Magical Elasticity of Peter Pan - Essay Example

?Explore Peter Hollindales’ claim that Peter Pan retains its magical elasti and its ongoing modernity (reader 2, p159). With reference to different versions since its original production Peter Pan is an infamous fictional character created by J. M Barrie and has been the subject of continuous theatrical and cinematic productions. The character has been referred to many times in popular culture and led to the socio-psychological reference to the “Peter Pan Syndrome” (Yeomann, 1998). Peter Pan symbolises society’s obsession with youth through the use of an adventure story format and to this end has remained an evergreen character; that remains relevant to contemporary culture (Yeomann, 1998). Indeed, Peter Hollindale argues that whilst some 20th century literature is best interpreted within its historical backdrop; Peter Pan remains relevant (Hollindale, 2005). To this end, Hollindale posits that “Peter Pan retains its magical elasticity and its ongoing modernity” and this paper critically evaluates this statement with specific reference to different versions of Peter Pan since its original production. In supporting his argument, Hollindale refers to the centenary of the first performance of Peter Pan, which was marked throughout various media modes in the UK from television to radio. However Hollindale refers to the argument of drama critic Michael Billington that whilst television is often fixated with the first half of the 20th century; the continued importance accorded to Peter Pan in production is justified due to the character providing a microcosm of human nature particularly in respect of obsession with youth (Hollindale, 2005). For example, Peter Pan arguably symbolises a wealth of different universal elements tied to childhood which transcends time to sustain contemporary relevance. Moreover, it is submitted that the emotional needs of a child remains the same regardless of culture, history, and environment (Rose, 1993). This is further reflected through Barrie’s narrative as academic commentary has opined that Barrie's desire in writing Peter Pan was to write about the adventures of his own childhood mixing it with fantasy (Rose, 1993). He was highly influenced by his mother's non-acceptance of his elder brother’s death and constantly dressed in his clothing to make his mother happy. This marked him for life and contributed to one of Peter Pan's attributes of never wanting to grow up. In turn Peter Pan remains a paradoxical figure, where he symbolises eternal youth on the one hand; which are juxtaposed against the ramifications of not growing up within the backdrop of the harsh world (Rose, 1993 ). Other childhood experiences which seen in the narrative play The Boy Casteways, which was influential in determining other important elements (Rose, 1993). For example, it is submitted that Neverland was the Black Lake Island and Tinkerbell was a firefly. Additionally, Nana was the Saint Bernard dog, Llewellyn Davies, P, the boy Casteways. Moreover, by the time Peter Pan was published in 1904, Barrie had become a prolific play writer in London, with Peter Pan featuring prominently in Barrie’s characteristic fusion of social commentary and fantasy (Barrie 1927). Additionally, the consistent narrative of the Peter Pan story reflects the consistency of the quest for eternal youth and issues impacting childhood, which remain universally applicable (Rose, 1993). For example, the story of Peter Pan never changes and the lives of Wendy, John and Michael consists of rules, school, playing make believe, baths, rules, parents, and beds. They have their own make believe lives where they tell stories about pirates and adventures. Every child has his own Neverland, a concise place in his mind where he has his own private thoughts and fears. One night they are awakened suddenly and three children, who are bored with their lives, are invited on the adventure of their life. They leave as children, seeing their lives through the small key lock of their room; and come back seeing life through the perception of a window (implying that there is still more progress to be made). As such, the trajectory remains the same. The childlike perception of death, parents mothering adulthood are presented throughout the narrative and the main difference is the visual representation of the Peter Pan character in productions to reflect societal changes (McNamara, 2009). For example, social changes and demands of children are different now than in 1911. Peter Pan was created within the transition from the Victorian era and the aftermath of the industrial revolution where in the first quarter of the nineteenth century saw Britain at the heart of a seismic societal shift whereby a “mass of humanity poured from the countryside into towns and cities, particularly London, without any prospect of employment or shelter. Children ran wild on the streets, surviving as best they could, often by crime, and only the tough and quick witted survived” (Duckworth, 2002). However, the initial problem was that this shift in dynamic in population movement conflicted with pre-existing social patterns and Victorian norms regarding the role and place of children per se. (Duckworth, 2002). However, whilst the literature of the 19th century was highlighted as being a seminal contributor to the change in the attitude of Victorian social norms towards a socialist reform program through popular literature such as Dickens’ “Great Expectations” (1860) and “Oliver Twist” (1838); Barrie sought to undermine the tendency in modernism to address early adulthood and responsibility (Levenson). For example, Dickens through the use of satire, irony and inversion of the classic storytelling tradition highlighted the bleak reality for many children and undermined the religious and puritanical justification for Victorian treatment of working class children in particular (James, 2006: 2). Moreover if we consider the contextual backdrop, in the first production of Peter Pan, the boys were raised to go to school, take their medicine, be seen and not heard, get married and work in a bank. Their emotional needs were rarely looked at and the consideration of feelings in terms of the childhood model was completely ignored. Additionally, the United Kingdom was in a transition period between Victorianism and modernism. However, in contrast, Levenson highlights that through Peter Pan, “Barrie aimed to preserve a region of innocence as distant as possible from adult morality” (p.58). Moreover, Levenson highlights that this was reflected in early productions of Peter Pan who was often played a woman and was childish. Additionally, Levenson comments that: “Baden-Powell told his recruits that they could learn to shoot, obey orders and grow up quickly, Barrie told his that they could fly, fantasise and refuse to