The Secret Gardenis a novel byFrances Hodgson Burnettfirst published in book form in 1911, after serialization inThe American Magazine(November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels and seen as a classic of English children's literature. Several stage and film adaptations have been made. The American edition was published by the Frederick A. Stokes Company with illustrations by Maria Louise Kirk (signed as M. L. Kirk), and the British edition byHeinemannwith illustrations byCharles Heath Robinson.[1][4]
At the turn of the20th century, Mary Lennox is a sickly, neglected, unloved 10-year-old girl, born inBritish Indiato wealthyBritish parentswho never wanted her and made an effort to ignore the girl. She is cared for primarily by native servants, who allow her to become spoiled and self-centred. After acholeraepidemic kills Mary's parents and the few surviving servants flee the house, Mary awakes to find herself alone.
She is discovered by British soldiers who place her in the care of an English clergyman, whose children taunt her by calling her "Mistress Mary, quite contrary". However, this is only temporary: she is soon sent to England, to live with her wealthy hunchbacked uncle Archibald Craven (whom she has never met) at his isolated mansion Misselthwaite Manor on theYorkshire Moors.
At first, Mary is as sour and rude as ever. She dislikes her new home, the people living in it, and most of all, the bleak moor on which it sits. She only begins to like a good-natured maid named Martha Sowerby, who tells Mary about Mary's aunt, the late Lilias Craven, who would spend hours in a privatewalled gardengrowing roses. Mrs. Craven died after an accident in the garden, and the devastated Mr. Craven locked the garden and buried the key.
Mary becomes interested in finding the secret garden herself, and her ill manners begin to soften as a result. Soon she comes to enjoy the company of Martha, the gardener Ben Weatherstaff, and a friendlyrobin redbreast. Her health and attitude improve with the bracing Yorkshire air, and she grows stronger as she explores the moor and plays with a skipping rope that Mrs Sowerby buys for her. Mary wonders about the secret garden and about some mysterious cries that echo through the house at night.
As Mary explores the gardens, her robin draws her attention to an area of disturbed soil. Here Mary finds the key to the locked garden, and eventually she discovers the door to the garden. She asks Martha for garden tools, which Martha sends with Dickon, her 12-year-old brother, who spends most of his time out on the moors. Mary and Dickon take a liking to each other, as Dickon has a kind way with animals and a good nature. Eager to absorb his gardening knowledge, Mary tells him about the secret garden.
One night, Mary hears the cries once more and decides to follow them through the house. She is startled to find a boy of her age named Colin, who lives in a hidden bedroom. She soon discovers that they are cousins, Colin being the son of Mr and Mrs Craven, and that he suffers from an unspecified spinal problem which precludes him from walking and causes him to spend all of his time in bed. He, like Mary, has grown spoiled and self-centred, with servants obeying his every whim in order to prevent the frightening hysterical tantrums Colin occasionally flies into. Mary visits him every day that week, distracting him from his troubles with stories of the moor, Dickon and his animals, and the secret garden. Mary finally confides that she has access to the secret garden, and Colin asks to see it. Colin is put into his wheelchair and brought outside into the secret garden. It is the first time he has been outdoors for several years.
While in the garden, the children look up to see Ben Weatherstaff looking over the wall on a ladder. Startled and angry to find the children in the secret garden, he admits that he believed Colin to be “a cripple”. Angry at being called “crippled”, Colin stands up from his chair and finds that his legs are fine, though weak from long disuse. Colin and Mary soon spend almost every day in the garden, sometimes with Dickon as company. The children and Ben conspire to keep Colin's recovering health a secret from the other staff, so as to surprise his father, who is travelling abroad.
As Colin's health improves, his father experiences a coinciding increase in spirits, culminating in a dream where his late wife calls to him from inside the garden. When he receives a letter from Mrs Sowerby, he takes the opportunity finally to return home. He walks the outer garden wall in his wife's memory, but hears voices inside, finds the door unlocked, and is shocked to see the garden in full bloom, and his son healthy, having just won a race against Mary. The children tell him the story, and the servants watch, stunned, as Mr Craven and Colin walk back to the manor together.
The secret garden at Misselthwaite Manor is the site of both the near-destruction and the subsequent regeneration of a family.[5]Another theme is the way a thing that is neglected withers and dies, but when it is worked on and cared for, it thrives, as Mary and Colin do.
