"Sing a Song of Love"

 As I said in the podcast I recently spoke in, there has been an emerging trend in Peter Pan retellings to focus on female perspoectives and interpretations of the female characters.

For example, in Hook (1991) we see a Tinkerbell that departs from the mid-century pin-up girl image. Julia Roberts' portrayal of the pixie includes reddish brown hair in a shaggy pixie cut (obviously), a brown ensemble that looks to be made from leaves, and bare feet, rather than the blonde bun, skimpy green mini-dress and delicate slippers that the animated Tink donned:

Then Peter Pan (2003) gave us a Wendy who was a little more adventurous and precocious than her predecessors. When she's in her room with her brothers, she is not waltzing and playing the Mother, she's sword fighting in armor. This Wendy was not content to stand on a rock, applauding Peter Pan; she wanted to fight along side him. She dreams of being a novelist, writing adventure stories, and even dabbles in the idea of piracy, thinking that she'd call herself Red-Handed Jill.

The 2020 film Wendy builds on this feminist interpretation of Wendy even more; now the character has the title as her own! She wears an old t-shirt that says Prison Rodeo on it, and rather than having Peter Pan appear at her window to usher her off to Neverland, she climbs out her window, then jumps on a passing train in order to join the mystrerious boy. She seeks him out, and shows agency to achieve her dreams of adventure, rather than just hoping for them.

I'm not going to write too much about that film now, because I did a blog on it last year.

I am now reading the book Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales, which is a collection of classic tales that  have been reimagined, and they have darker tones than many of the versions we already know.

There is a Peter Pan inspired retelling, from Wendy's perspective again which I greatly enjoyed. It illustrates many of the themes in tyhe text that I enjoy discussing.

-  -  - -  - SPOILERS AHEAD-  -  -  -  -

It begins "Dear you, sing a song of love."

Wendy narrates, and she confesses to the reader that intially she was charmed by Peter Pan, and she wanted him to love her. But as she began to grow up, he lost interest in her, and in turn she lost interest in him. After being kidnapped by pirates during one of her Spring Cleaning visits, she waits several days for Peter to realize she's missing and come to 'rescue' her, and she ends up falling in love with a pirate. Even though she is in love with him, she knows that she cannot stay in Neverland with him, so she returns to the real world, but uses her Spring Cleaning trips to see him, rather than Peter Pan.

In the real world, she married an ordinary man, and settles into a life of medicority; she is comfortable, but not in love with him. Eventually, she becomes pregnant, and when she gives birth, she is told by the doctor that her son has a weak heart, and will not survive long. She has no choice except to hold him, and wait for him to die. Death has always been a theme in the Peter Pan mythos.*

Her pirate love appears at the window to take THEIR son away to Neverland (having a child out of wedlock!), he pleads with her to come with them.

Wendy tries to fly, but even with the help of pixie dust she is unable to make herself lift off. She laments "My son's birth was the last bit of magic my body could take. I'd grown up once and for all. I couldn't live between worlds anymore."

The minute you become Mother, you become Other. 

This is one of the bittersweet truths contained in Barrie's text;parenthood, specifically motherhood, changes us. It has the greatest joys, and the biggest heartbreaks all at once. But through it all, sing a song of love.

 *Peter Pan is first introduced in Barrie's book The Little White Bird as a boy who is also part bird, and lives in Kensington Gardens with the fairies. When he is not playing, he takes care of the children who've become lost, meaning he buries them in the Gardens and gives them little headstones.

And in the novelization of Peter Pan, originally titled Peter and Wendy (1911) Mrs. Barrie states that his name sounds familiar. The legend she'd heard is that when children died, peter Pan would fly halfway to the afterlife with them, so they would not be scared.

And of course, there is also Peter Pan's famous quotation "To die will be a great adventure."

Think lovely thoughts. . .

 

Yesterday I took my son John to see his first show on stage: Peter Pan.

It was something I've been dreaming about for so many years, before I even had a child. I remember the first time I read the Peter Pan novelization, and the description of Mrs Darling wishing that two year old Wendy could "stay this way forever", thinking how strange it must feel to be a parent, and to simultaneously want your children to grow up but also stop time so they can be young forever. I always imagined if I had children, taking them to see Peter Pan would be such a magical experience.

This story is so important to me in so many different ways: as a child, as a reader, as a Children's Literature scholar and a librarian, and as a parent now.

I've been interacting with Peter Pan texts for most of my life: the Disney animated movie, the book, the cartoon Peter Pan and the Pirates, and movies such as Hook (1991), Peter Pan (2003), Finding Neverland (2004) and Wendy (2020).

I played Peter Pan games when I was a little, and now I read the books (including sequels and reimaginings). I've done multiple papers on themes in the story for college and graduate classes and I never get tired of it.

Seeing it on stage with my own child though might be one of the most important ways I've experienced this stpry, and even though the story continually gets updated and adapted for audiences, in order to keep it relevant and relatable, the heart is still the same.

