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== (google Images) __ **J.M. Barrie** __ Childhood Born in 1860, J.M. Barrie or Sir James Matthew Barrie the first, was one among seven children. The main focus of biographers with Barrie’s childhood is the death of a boy in Barrie’s life. Some say it was his brother, and some say it was his cousin but all of them say that the boy was the favorite of Barrie’s mother and his death deeply impacted Barrie’s life and literary work. Barrie’s Mother, Margaret Ogilvie, was distraught with the death of her family member but found a new love with James. James always strove to replace his brother or cousin by wearing his things and even acting like his brother or cousin. By doing this he replaced the role of his mothers ex-favorite. The closeness between the two is apparent in Barrie’s biographies of his mother. Some biographers say Barrie was a Peter Pan himself, never wanting to grow up and be with his mother.
 * May, 9, 1860-June, 19,1937 **

Adulthood and Education

Barrie’s family didn’t have much money, but he was able to attend three separate academies and even attend a University at age twenty-two. By twenty-five he was writing plays in London. Three years later, Barrie started writing novels along with plays. Barrie wrote dozens of books and several versions of Peter Pan. J.M. Barrie was well accomplished in his time and loved by the people. People would say, “No one loves children as much as Barrie does” and that might have been true, but it was in a creepy way. Barrie had a quick marriage with an actor that ended with a divorce and no children. Barrie never had any biological children but adopted the five children from two of his premier actors. The boys and there parents were very close friends of Barrie and every time someone gets close to Barrie they pretty much die or leave him. The parents both died from diseases and the children died from accounts of suicide, drowning, lung disease, and homicide. They say “Barrie has a fatal touch for those he loves.” Although most of these children died they were very much alive in Barrie’s stories. These children were the inspiration for many of Barrie’s writings including Peter Pan. Barrie was known for using characters in his real life in his stories. So, it gets creepy when Barrie often writes about laying with boys in bed, watching them change, and even writing letters to little boys that would make him a sex offender in todays times. Here are some of his passages and a letter:

**(Passages from Barrie’s writings)**

'David and I had a tremendous adventure. It was this - he passed the night with me... I took [his boots] off with all the coolness of an old hand, and then I placed him on my knee, and removed his blouse. This was a delightful experience, but I think I remained wonderfully calm until I came somewhat too suddenly to his little braces, which agitated me profoundly... I cannot proceed in public with the disrobing of David.'

'For the rest of the night he lay on me and across me, and sometimes his feet were at the bottom of the bed and sometimes on the pillow, but he always retained possession of my finger...' Meanwhile, the adult lies awake, thinking of 'this little boy, who in the midst of his play while I undressed him, had suddenly buried his head on my knee' and of his 'dripping little form in the bath, and how when I essayed to catch him he had slipped from my arms like a trout.'

True, there are letters of his that are odd, such as the one he wrote to Michael on the eve of his eighth birthday, in June 1908: 'I wish I could be with you and your candles. You can look on me as one of your candles, the one that burns badly - the greasy one that is bent in the middle. But still, hurray, I am Michael's candle. I wish I could see you putting on the redskin's clothes for the first time... Dear Michael, I am very fond of you, but don't tell anybody.'

Historical Climate 1860-1937 J.M. Barrie life consisted of three different major wars in U.S. history. A year after he was born the Civil War started. As an adult at the age of 44, World War 1 started and actually killed one of Barries adopted Children. Barrie died during the Nazi-takeover of Germany and died shortly before World War II began.

Where did J.M. Barrie get the idea for Peter Pan? J.M. Barrie didn’t have to think up this whole story of Peter Pan alone. Peter Pan is the one who found Barrie. The character first appears in the book “The little White Bird”. A family named the Davies family inspired the whole plot of the story. J.M. Barrie became good friends with a woman named Sylvia who had 5 children, all boys. J.M. Barrie loved the children as his own and they were so young and full of imagination and dreams. This is where it started; this is where he discovered Neverland

When Peter Pan was first released it immediately became a read that everyone would have to do at some point. It became a fashion trend with the “Peter Pan Collar”.And also a role model to children but these children would have to eventually grow out of the “Peter Pan Syndrome” and if they weren’t parents started to fear they would never. Peter Pan was a one of a kind story back then and is still so popular.
 * What did people think of Peter Pan when it was first published? **

What other books did he write? J.M. Barrie wrote a variety of literature, some of his finest works were plays such as “The Little Minister” or “The Professors Love Story” He also wrote books ranging from “The Three Little Birds” to “The Times of Farewell ”, Peter Pan of course being her most famous writing.

Chronology of Peter Pan 1904- Peter Pan First preformed

1906- Publication of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

1908- Sole performance in Barrie’s lifetime of When Wendy Grew Up

1911- Publication of Peter and Wendy

1928 Publication of Peter Pan; publication of the plays of J.M. Barrie

Discussions Questions Do you believe that J.M. Barrie was a pedophile?

Do you believe peter pan is an appropriate book for children?

Do you believe you have to be crazy to write a book like peter pan?

Do you think J.M. Barrie had peter pan syndrome?

Would you compare to J.M. Barrie to Michael Jackson?

Citations

"Timeline | Peter Pan." // Timeline | Peter Pan Moat Brae //. Peter Pan Moat Brae, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. .

"The Lasting Legacy of JM Barrie and Peter Pan." //Scotland.org//. Crown, Apr. 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. .

"J.M. Barrie Biography." //Bio: True Story //. A.E. Networks, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.  .

Picardie, Justine. "How bad was J.M. Barrie?" //The Telegraph //. N.p., n.d. Web. 14  Nov. 2013. .


 * OTHER LINKS:**

http://www.biography.com/people/jm-barrie-9200058

http://www.jmbarrie.co.uk/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/54080/JM-Barrie

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