Peter Pan

PETER PAN

Author:

First edition:

Peter Pan, or the boy who wouldn't grow up, 1904

Main illustrators:

In short:

Peter Pan is a classic tale that has been enjoyed by many generations since its original publication. The story explains how Wendy Darling and her two younger brothers John and Michael happened to undergo many adventures in Never Land, a far away world with fairies, pirates and mermaids. While Wendy was reading some fantastic tales to her brothers, peter Pan appeared looking for his lost shadow. He convinced the children to go away with him to Never Land and join his tribe of Lost Boys who never grow up. There they also find the evil Captain James Cook, the fantastic fairy Tinker Bell and wonderful places, like the Lost Boys' Hideout, the Mermaid's Lagoon or the treacherous Skull Rock...

Selection of edition:

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, illustrated by Arthur Rackham, 1906.
Peter Pan and Wendy, illustrated by Attwell, Hadder and Stoughton, 1921.
Peter Pan dans les jardins de Kensington, illustrated by Noëlle Le Guilolizic, Larousse, 1988.

More about Peter Pan:

The character of Peter Pan first appeared in a story titled The Little White Bird (James Matthew Barrie, 1902) and in 1904, Barrie wrote the definitive play called Peter Pan or the boy who would never grow up. In 1906, a sequel was published under the title of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. In 1912, he turned the play into a book called Peter and Wendy.
With the character of Peter pan, Barrie has not only recreated the myth of childhood, but has turned Peter Pan to a dreaming symbol of freedom and happiness. The book was very successful and the statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (London) is extremely popular.

Adaptations:

The most popular versions of the story would probably be those of Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg. In 1953, Walt Disney's Peter Pan was released and although it was not truly faithful to Barrie's book, the animated film arose great expectation. In 1991 Steven Spielberg's Hook offered a new vision of the classic. A grown-up Peter Pan (Robin Williams) is now a middle-aged bank worker who has forgotten his childhood. One night, while his family was having dinner at Granny Wendy Darling, his children are kidnapped by Captain James Hook (Dustin Hoffman). Peter Bannings/Pan has to go back to Never Land, learn how to fly again and try to rescue his children from the clutches of the pirates. He is helped by the never-changing Tinker Bell, played by Julia Roberts.

Critical analysis on Peter Pan:

François Rivière, James Matthew Barrie : l'enfant qui ne voulait pas grandir, Calmann-Lévy, 1992.