The book's working title wasMistress Mary, a reference to the English nursery rhymeMary, Mary, Quite Contrary. Parts of it were written during Burnett's visits toBuile Hill Park,[6]Maytham Hallin Kent, England, where Burnett lived for a number of years during her marriage, is often cited as the inspiration for the book's setting.[7]Burnett kept an extensive garden, including an impressive rose garden. However, it has been noted that apart from the garden, Maytham Hall and Misselthwaite Manor are physically very different.[7]
The Secret Gardenwas first serialised in ten issues (November 1910 – August 1911) ofThe American Magazine, with illustrations by J. Scott Williams.[8]It was first published in book form in August 1911 by theFrederick A. StokesCompany in New York;[9]it was also published that year byWilliam Heinemannin London. Itscopyrightexpired in the United States in 1987, and in most other parts of the world in 1995, placing the book in thepublic domain. As a result, several abridged and unabridged editions were published in the late 1980s and early 1990s, such as a full-colour illustrated edition fromDavid R. Godine, Publisherin 1989.
Inga Moore's abridged edition of 2008, illustrated by her, is arranged so that a line of the text also serves as a caption to a picture.
Marketing to both adult and juvenile audiences may have had an effect on its early reception; the book was far from so celebrated as Burnett's previous works during her lifetime.[10]Tracing the book's revival from almost complete eclipse at the time of Burnett's death in 1924, Anne H. Lundin noted that the author's obituary notices all remarked onLittle Lord Fauntleroyand passed overThe Secret Gardenin silence.[11]
With the rise of scholarly work in children's literature in the 25 years leading up to 2006,The Secret Gardenhas risen steadily in prominence. It is often noted as one of the best children's books of the 20th century.[10]In 2003 it ranked No. 51 inThe Big Read, a survey of the British public by theBBCto identify the "Nation's Best-loved Novel" (not just children's novel).[12]Based on a 2007 online poll, the U.S.National Education Associationlisted it as one of "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children".[13]
In 2012 it was ranked No. 15 among all-time children's novels in a survey published bySchool Library Journal, a monthly with a primarily US audience.[14](A Little Princesswas ranked number 56 andLittle Lord Fauntleroydid not make the Top 100.)[14]Jeffrey MassonconsidersThe Secret Garden"one of the greatest books ever written for children".[15]In an oblique compliment,Barbara Sleighhas her title character readingThe Secret Gardenon the train at the beginning of her children's novelJessamy.[16]
In 1987 the third film adaptation of The Secret Garden novel was produced by Rosemont Productions Limited. It starredGennie Jamesas Mary,Barret Oliveras Dickon Sowerby andJadrien Steeleas Colin Craven. This film was made-for-television and aired on CBS November, 30 1987.
In Japan,NHKproduced and broadcast ananimeadaptation of the novel in 1991–1992 titledAnime Himitsu no Hanazono(アニメ ひみつの花園).Miina Tominagacontributed the voice of Mary, whileMayumi Tanakavoiced Colin. The 39-episode TV series was directed by Tameo Kohanawa and written by Kaoru Umeno. Based on the title, this anime is sometimes mistakenly assumed to be related to the populardoramaseriesHimitsu no Hanazono. Unavailable in the English language, it has been dubbed into several other languages including Spanish, Italian, Polish andTagalog.
A video trailer from Angel Exit Theatre Company's spring 2012 national tour of their Arts Council-funded production ofThe Secret Garden, timed to coincide with the centenary of Burnett's novel
Stage adaptations of the book have been created. A Theatre for Young Audiences version was written in 1991 by Pamela Sterling of Arizona State University. This won an American Alliance for Theater and Education "Distinguished New Play" award and is listed in ASSITEH/USA'sInternational Bibliography of Outstanding Plays for Young Audiences.[21]In 1991, amusical versionopened on Broadway, with music byLucy Simon, and book and lyrics byMarsha Norman. The production was nominated for sevenTony Awards, winning Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical forDaisy Eaganas Mary, then eleven years old. Festival Theatre Edinburgh presented a musical adaptation in 2010-2011 on stages in Scotland and Canada.[22]In 2013 anoperaby the American composerNolan Gasser, which had been commissioned by theSan Francisco Opera, was first performed at theZellerbach Hallat theUniversity of California, Berkeley.
A stage play byJessica Swaleadapted from the novel was performed atGrosvenor Park Open Air TheatreinChesterin 2014.[23]In 2020, the Scottish family theatre company Red Bridge Arts produced a retelling of the story set in modern-day Scotland, adapted by Rosalind Sydney.[24]
^Jump up to:abThe Secret Garden(first edition). Library of Congress Online Catalog. LCCN Permalink (lccn.loc.gov). Retrieved 24 March 2017. The catalog record reports 4 leaves of plates, 4 color illustrations (uncredited).
^Jump up to:abLundin, A. (2006). "The Critical and Commercial Reception ofThe Secret Garden".In the Garden: Essays in Honour of Frances Hodgson Burnett. Angelica Shirley Carpenter (ed.) Toronto: Scarecrow Press.
^A. Lundin,Constructing the Canon of Children's Literature: Beyond Library Walls, 133 ff.
