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Messages - Jay

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Peter Pan / Peter Pan at the Olympics
« on: July 29, 2012, 06:00:48 PM »
Great to see Peter Pan - and JM Barrie - celebrated during Danny Boyle's amazing Olympics Opening Ceremony, along with some of the other great children's classics!
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Davies Family / Re: 1911 census
« on: October 02, 2011, 04:06:51 PM »
Back in 1911, divorce would have been rare (and shameful) so they probably still categorised divorced people as 'married'. But there is no social difference between 'widow' and 'widower' -  they had to give both options (still do),  depending on whether man or woman was entered on the list.

What I find interesting is that JMB was at the Llewelyn Davies's house in Campden Hill Square on the day of the census, and not at his flat at the Adelphi. I wonder if this was deliberate, and he made a point about wanting to be included with 'his boys' on such a day?
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Boy Castaways / Re: Did J.M. Barrie Take the Boy Castaways Pics Himself?
« on: April 10, 2011, 09:02:46 PM »
Yes. In the Dedication 'To the Five' of Peter Pan (the play) published in 1928, Barrie states 'The illustrations to The Boy Castaways are all photographs taken by myself'.
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Peter Pan / Re: The Lion's Tail
« on: April 06, 2011, 08:57:32 AM »
The 'Peter Pan Alphabet' doesn't actually say that Peter pulled a lion's tail, although it could be implied from the verse:
'L is the Lion who lashed his Fierce Tail,
And did Peter Tremble? did Peter turn Pale?
Not much! 'Twas the Lion who moved to adjourn,
He couldn't turn Tail, Peter Left none to Turn'.

As for references of Peter confronting a lion, the novel mentions lions living in Neverland and Peter's 'defiance of the lions' (chapters 5 and 7) but as far as I could see, not in the play (I might have missed it...). Since the novel was published in 1911, 4 years after Herford's Alphabet, it's unlikely anyway that the latter got its inspiration from the former.

Having said that, the Alphabet has some very strange examples for the letters, some of them having no relevance to the story - G for Old Glory? The White House? X-Ray? So, a lot of nonsense and whimsy all round!
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Peter Pan / Re: Syfy channel "Neverland" Miniseries
« on: March 30, 2011, 06:26:13 PM »
There were some posts about this prequel back in September. It's going to be broadcast on Sky Movies here in the UK and has been sold in many other countries. They certainly have put together a top cast but looking at the trailers and reading about it, I don't think this prequel has anything to do with Barrie's work and his origin stories about Peter and Tink and Neverland. Sounds to me like a rip-off of Peter and the Starcatchers or  something more like Oliver Twist goes to Neverland with Harry Potter... So, it could be a good adventure film but not Peter Pan as JMB saw him.
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Peter Pan / Re: Peter and Wendy first Uk impression undated.... why?
« on: March 24, 2011, 11:10:59 AM »
The pages are correct, but it doesn't mention anywhere that the date has been left out as per a request by Barrie. The section gives a full description of the edition, collation and binding but nothing about the absence of printed date. If you want, let me know your email address and I'll send you a scan of the pages.
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Peter Pan / Re: Peter and Wendy first Uk impression undated.... why?
« on: March 22, 2011, 07:17:04 PM »
I have always assumed that the true first 1911 edition was not dated because publishers at that time were not so punctilious about including the detail (other books published in the 19th or early 20th century aren't dated either).

I had never heard that it was Barrie himself who asked for this - and if he did, I cannot think of a reason! However, I couldn't find that reference in my copy of Cutler's book - where does it mention this?

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JMBarrie / Re: James Joyces's notes for The Twelve Pound Look
« on: February 14, 2011, 09:17:06 AM »
It's a short play so it's not usually published on its own. You should be able to find it in a volume of Barrie's collected plays. Good luck, hope you enjoy it.
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Peter Pan / Re: Peter Pan quote?
« on: January 22, 2011, 10:05:09 AM »
It's certainly not from Barrie's play or novel - and it does sound a little too sentimental for Barrie, doesn't it (or rather not his kind of sentimentality)? If it is from Peter Pan, my guess is that it's from one of the films or musicals.
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JMBarrie / Re: Honors Thesis
« on: January 19, 2011, 01:26:22 PM »
Do you mean Janet Dunbar's JM BARRIE THE MAN BEHIND THE IMAGE? It's a good bio and it does concentrate on his relationships with the four women. It was published by Collins in 1970 and you can find copies on Abebooks and other second hand books websites.

The one to avoid at all costs is Piers Dudgeon's book on the du Mauriers and Barrie - he just makes things up to fit his weird theories and ripped off Andrew's book (without acknowledgement).
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Peter Pan / Re: Peter Pan sequel commissioned by GOSH
« on: November 13, 2010, 03:51:47 PM »
I've read Peter Pan in Scarlet and agree with some of the points from both Alexander David and SingsWithRavens. The plot does seem over-convoluted and the ending contrived, but I liked the way the author got Peter's cocky and selfish ways. Plot aside, I like her style of writing and I think she's captured a little of Barrie's voice, especially the dark side.

I haven't read Peter Pan's Neverworld, but have to admit I am prejudiced against self-published books, and probably won't read it. I've dipped into the author's blog and found his tone somewhat too self-satisfied without much sense of humour or irony, and quite hard to take in. He obviously sees himself as self-appointed heir to Barrie, because he claims to have taken Barrie's own idea for a sequel. All credit to him for developing that seed of idea, but if it is as good as he claims, why has he not been able to find a 'real' publisher?

I suspect however that whatever book was chosen as the official sequel, opinion would be divided...
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