I spoke in a podcast about the performance, and how it demonstrates the changes to the text over time, so I'll leave off with that:

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/epsalmonsen/episodes/2021-11-28T12_53_48-08_00

Every Time I Turn Around

 There's another reboot to watch. This time it was the Punky Brewster one. 

I hoped it would be watchable, but I wasn't expecting a whole lot from it. I was pleansantly surprised, though.

**************SPOILERS AHEAD*************************

Obviously, there are a lot of references to the original series; my favorite is when Cherie's fiancé says to her "You have an irrational fear of refrigerators" and Cherie replies "I have my reasons" because that's a pretty memorable episode. It's also basically an homage to the 80s, and there's as almost as  much cheese as Fuller House served up.

However, as I watched the series (yes I binged it in all of two days)I realized that the series was actually doing a nice service to the original, and also similar types of programs, by making inclusiveness a priority.

For example, Punky's longtime BFF Cherie is gay, and gets engaged to her girlfriend. Cherie confesses that if her grandmother were still alive, she might've have been critical about that idea. Also, when Punky is planning an 80s themed block party and talking about how much fun the decade was, Cherie reminds her how much homophobia existed back then (and obviously, the AIDS epidemic was also raging) and how she is glad we've moved beyond that time.

I was also glad to see how much emphasis on different family make-ups there was. Punky herself was abandoned by her mother as a child, sent to a group home, and was eventually adopted by Henry. Grown up Punky has a daughter, as well as two adopted sons, and fosters another girl. There is family discussion about the difference between foster care and adoption, and Punky reminds her two sons that if they ever become curious about their birth parents, she will support them and help them search. 

That is one aspect that really disappointed me about Fuller House; Stephanie originally says she is not able to have children, and that would have been a great opportunity to have a wonderful story arc about the adoption process, but instead they have Kimmy Gibbler be the surrogate mother (because that leads to more wackiness) and then at the series end Stephanie finds out that she has somehow become pregnant anyways. It all magically worked out with no inconvenience or setbacks or anything! Not only does Punky Brewster give screen time to foster care and adoption, but it also shows us the mixed emotions that come when adopted children make contact with their birth parents (when Punky's mother finds her).

The last thing I feel is worth discussing is Punky's son Daniel is gender non-conforming. He uses his male name and sometimes wears boys' clothing, but he also wears his hair long and paints his nails and wears a sarong at one point. When Punky tries to find the correct terms to describe him, and have a discussion with him (gender fluid, transgender, non-binary, etc) her daughter simply asks "Why do you need to label it?"

I loved Punky Brewster when I was little, and I continued to watch it when it went to reruns. I even read the graphic novel version that came out a few years go, and put it in my library at school.  In fact, I kind of credit this character for influencing my home décor style; I love my house to be colorful and whimsical and a little funky, and I loved the sets on the new series.

It may not been a show that everyone was clambering for a reboot of, but there's more substance there than the trailers let on.

Man, I wish so much that I still had my Punky Brewster sneakers:

Awkward Artist: Part 3

 I've been having a good run on Etsy lately.

I've been selling thrift store finds as well as some random things from collections that were spending more time in the attic than on display.

I've also sold a few original creations on Etsy, which still weirds me out.

The first time I ever offered any art for sale was a charity auction for UNH PLAN organization, and I was just happy that my art got some bids, but then it went higher than I expected.

And then following that, I displayed some pieces in Dos Amigos, just for fun, and someone emailed me, wanting to purchase one of the mixed media collages.

I was encouraged by some of my friends to sell things on Etsy, so I reluctantly listed a few things. One of my mixed media collages was my first sale, a couple years ago:

Since then, I've sold a few of my little windchimes, which is great because it just gives me more reason to make more, and more room to display them:

And last night another one of my mixed media pieces sold:

It's strange to think that different things I've made have been purchased by people, and are now out there in places like California and Alaska, on display for people to see. 

Hippie Camper from from Recycled Cardboard: Part 2

 Back in April, I posted about a Hippie Camper dollhouse I had made out of cardboard. I had an idea to do a little airstream type of camper for a while, but I didn't feel like spending money on a kit, so I decided to make it myself. It's not perfect, but it's been a lot of fun.

It's inspired by two figures from pop culture: Jenny from Forrest Gump and Karen Arnold from The Wonder Years.

I picture a young woman living here: listening to records, strumming a guitar, painting, and of course reading a lot of feminist theory books.

The protest sign is a little decorative pick from Dollar Tree, with a printout glued on, and the little knapsack is a jewlrey charm from Hobby Lobby

The nightstand is a drawer pull, and the candle is a birthday candle that I cut down (and actually lit for a few minutes) The little rainbow decoration is a jewelry charm from Hobby Lobby 

The bed platform is cardboard, and I put a sleeping bag and pillow I got on sale at Earth and Tree miniatures on it along with the orange doily, to look like an afghan. The purse and the dreamcatcher hanging from the ceiling are jewelry charms from Hobby Lobby.

