1. The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson-Burnett

2. The reception of the book While The Secret Garden is now catalogued as Children's Literature, it was originally serialised in a magazine for adults before being published in its entirety in 1911. Marketed to both young and adult readers, it had lukewarm success and became little more than a footnote in Burnett's prolific career. Her other novels, such as (Sara Crewe) or A Little Princess and Little Lord Fauntleroy, were far more popular at the time of her death in 1924.

3. Childhood The 1900s introduced what Reynolds (2011) terms, a ‘spate of lively girl characters’ The girls may have had their own stories, but they included particular ideas about girls. This session will conclude by looking at ‘Anne’ from Anne of Green Gables (1908) – to consider how ‘Mary’ is very different to such girls as ‘Anne’, ‘Pollyanna’ and ‘Rebecca’ (Sunnybrook Farm).

4. Nature From the beginning of the 20 th Century, Anglo –American books for children depicted childhood as associated with nature. Dickon is the embodiment of ‘Pan’ and Rousseau’s ‘Emile’. The desire to gain entry into the garden is somewhat Edenic, except that the garden in question has been responsible for Mrs Craven’s death.

5. Looking for the Garden http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- Uz1ksanKbE&list=PL574F732B785C442C http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- Uz1ksanKbE&list=PL574F732B785C442C

6. The Gothic The novel does not always offer comfortable ideas about childhood and nature. The ‘queer’ and the ‘sick’ combine to produce ‘secrets’. This suggest connections with earlier novels about childhood – like Jane Eyre and Estella in Great Expectations. These secrets are about parentage, inheritance and secret rooms.

7. Collin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZKBRF1rY _w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZKBRF1rY _w

8. A feminist text? It has been argued that this novel is an example of feminist children’s literature, Carroll (2011) because Mary is able to influence events. She is also headstrong and given freedom. But there is the question of the ending of the novel.

9. Collin is able to walk There is no explanation of his illness – but, there is the suggestion that the power of nature has cured him. The time between Mary finding the garden and Collin’s return to health is nine months. The garden is a symbol of the mother, but the restoration of the Craven lineage is about the father. Why do you think this happens?

10. Class and restoration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v66HanUv K-0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v66HanUv K-0