The Secret Garden's Hidden Depths - Article

I found this article in The Guardian today and found it very interesting in relation to the research I am conducting into the themes and era of The Secret Garden, it will certainly influence the way I tackle this brief as a modernisation of a classic concept.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/aug/05/secret-garden-frances-hodgson-burnett

Mary Lennox - What makes her so fascinating?

From reading this article it is evident how ahead of its time the book was, especially when describing the protagonist's character. At the time when The Secret Garden was published, it was not usual to portray a little girl as 'spoiled, homely, mean and sometimes violent'. However, the article describes Mary as 'far more interesting than, say, Pollyanna' who was also a little girl protagonist published around the same time.
Personally, as a child I could relate to Mary because she embodies all the things children can naturally be, she is selfish and often has a strop if things don't go her way - it was nice to see this amongst all the other depictions of well behaved little girls.

What does the garden symbolise?

The garden within the story is a magical place, especially in relation to the spirit of Lilias Craven (Mary's late Aunt). In the article, the garden is described as 'a catalyst for healing'. One of the themes of the book is healing through contact with nature, as well as the connections the characters make with one another. For Mary, she is very much an outsider until she meets Colin and Dickon through her curiosity and discovery of the garden.

Target Audience

I was surprised to learn that the story was 'originally serialised in a magazine for adults' and was then appropriated for children's literature. This is perfect for the wider audience I want to reach with this content, which also explains why it has been so popular with people for so long.