The guitar is a scrapbook sticker from Dollar Tree, and the pink table is a candle holder. The record player is an old Barbie one I've had for a long time.

I printed out the book cover and attached it to a regular mini book.

All I need is 4" hippie girl

Another cardboard box creation

 

Back in November, I  was feeling like I needed a new project to work on. I love working on dollhouses, but I don't love spending money on them on the all the time, so I am trying to create more items for myself rather than buying everything. Last April, I wrote a post about creating a dollhouse from a cardboard box. So I found a cardboard box, and designed a whimsical one room cottage.

 I've had the idea for years now to make a witch cottage; not a Halloween witch, but more like a Stevie Nicks-inspired retreat that is all about nature and celestial beauty.

I covered the exterior in birch bark scrap paper, and painted the inside a deep purple color.

I am proud of this little cottage because I've been able to do it very cheaply. I was able to find some great things at Dollar Tree, like the star stickers on the walls, the blue lights on the ceiling, some of the furniture.  .  .

The gray shelf is a Barbie accessory from Dollar Tree that I painted, and I filled the tiny glass bottles with spices

The table is from Dollar Tree- the chair I got with a coupon at Hobby Lobby

The crystal chandelier is a Christmas ornament

I love the way it's coming along, and how I am trying to spend as little money as possible on this project. I made an alter using birthday cake candles

It doesn't have a resident yet, but I may not put one in at all. For now I'm just enjoying seeing it all come together.

Proud Moment

 I wanted to write down this moment that made me really proud recently.

I was doin g a Google Meet with an 8th grade student on one of our remote instruction days. She had some questions about her project, which was to select a Banned Book, research it, and make a video trailer for it.

She chose Looking for Alaska by John Green. She had already read it, and she owned the book. 

She found a lot of good information about the places where the book has been challenged/banned, and what the reasons behind those complaints were.

As I was talking to her she said "I don't understand why people get so upset about this book. I mean, they say they have no idea that it contains death, but if you turn to the publication page, it says it right there in the subjects.  ?  ."

Not only was she doing a great job researching her book, but she had the common sense to simply look in her own copy and read the subject classifications. 

I told her she needs to become a librarian when she grows up.

Getting Back to It Now with a Peter Pan Post

 It's been a long time since I last blogged.

I've been thinking about writing one for a while now, but it seemed that every time I thought of an idea for a post, I'd get distracted, or I'd forget about it, or my inner critic would pipe and say "No, that's stupid."

But the lack of a social life this past year has me desperate for ways to express myself.

I recently read the book Wendy Darling Vol. 1 Stars since I love the Peter Pan mythos so much.

Something that I noticed immediately as I read this reimagining of Barrie's tale is that the Darling family is Catholic. I thought that was an odd choice at first because 1) I didn't see how religion was important to this story, after all, it's never been mentioned before, and 2) because the official religion of the United Kingdom is Protestant Christianity. Catholics in England have a long history of persecution and although most of that was over by the Edwardian Era (no one was being executed for attending Catholic mass) I would think that Catholicism would still be strongly associated with the Irish, and not a well-to-do family living in Kensington.

However, as I continued reading I realized why this change was so appropriate for this story: Mary. The Mother. At one point, Michael does something naughty and Wendy instructs him to say a Hail Mary and it hit me like a ton of bricks. This story is all about Motherhood, so it makes perfect sense that the Holy Mother should be a thread weaving through the narrative.

Peter Pan is a supernatural being, and in Barrie's text Mrs. Darling believes that he accompanies dead children halfway to Heaven, so that they will not be frightened. Peter and the Lost Boys' worship of Wendy, the Mother, and the standard portrayal of Wendy in blue gowns add to the imagery of Mary and the Mother:

I really enjoyed the book, and it's actually the first in a trilogy; however, the person who recommended it to me admitted that she couldn't get into the second book, and have up on it. I'll probably still try it.

In 2002, Disney released Return to Neverland, which takes place after Wendy grows up. Although Disney sequels usually make me cringe, in this case Disney was following Barrie's cue. Barrie wrote When Wendy Grew Up: An Afterthought as a one act play: a sequel to the play Peter Pan. 

Later when he adapted his famous play into a novel, he used the last chapter of the novel to tell the reader what happened in the sequel play. Wendy is now a real mother, with a daughter of her own. 

In the Disney sequel, I think Wendy is drawn very nicely, and it only makes sense that she is still wearing blue:

I don't have much a closing thought on this, other than the conversation I had with my son a few nights ago. As I was getting him ready for bed, I admired how big and strong he's getting now that he is six, and I told him that sometimes I wish he could stay a little boy forever, like Peter Pan. I said that I used to wish I could fly away to Neverland, and he replied that maybe I could someday. 

I told him that Neverland is a magical place, but only children can get there. There are no mothers allowed in Neverland, and that's why Peter and the Lost Boys need Wendy to act like their mother.

He hugged me and said "I'm sorry, Mama" and I said "It's OK; I like being your mama."