(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

The Secret Garden: Classic of Children's Fantasy


            In English children's literature, The Secret Garden is generally accepted as not only a best selling novel with children's appeal, but also one of the literary classics that could go beyond the boundary of age and pass through the borderline between entertainment and serious literature. As pointed out in the preface to the Oxford edition of The Secret Garden, by the American writer and scholar Alison Lurie , that The Secret Garden involved several important themes in the changing process of western literature from traditionalism to modernism in the 20th century: 1 Concern about the inside world 2 Advocacy of return to nature 3 Mysticism.
             1 Concern about the inside world.
             First of all, as a children's story, The Secret Garden is primarily a novel concerning the course of growing up. Secrets of the inside world during maturation, or, maturation with secrets of the inside world, has always been the keynote of works by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Mrs Burnett, who had exerted an influence on many great writers in the whole of 20th century, was in awe of the power of the inside world acquired during maturation. The point was fully revealed in her representative works of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, whose power is derived from love and nature, and affliction respectively. This power is made appear some kind of magic through the delicate, elegant and imaginative writing of Mrs. Burnett. When we discover later with amazement that the children in The secret Garden are growing up with health and vitality, their body is getting stronger and their mind is becoming opener, we couldn't help deeming that all these seem under the magic of nature. Magic emanates from the power of soul. Throughout the story, Mrs Burnett writes with concern about the inside world.
             In addition, The Secret Garden is also serious reading for adults, as the story is apparently simple, but in fact of profound awareness of the power of soul to change one's destiny.


Essays Related to The Secret Garden: Classic of Children's Fantasy


Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question