Motherhood as Muse: Fauntleroy, Frankenstein and the Boy Who Lived

Sun Jun 15 14:57:44 UTC 2003

No: HPFGUIDX 60510

A major event in the lives of many women has, not surprisingly, influenced 
some the literary "children" of some female authors.  Several of those 
resulting famous works have, in a sense, also been adopted by J.K. Rowling.

Frances Hodgson Burnett's book LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY was a huge best-seller 
in her time, influencing Victorian-era mothers to dress their sons like 17th 
century English cavaliers, with long flowing curls (called love-locks), lace 
collars and velvet suits with knee breeches.  Divorced Burnett revived these 
styles for her own two sons, as well as for her book's hero, "Cedric Errol".

Ordinary "red-blooded" boys  were not so enthusiastic; see fictional 
treatment of their reactions in book SPIDERWEB FOR TWO by Elizabeth Enright 
(Chapter 11:  "A Loving Heart").  To get an idea, contrast TOM SAWYER with 
his brother Sidney; in film versions of book, Sid is often depicted as 
rather prissy.

Harry Potter's reaction to Cedric Diggory is similar for a while:  he can't 
stand this seemingly perfect little gentleman.  Young Diggory is gracious 
toward those he defeats, just like Cedric Errol is to boy he beats in a foot 
race in Chapter 2 ("Cedric's Friends") in LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY:

"'You  see", he was saying, evidently with the intention of making defeat 
easy for his unsuccessful rival, "I guess I won because my legs are a litle 
longer than yours.  I guess that was it.  You see, I'm three days older than 
you, and that gives me a 'vantage.  I'm three days older.'

And this view of the case seemed to cheer Billy Williams so much that he 
began to smile on the world again, and felt able to swagger a little, almost 
as if he had won the race instead of losing it.  Somehow Ceddie Errol had a 
way of making people feel comfortable.  Even in the first flush of his 
triumphs, he remembered that the person who was beaten might not feel so gay 
as he did, and might like to think that he *might* have been the winner 
under different circumstances."

In PRISONER OF AZKABAN (Ch. 9, page 180 of Scholastic edition), after 
Quidditch match won by Diggory because Dementors distract Harry, the latter 
is told "when he saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off.  Wanted a 
rematch."

That incident is recalled in GOBLET OF FIRE (ch. 6, page 72) by Diggory's 
father: " 'You beat Harry Potter!'...Cedric looked slightly embarrassed.  
'Harry fell off his broom, Dad', he muttered.  'I told you... it was an 
accident'...'Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman.'"

If you've never read FAUNTLEROY, it's the story of how the trusting 
innocence and beauty of "Ceddie Errol" eventually transforms a selfish 
crusty Earl who disowned his son when the latter married a poor American 
orphan.  Former tyrant becomes the loving  grandfather espected by the boy 
who has only known love in his short life.

Cedric Diggory is also described as innocent.  Rowling's choice of his 
surname is known  by many HP fans to be in honor of Christian character who, 
in final book in C.S. Lewis NARNIA series, THE LAST BATTLE, dies and goes to 
heaven.  This suggest Cedric's  death at the hands of a ruthless tyrant is 
not defeat.

Because Rowling is a well-known fan of the NARNIA books, it's possible she 
read biography of C.S. Lewis  by A.N. Willson.  One page detailing the  
long, painful death of his wife Joy from cancer jumps to comment by his 
brother about LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY.  My thoughts then jumped to another 
Cedric, whose death was quick and seemed to be painless.  Fiction can be 
shaped easier than reality.

Here's the passage, on page 180 (read the novel and see if you agree with 
him):  "'...she feels better than she has done for a long time past'.  With 
anxiety momentarily removed from his mind, Warnie settled down to read 
LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY, with tremendous admiration for 'Mrs. Burnett's power 
of drawing a perfectly good child who is neither a prig nor a bore'."

His "review" lessened my doubts about book's appeal to males, caused by some 
aspects often called feminine.  In some old illustrations,  LLF may be 
wearing silk-stockings with bow-trimmed pumps; no wonder early portrayals on 
stage and films were played by girls; I think one version had MARY PICKFORD 
play both son and his mother "Dearest".   Burnett said something like 
dressing up was her favorite indoor sport; her love of fashion was at least 
partly reason for her nickname "Fluffy".

If "Ceddie Errol" is a literary "ancestor" of Cedric Diggory (and perhaps 
one of the Weasley's owls?  More on that another time), then it's  logical 
to link another Burnett character, Colin Craven in THE SECRET GARDEN, with 
Colin Creevy.

Colin in CHAMBER OF SECRETS gets petrified; Colin in SECRET GARDEN was 
treated as invalid since birth, so that at age 10, he is bed-bound and 
almost paralysed (SG, Ch. 13, "I Am Colin").  SG's child characters call 
process that cures Colin, "Magic" (title of Ch. 23). Modern readers might 
call it the power of positive thinking or "creative visualization".

Could Colin Creevy's little brother DENNIS be a reference to American 
cartoon strip and TV show DENNIS THE MENACE?   That six year old was based 
on cartoonist's own son, and is very different from brutal Briish BEANO boy 
of same name.  http://www.hankketcham.com/bio-dennis.html 
http://kingfeatures.com/features/comics/dennis/about.htm Juxtaposed with 
"ideal boys" Fauntleroy and Diggory, which one is more believable, fun and 
endearing ?  (Did I hear you say Harry?)