grow up. Peter Pan decline to “learn solemn things”(Levenson, 58). Moreover, from a modernism perspective, the modernism model challenged pre-existing socio-cultural norms and was exemplified by the discussion of social relationships in early twentieth century literature. The concept of modernism developed from refutation of creationism and reinforced self identity and self consciousness as a form of expression. Moreover, the modernism paradigm is inherently intertwined with culture and Eysteinsson and Liska argue that in terms of literary criticism, “modernism constitutes one of the most prominent fields of literary studies today” (Eysteinsson and Liska, 2007:1). Indeed, leading anthologist Rainey asserts that in literary terms “modernists were giants, monsters of nature who loomed so large that contemporaries could only gape at them in awe” (Rainey 2007, p.xix) However, whilst modernism is instrumental in approaching literary context, it is evident that “it is however, a field that stands in a very ambiguous relationship to the present literary and cultural situation…… scholars and critics are seeking to draw a balance sheet with modernism” (Eysteinsson and Liska, 2007:1). To this end, the model of modernity is often associated with Peter Pan due to the character symbolising the concept of perpetually renewal (McNamara, 2009) would further reinforce Hollindale’s claims pertaining to Peter Pan’s interrelationship with ongoing modernity. Indeed, McNamara refers to Baudrillard’s observation of the Peter Pan “life” of “being perennially “new”, as described by Baudrillard as the “event-ness, the permanent play of the present moment… a permanent revolution of forms, in the play of change” (In McNamara, 2009, p.48). Therefore this perpetual newness of Peter Pan is reflected in the ability of the production to adapt to continuous socio-economic change, whilst simultaneously remaining relevant. For example, since the first production of Peter Pan, there have been 2 World Wars, two plagues, the industrial revolution, a massive technological change, as a small example of the social change. The first fifty years showed a conflict of interest in being the responsible scout to being the free going Peter Pan. The second fifty years allowed children to concentrate more on being actual children as parents were able to concentrate more on family needs, children's emotional needs as the social environment changed. In turn, the production of Peter Pan also changed in line with the modernist model. For example, modernism in the cultural consciousness evolved through the end of Queen Victoria’s reign between the nineteenth and twentieth century. Indeed, Gillies and Mahood (2007) refer to publisher Grant Allen’s remarks in 1889 that “everybody nowadays talks about evolution. Like electricity, the cholera, women’s rights, the great mining boom, and the Eastern question, it is “in the air” (In Gillies & Mahood, 2007: 3). To this end, it is evident that the cultural transition between the nineteenth and twentieth century towards a modernist socio-cultural model is a central causal factor in explaining the particular distinction of early twentieth century literature in the modernist discourse. This in turn correlates to Peter Pan’s perennial newness as coined by McNamara as highlighted by Hogan’s adaptation of Peter Pan in 2003 where the Mr Darling's sister tells Wendy "You are almost an adult now, you cannot be sleeping in the nursery at 12 years of age". Additionally, in Hogan’s production, he retains the part where Peter Pan crying his eyes out in 1911, when Hook tells him he is going to die alone just like himself because no one loves him (Hogan 2003); which again supports Hollindale’s claim of ongoing modernity. For example, Peter Pan has been played all over the world in different cultures and languages without showing the time anachronism and it is submitted that a production of Peter Pan is as fresh today as it was over 100 years ago. It has been performed as plays, pantomimes and films since its first production and Walt Disney made its version in 1953 and a second production in 2002. There was a play like version made by Hogan in 2003 to mark the 100 year anniversary and the pantomime of Peter Pan is often left for the Christmas season, thereby cementing its universal appeal. In 1972, it was performed in the London Palladium where just as in the early productions Peter was played a young Maggie Smith. Hook was the villain and the Fairies were the Dancers, the three elements of a pantomime. The pantomime version is performed annually across the globe and the universal consistency in all productions is the use of fantasy and the conventional children’s fantasy narrative, through which both adults and children can enjoy their own versions of Neverland. Moreover, as culture and society changes, the family structure in itself is an element of the play which remains, which in turn informs contemporary productions (Birkin, 1979). For example, in the early productions Wendy would not have been allowed to kiss Peter in 1911 as she did in the 2003 film (McNamara, 2009). Moreover, in the original production, there was a servant; in later productions, the servant became the sister. Therefore, whilst the setting might change to reflect the contemporary setting, it is evident that at the heart of Peter Pan’s ongoing modernity is the character’s symbol for eternal youth. Not only does the story resonate with children’s desire for adventure and fantasy through the use of magical fantasy; the characterisation of Peter Pan reminds adults of their youth and promotes the ideal of perpetual youth. In turn, this enables ongoing modernity as Peter Pan operates as a microcosm of human nature pertaining to the ideal of “perpetual newness” through the ideal of eternal youth. BIBLIOGRAPHY Birkin, A. (1979) J. M. Barrie. Available at www.questia.com accessed January 2011 Duckworth. J (2002) Fagin’s children: criminal children in Victorian England. Continuum Publishing Group. Eysteinsson, A., & Liska, V.(2007). Modernism. Benjamins Publishing Company. Gillies, M. & Mahood, A. D. (2007). Modernist Literature: an introduction. Edinburgh University Press. Hollindale, P, “A Hundred Years of Peter Pan”, (2005), Children’s Literature in Education, Volume 36, No.3. September 2005. Levenson, M. (1986) A genealogy of modernism: a study of English Literary doctrine, 1908-1922, Cambridge University Press. McNamara, A. (2009). An Apprehensive Aesthetic: the legacy of modernist culture. Peter Lang Rainey, L. S. (2005). Modernism: An anthology. Wiley Blackwell. Rose, J. (1993) The case of Peter Pan: The impossibility of Children’s Fiction. University of Pennsylvania Press. Yeoman, A. (1998), Now or Neverland: Peter Pan and the Myth of Eternal Youth: A Psychological Perspective on a Cultural Icon. Inner City Books, Toronto. Read More