and a piece of paper, and if she confused him with suggestions he had to begin at the beginning again.
“Now don’t interrupt,” he would beg of her.
“I have one pound seventeen here, and two and six at the office; I can cut off my coffee at the office, say ten shillings, making two nine and six, with your eighteen and three makes three nine seven, with five naught naught in my cheque-book makes eight nine seven—who is that moving?—eight nine seven, dot and carry seven—don’t speak, my own—and the pound you lent to that man who came to the door—quiet, child—dot and carry child—there, you’ve done it!—did I say nine nine seven? yes, I said nine nine seven; the question is, can we try it for a year on nine nine seven?”
“Of course we can, George,” she cried. But she was prejudiced in Wendy’s favour, and he was really the grander character of the two.
“Remember mumps,” he warned her almost threateningly, and off he went again. “Mumps one pound, that is what I have put down, but I daresay it will be more like thirty shillings—don’t speak—measles one five, German measles half a guinea, makes two fifteen six—don’t waggle your finger—whooping-cough, say fifteen shillings”—and so on it went, and it added up differently each time; but at last Wendy just got through, with mumps reduced to twelve six, and the two kinds of measles treated as one.
There was the same excitement over John, and Michael had even a narrower squeak; but both were kept, and soon, you might have seen the three of them going in a row to Miss Fulsom’s Kindergarten school, accompanied by their nurse.
Mrs. Darling loved to have everything just so, and Mr. Darling had a passion for being exactly like his neighbours; so, of course, they had a nurse. As they were poor, owing to the amount of milk the children drank, this nurse was a prim Newfoundland dog, called Nana, who had belonged to no one in particular until the Darlings engaged her. She had always thought children important, however, and the Darlings had become acquainted with her in Kensington Gardens, where she spent most of her spare time peeping into perambulators, and was much hated by careless nursemaids, whom she followed to their homes and complained of to their mistresses. She proved to be quite a treasure of a nurse. How thorough she was at bath-time, and up at any moment of the night if one of her charges made the slightest cry. Of course her kennel was in the nursery. She had a genius for knowing when a cough is a thing to have no patience with and when it needs stocking around your throat. She believed to her last day in old-fashioned remedies like rhubarb leaf, and made sounds of contempt over all this new-fangled talk about germs, and so on. It was a lesson in propriety to see her escorting the children to school, walking sedately by their side when they were well behaved, and butting them back into line if they strayed. On John’s footer days she never once forgot his sweater, and she usually carried an umbrella in her mouth in case of rain. There is a room in the basement of Miss Fulsom’s school where the nurses wait. They sat on forms, while Nana lay on the floor, but that was the only difference. They affected to ignore her as of an inferior social status to themselves, and she despised their light talk. She resented visits to the nursery from Mrs. Darling’s friends, but if they did come she first whipped off Michael’s pinafore and put him into the one with blue braiding, and smoothed out Wendy and made a dash at John’s hair.
No nursery could possibly have been conducted more correctly, and Mr. Darling knew it, yet he sometimes wondered uneasily whether the neighbours talked.
He had his position in the city to consider.
Nana also troubled him in another way. He had sometimes a feeling that she did not admire him. “I know she admires you tremendously, George,” Mrs. Darling would assure him, and then she would sign to the children to be specially nice to father. Lovely dances followed, in which the only other servant, Liza, was sometimes allowed to join. Such a midget she looked in her long skirt and maid’s cap, though she had sworn, when engaged, that she would never see ten again. The gaiety of those romps! And gayest of all was Mrs. Darling, who would pirouette so wildly that all you could see of her was the kiss, and then if you had dashed at her you might have got it. There never was a simpler happier family until the coming of Peter Pan.
