Myths and the mythmaker : a literary account of J.M. Barry's formative years / R.D.S. Jack.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jack, Ronald D. S.

Series:

Scottish cultural review of language and literature ; 16.

Scottish cultural review of language and literature ; 16

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English literature--Scottish authors--History and criticism.

English literature.

Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew), 1860-1937--Criticism and interpretation.

Barrie, J. M.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (332 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; New York : Rodopi, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

J.M. Barrie’s critical reputation is unusually problematic. Originally viewed as a genius to rank with Shaw and Wilde, Barrie soon fell victim to damaging psychological theories about his life and his patriotism. The few critics who have commented on Barrie have colluded with dominant myths about a figure who, like his most famous creation, never grew up, who abandoned Scotland and made light of his own people when serious social analyses of the nation’s condition were called for, and who scorned the opportunities of University learning when at Edinburgh. Myths and the Mythmaker attempts to challenge these myths and offer a just revaluation of Barrie’s genius. Through closely focused textual analyses, it dispels the popular images of Barrie as “escapist” writer and immature, mother-fixated artist. It seeks to replace the narrow prose canon on which the “Oedipal” and “Kailyard” myths are based with a thorough account of his Victorian apprenticeship. New research into Barrie’s early work and criticism show the enduring influence of his Edinburgh education on his creative writing, his academic articles, and his own complex views on artistic genius.

Contents:

Preliminary Material

Acknowledgements

Introduction

The Critical Myth

Filling the Research Gaps: Beyond Freud and the Kailyard

Filling the Textual Gaps I: “Kailyard” Prose 1877–90

Filling the Textual Gaps II: “Kailyard” Drama 1877–93

The Little Minister

To The Never Land and Beyond: A Dramatic Route

To The Never Land and Beyond: A Novel Route

Approaching the Later Plays

Bibliography

Index

ASLS.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 327-335) and index.

ISBN:

1-282-91693-9

9786612916939

90-420-3219-7

OCLC:

693761635

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789042032194 DOI