SPRING+2013+BACKGROUND+ON+J.M.+BARRIE

= Background of J.M Barrie = Marissa Silverman, Ashley Cassa, Celeste Esposito

**What was he like?**

**Childhood**: J.M. Barrie's father, David, was a successful weaver. Barrie was the 9th child of 10 in his family. Two died before he was born. Barrie ended up having psychogenic dwarfism which led to his short stature and asexual adulthood.

**Adulthood**: J.M. Barrie married Mary Ansell in 1891 and had no children. She had an affair with a man named Gilbert Cannan and once Barrie found out he demanded her to stop with it. She refused and he then asked for a legal separation so that they didn't have to go through a divorce. She still refused it so he sued for divorce later.

**Education**: Barrie was sent to The Glasgow Academy when he was 8. His brother and sister worked there and took care of him. He then went to Forfar Academy when he was 10 and then at 14 he went to Dumfries Academy.

**Where did he grow up?**

He was educated in Scotland then moved to London, where he developed his career as a novelist.

JM Barrie wrote this book for his older brother David, who died in an ice skating accident at the age of 14. In his mother's mind, David stayed a little boy forever. Peter Pan as the character first appeared in //The Little White Bird// which is about a mother missing her son and the son missing his mother.
 * Where did he get the idea for Peter Pan? **


 * What did people think of Peter Pan when it was first published? **

"J.M. Barrie was considered one of the great geniuses of English literature. By turns dryly witty, poignantly tragic, exciting, and lyrical, the writing is as brilliant as the story, a perfect distillation of childhood fantasies and adult nostalgia. For today's children, listening to the story is a challenge -- it definitely works best as a read-aloud, even for older kids -- but one well worth undertaking." - //(Common Sense Media)//

"Thus begins the most classic piece of children's literature of all-time. Written with such delicate embellishments the language is a wonder in itself, and you will find yourself sighing with delight at the stunning metaphors and fanciful explanations. The story is naturally as immortal as Peter Pan himself, and every child should have the pleasure of taking off to Neverland along with him. Neverland is the perfect idealization of every child's imaginative dreamland - complete with mermaids, fairies, pirates, indians and infinite adventures. As a child I wished desperately for Peter Pan to show up at my window and whisk me away." //(Good Reads)//


 * What other books did he write? **


 * Other Books: **

The Man Behind the Image The Story of J. M. B. The Story of a Genius Captivated Hide-and-Seek with Angels

Peter Pan first appeared in a section of The Little White Bird a 1902 novel written for adults The character's greatest adventure debuted on December 27 1904, in the stage play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grown up. The play was adapted and expanded as a novel published in 1911 as Peter and Wendy (later as //Peter Pan//).
 * Chronology of Peter Pan: **