Mrs. Darling first heard of Peter when she was tidying up her children’s minds. It is the nightly custom of every good mother after her children are asleep to rummage in their minds and put things straight for next morning, repacking into their proper places the many articles that have wandered during the day. If you could keep awake (but of course you can’t) you would see your own mother doing this, and you would find it very interesting to watch her. It is quite like tidying up drawers. You would see her on her knees, I expect, lingering humorously over some of your contents, wondering where on earth you had picked this thing up, making discoveries sweet and not so sweet, pressing this to her cheek as if it were as nice as a kitten, and hurriedly stowing that out of sight. When you wake in the morning, the naughtiness and evil passions with which you went to bed have been folded up small and placed at the bottom of your mind and on the top, beautifully aired, are spread out your prettier thoughts, ready for you to put on.
I don’t know whether you have ever seen a map of a person’s mind. Doctors sometimes draw maps of other parts of you, and your own map can become intensely interesting, but catch them trying to draw a map of a child’s mind, which is not only confused, but keeps going round all the time. There are zigzag lines on it, just like your temperature on a card, and these are probably roads in the island, for the Neverland is always more or less an island, with astonishing splashes of colour here and there, and coral reefs and rakish-looking craft in the offing, and savages and lonely lairs, and gnomes who are mostly tailors, and caves through which a river runs, and princes with six elder brothers, and a hut fast going to decay, and one very small old lady with a hooked nose. It would be an easy map if that were all, but there is also first day at school, religion, fathers, the round pond, needle-work, murders, hangings, verbs that take the dative, chocolate pudding day, getting into braces, say ninety-nine, three-pence for pulling out your tooth yourself, and so on, and either these are part of the island or they are another map showing through, and it is all rather confusing, especially as nothing will stand still.
Of course the Neverlands vary a good deal. John’s, for instance, had a lagoon with flamingoes flying over it at which John was shooting, while Michael, who was very small, had a flamingo with lagoons flying over it. John lived in a boat turned upside down on the sands, Michael in a wigwam, Wendy in a house of leaves deftly sewn together. John had no friends, Michael had friends at night, Wendy had a pet wolf forsaken by its parents, but on the whole the Neverlands have a family resemblance, and if they stood still in a row you could say of them that they have each other’s nose, and so forth. On these magic shores children at play are for ever beaching their coracles. We too have been there; we can still hear the sound of the surf, though we shall land no more.
Of all delectable islands the Neverland is the snuggest and most compact, not large and sprawly, you know, with tedious distances between one adventure and another, but nicely crammed. When you play at it by day with the chairs and table-cloth, it is not in the least alarming, but in the two minutes before you go to sleep it becomes very real. That is why there are night-lights.
Occasionally in her travels through her children’s minds Mrs. Darling found things she could not understand, and of these quite the most perplexing was the word Peter. She knew of no Peter, and yet he was here and there in John and Michael’s minds, while Wendy’s began to be scrawled all over with him. The name stood out in bolder letters than any of the other words, and as Mrs. Darling gazed she felt that it had an oddly cocky appearance.
“Yes, he is rather cocky,” Wendy admitted with regret. Her mother had been questioning her.
“But who is he, my pet?”
“He is Peter Pan, you know, mother.”
At first Mrs. Darling did not know, but after thinking back into her childhood she just remembered a Peter Pan who was said to live with the fairies. There were odd stories about him, as that when children died he went part of the way with them, so that they should not be frightened. She had believed in him at the time, but now that she was married and full of sense she quite doubted whether there was any such person.
“Besides,” she said to Wendy, “he would be grown up by this time.”
“Oh no, he isn’t grown up,” Wendy assured her confidently, “and he is just my size.” She meant that he was her size in both mind and body; she didn’t know how she knew, she just knew it.
Mrs. Darling consulted Mr. Darling, but he smiled pooh-pooh. “Mark my words,” he said, “it is some nonsense Nana has been putting into their heads; just the sort of idea a dog would have. Leave it alone, and it will blow over.”
But it would not blow over and soon the troublesome boy gave Mrs. Darling quite a shock.
Children have the strangest adventures without being troubled by them. For instance, they may remember to mention, a week after the event happened, that when they were in the wood they had met their dead father and had a game with him. It was in this casual way that Wendy one morning made a disquieting revelation. Some leaves of a tree had been found on the nursery floor, which certainly were not there when the children went to bed, and Mrs. Darling was puzzling over them when Wendy said with a tolerant smile:
“I do believe it is that Peter again!”
