Peter: Creator and Controller Open Access
Nguyen, Aileen Tu-Anh (2010)
Published
Abstract
This analysis of J.M. Barrie's most famous character and setting (Peter Pan and Neverland) posits Peter as an artist who substitutes art for the natural creation of the real world. Peter is driven to Neverland not so much by the desire for freedom as by the need for control. This need, and its fulfillment, is evidenced in Neverland, where the force that converts fantasies of the mind to physical reality enables Peter to manipulate the happenings on the island while maintaining the illusion of his existence. The pattern of his manipulation also puts into question the nature of Peter's single and greatest trauma (and the episode he cites as justification for his rejection of the real world): his abandonment and rejection by his mother. The analysis utilizes a variety of Barrie's texts, including Peter and Wendy, Peter Pan: Or, the Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, The Little White Bird, "Neil and Tintinnabulum," and "The Blot on Peter Pan."
Table of Contents
Introduction: History and Contextualization....................1
Peter and Control........................................................11
Immortality................................................................28
Modes of Creation: Art and Motherhood.........................36
Conclusion: Peter's Tragedy..........................................55
References.................................................................59
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Peter: Creator and Controller () | 2018-08-28 13:21:38 -0400 |
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