Mary Poppins (book series)
Mary
Poppins is a series of eight children's books
written by Australian-British writer P.
L. Travers and published over the period 1934
to 1988. Mary Shepard
was the illustrator throughout the series.[1]
The
books centre on the magical English nanny
Mary Poppins, who is blown by the East
wind to Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane,
London, and into the Banks' household to care for their children. Encounters
with pavement-painters and shopkeepers, and various adventures ensue, until
Mary Poppins abruptly leaves, i.e., "pops out". Only the first three
of the eight books feature Mary Poppins arriving and leaving. The later five
books recount previously unrecorded adventures from her original three visits.
As Travers explains in her introduction to Mary Poppins in the Park,
"She cannot forever arrive and depart."[2]
The
books were adapted by Walt Disney
into a musical film titled Mary Poppins
(1964), starring Julie Andrews
and Dick Van Dyke.
The film Saving Mr. Banks (2013) depicted the making of the 1964 film. Disney’s
sequel to the 1964 film, Mary Poppins Returns, was released in 2018, and stars Emily
Blunt as Poppins.
In
2004, Disney Theatrical in collaboration with Sir Cameron Mackintosh
(who had previously acquired the stage rights from Travers) produced a stage
musical also called Mary Poppins in London's West
End theatre. The stage musical was transferred
to Broadway,
in New York, in 2006, where it ran until its closing on 3 March 2013.[3]
Books
Mary Poppins,
published 1934
The
first book introduces the Banks family from Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane,
London, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Banks, their children Jane and Michael,
and baby twins John and Barbara. When the children's nanny, Katie Nanna, storms
out in a huff, Mary Poppins arrives at their home, complete with her travelling
carpet
bag, blown in by a very strong East
wind. She accepts the job (agreeing to
stay "till the wind changes"), and the children soon learn that their
nanny, though stern, vain and usually cross, has a magical touch that makes her
wonderful. Among the things Jane and Michael experience are a tea party on a ceiling
with Mr. Wigg, a trip around the world with a compass, the purchase of
gingerbread stars from the extremely old Mrs. Corry, a meeting with the
Bird Woman, a birthday party at the zoo among the animals, and a Christmas
shopping trip with a star named Maia from the Pleiades cluster in the constellation Taurus.
In the end, in what is perhaps the most iconic image associated with Mary
Poppins, she opens her umbrella and the West
wind carries her away.
Original and revised versions of the "Bad Tuesday"
chapter
Mary
Poppins contained a version of the chapter
"Bad Tuesday" in which Mary and the children use a compass to visit
places all over the world in a remarkably short period of time. The original story
in the 1934 edition contained a variety of cultural and ethnic types of
Chinese, Native Alaskan or Inuit, sub-Saharan Africans, and Native Americans.
Travers responded to criticism by revising the chapter twice. A 1967 revision
removed offensive words and stereotypical descriptions and dialogue, but kept
the plot of visiting foreign people; in 1981 a second revision replaced people
with animals. With this second revision, original illustrator Mary
Shepard altered the four compass points in
the accompanying drawing to show a polar
bear at the north, a macaw at the south, a panda at the east, and a dolphin at the west, which in the 1967 revision retained drawings
of ethnic stereotypes standing at the compass-points.[4] Mary Poppins had been banned from circulation in the
San Francisco Public Library system in 1980 due to the negative stereotyping.[5][6] The 1981 revised version was included in BBC
Radio 4's 2004 adaptation of Mary
Poppins starring Juliet
Stevenson.
Mary Poppins Comes Back, published 1935
Nothing
has been right since Mary Poppins left Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane. One
day, when Mrs. Banks sends the children out to the park, Michael flies his kite
up into the clouds. Everyone is surprised, when Michael reels his kite in, Mary
Poppins is at the end of the string. She takes charge of the children once
again (though she'll only stay "'till the chain of her locket
breaks"). This time, Jane and Michael meet the fearsome Miss Andrew,
experience an upside-down tea party, and visit a circus in the sky. In the chapter "The
New One" a girl, Annabel, is born into the Banks family, and concludes the
family of now five children; three daughters and two sons. As in Mary
Poppins, Mary leaves at the end (via an enchanted merry-go-round, throwing her locket towards the children as she
disappears), but this time with a "return ticket, just in case" she
needs to return.
Mary Poppins Opens the Door, published 1943
Main article: Mary Poppins Opens the Door
When
Mary last left the Banks children in Cherry Tree Lane, she took a "return
ticket, just in case". In the third book, she returns to the park in front
of Cherry Tree Lane the way she came, falling with fireworks. Once again she
takes up nanny duties in the Banks household and leads Jane, Michael, the toddler twins John and Barbara (as well as the new baby girl
Annabel) on various magical adventures. This time, they visit her cousin Fred
Twigley, befriend a statue that has come to life, go riding on peppermint
horses, and experience a garden party under the sea.
Mary Poppins in the Park, published 1952
This
fourth book contains six adventures of the Banks children with Mary Poppins
during their outings in the park along Cherry Tree Lane. Chronologically the
events in this book occurred during the second or third book (Mary Poppins
Comes Back and Mary Poppins Opens the Door respectively). Among the
adventures they experience are a tea party with the people who live under the
dandelions, a visit to cats on a different planet, and a Halloween dance party with their shadows.
Mary Poppins From A to Z, published 1962
Twenty-six
vignettes
(one for each letter of the alphabet) weave unexpected tales of Mary Poppins,
the Banks children, and other characters from Travers's previous novels. Each
vignette is filled with fun and unusual words that start with the featured
letter.
Mary Poppins in the Kitchen, published 1975
Mary
Poppins comes to the rescue when the Banks's family cook goes on an unexpected
leave, teaching the young Banks children the basics of cooking in the process.
The book includes recipes.
Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane, published 1982
Mary
Poppins takes the Banks children on yet another memorable adventure, this time
on the magical Midsummer's Eve.
All kinds of strange things can happen, and even mythical figures can descend
from the heavens. At the back of the book is a list of the herbs that are
mentioned in the story, with their botanical, local and Latin names.
Mary Poppins and the House Next Door, published 1988
The
residents of Cherry Tree Lane are distressed to learn that their beloved Number
Eighteen, an empty house for which each neighbour has created an imaginary,
wished-for tenant, is about to be occupied by Mr. Banks' childhood governess, Miss Andrew, otherwise known as "the Holy
Terror". Her dreaded arrival brings a pleasant surprise as well, for Luti,
a boy from the South Seas,
has accompanied her as both servant and student. Delighted by the prospect of a
new friend, Jane and Michael are frustrated by the restrictions that the hypochondriacal Miss Andrew has placed on Luti, who grows more and more
homesick for his family and tropical surroundings. When the call in his heart
to return home becomes more than he can bear, it is Mary Poppins who makes the
trip possible by means of a visit to the Man
in the Moon.
Adaptations
Due to the series' popularity, there were several
adaptations of the books to various media.
No comments:
Post a Comment