“Whatever do you mean, Wendy?”
“It is so naughty of him not to wipe his feet,” Wendy said, sighing. She was a tidy child.
She explained in quite a matter-of-fact way that she thought Peter sometimes came to the nursery in the night and sat on the foot of her bed and played on his pipes to her. Unfortunately she never woke, so she didn’t know how she knew, she just knew.
“What nonsense you talk, precious. No one can get into the house without knocking.”
“I think he comes in by the window,” she said.
“My love, it is three floors up.”
“Were not the leaves at the foot of the window, mother?”
It was quite true; the leaves had been found very near the window.
Mrs. Darling did not know what to think, for it all seemed so natural to Wendy that you could not dismiss it by saying she had been dreaming.
“My child,” the mother cried, “why did you not tell me of this before?”
“I forgot,” said Wendy lightly. She was in a hurry to get her breakfast.
Oh, surely she must have been dreaming.
But, on the other hand, there were the leaves. Mrs. Darling examined them very carefully; they were skeleton leaves, but she was sure they did not come from any tree that grew in England. She crawled about the floor, peering at it with a candle for marks of a strange foot. She rattled the poker up the chimney and tapped the walls. She let down a tape from the window to the pavement, and it was a sheer drop of thirty feet, without so much as a spout to climb up by.
Certainly Wendy had been dreaming.
But Wendy had not been dreaming, as the very next night showed, the night on which the extraordinary adventures of these children may be said to have begun.
On the night we speak of all the children were once more in bed. It happened to be Nana’s evening off, and Mrs. Darling had bathed them and sung to them till one by one they had let go her hand and slid away into the land of sleep.
All were looking so safe and cosy that she smiled at her fears now and sat down tranquilly by the fire to sew.
It was something for Michael, who on his birthday was getting into shirts. The fire was warm, however, and the nursery dimly lit by three night-lights, and presently the sewing lay on Mrs. Darling’s lap. Then her head nodded, oh, so gracefully. She was asleep. Look at the four of them, Wendy and Michael over there, John here, and Mrs. Darling by the fire. There should have been a fourth night-light.
While she slept she had a dream. She dreamt that the Neverland had come too near and that a strange boy had broken through from it. He did not alarm her, for she thought she had seen him before in the faces of many women who have no children. Perhaps he is to be found in the faces of some mothers also. But in her dream he had rent the film that obscures the Neverland, and she saw Wendy and John and Michael peeping through the gap.
The dream by itself would have been a trifle, but while she was dreaming the window of the nursery blew open, and a boy did drop on the floor. He was accompanied by a strange light, no bigger than your fist, which darted about the room like a living thing and I think it must have been this light that wakened Mrs. Darling.
She started up with a cry, and saw the boy, and somehow she knew at once that he was Peter Pan. If you or I or Wendy had been there we should have seen that he was very like Mrs. Darling’s kiss. He was a lovely boy, clad in skeleton leaves and the juices that ooze out of trees but the most entrancing thing about him was that he had all his first teeth. When he saw she was a grown-up, he gnashed the little pearls at her.
2. The Shadow
Mrs. Darling screamed, and, as if in answer to a bell, the door opened, and Nana entered, returned from her evening out. She growled and sprang at the boy, who leapt lightly through the window. Again Mrs. Darling screamed, this time in distress for him, for she thought he was killed, and she ran down into the street to look for his little body, but it was not there; and she looked up, and in the black night she could see nothing but what she thought was a shooting star.
She returned to the nursery, and found Nana with something in her mouth, which proved to be the boy’s shadow. As he leapt at the window Nana had closed it quickly, too late to catch him, but his shadow had not had time to get out; slam went the window and snapped it off.
You may be sure Mrs. Darling examined the shadow carefully, but it was quite the ordinary kind.
Nana had no doubt of what was the best thing to do with this shadow. She hung it out at the window, meaning “He is sure to come back for it; let us put it where he can get it easily without disturbing the children.”