Incidently, Burnett's brainchild was "born" when one of her sons died; Colin 
Craven becoming healthy and strong  is Burnett's own wish fulfillment.  
Although writers such as J.R.R. Tolkein say his personal life had nothing to 
do with his books, Burnett's life clearly shaped and inspired her writing.  
I feel factors in Rowling's life are also reflected in her books.

I can't resist recomending another of Burnett's novels (best-seller in its 
day) . Although aimed at adults, like GARDEN, it was inspired by her 
renovation of an English estate she bought.  THE SHUTTLE has humor, 
melodrama and romance, yet seems very contemporary with a strong female 
(American)  protagonist , and her weaker sister's psychological and physical 
abuse by aristocrat husband .  The title refers to "threads" of shared 
culture that bind countries together--like HP is doing now around the world.

Rowling's creation of HARRY POTTER stories stretches over much of her adult 
life so far.   When it first began, she may have seen herself in Harry, 
wondering where she fit in the world with vague longings to write and 
feelings of not belonging in a workaday world, where achieving pension plans 
and not personal expression was the goal.

Experiencing grief at the death of her mother, she added that element to the 
book.  Becoming a mother for the first time taught her about sacrificing for 
love of one's own child, carried to the extreme by Lily Potter.  The birth 
of her second child may eventually influence her literary creations.  
Perhaps she might tell her young pre-school son introductory tales of the 
wizarding world while he's too young to understand the first HP books.

Rowling had planned to wait until her daughter was old enough to read mum's 
work herself, but after the six-year old was asked by playmates questions 
she couldn't answer, JKR realized she was leaving Jessica out of a big part 
of her life.  Examples of book "spin-offs" I have in mind include POOR 
STAINLESS by Mary Norton, "told" by her BORROWER books' Homily to her 
daughter Arrietty (HP's Uncle Billius and escapators remind me of garbled 
names--Stanley, Emily, etc.--"borrowed" from human "beans"), and TATSINDA by 
Elizabeth Enright, supposedly fairy tale told by Miranda to her little 
brother Oliver in the MELENDY family books.

A  mother's loss of a child is also said to be inspiration for Mary 
Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN.   Foreward by Walter James Miller to 2000 Signet 
Classic editon (page x ) says "Mary herself suffered from recurrent dreams 
that she had massaged her dead baby, Clara, until she was brought back to 
life".

I highly recommend reading the entire 14 page Foreword, which I found 
informative, with many interesting ideas.  Miller points out that "classic" 
images of the movie are misleading, as they are NOT in the original book.  
For example, Dr. Frankenstein's "monster" is actually very intelligent, 
articulate, and perhaps more sympathetic than his creator.  "Shelley dubbed 
her scientist "VICTOR" for the ironic value of the name, but in the 1931 
film, Clerval's (his friend) and Frankenstein's first names are actually 
switched!"

I prefer cover on this paperback edition to those with Boris Karloff-type 
portraits.  The ruins of stone buildings could be what protectively 
enchanted Hogwarts looks like to intruding Muggles.  There's no credit of 
painter, but it's simular to one I saw in Getty Museum's DEVICES OF WONDER 
exhibit, of greyish-black stone colonnade, slanted to look "like you are 
there", gazing out at chilly mountains--what I imagine DURMSTRANG school may 
be like.

I don't know that artist either, and it's not shown on 
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/devices although that does include what 
is called a "sorceress's mirror".     Going to Getty itself (built of stone 
perched castle-like on hill reached by maglev train) is like visiting a 
vibrant, impressive Hogwarts , I feel!

You may have guessed by now that it looks like Rowling drew inspiration from 
both book and movie versions in GOBLET OF FIRE, which introduces:  VIKTOR 
Krum, and his Headmaster, IGOR Karkaroff (HP fans have already linked with 
actor Boris Karloff--"mad doctor's" assistant IGOR is not in Shelley's 
book); we finally learn that Crabbe's first name is VINCENT (after actor 
PRICE, who was in many horror flicks?)Mad-eye Moody's entrance on a dark and 
stormy night is very much like those in classic horror films.

I think I've found source that may explain why Krum walks like a duck, and 
includes another unusual HP character name.  But this post is too long 
already to explain that too!

Miller's Foreword tells us that Dr. Frankenstein did part of his secret work 
in Scotland, where Mary Shelley had been sent on long visits as a child by 
her widowed father.  Need reminding where Hogwarts is thought to be?

He also says (page ix) that two of her husband Percy's poems "loom important 
in her thinking about FRANKENSTEIN:  'Mont Blanc', which helped her with her 
settings, and ALASTOR, a long poem about a young man who, obsessed with 
seeking Ideal truth, unwittingly loses all the benefits of human 
companionship. ALASTOR dramatizes what would become one of the tragedies of 
Mary's ill-fated scientist".

Time will tell whether snowy, mountainous landscapes like those in 
FRANKENSTEIN (and near Durmstrang school?) and further questing by 
Alastor"Mad-eye" Moody are featured in THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX.

Till later on the web,

ARANITA WEBBSTIR

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