An A-Z of Beatrix Potter

(Paperback)

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From Peter Rabbit to Mrs Tiggy-winkle, The Tailor of Gloucester to The Fairy Caravan, the works and characters of Beatrix Potter have bewitched children the world over for more than a century and have never been out of print. This lively and curious book explores Potters works via a series of short, interlinked essays that take their starting point from 26 key words and phrases from her childrens books, her letters, journals and other writings. For students and enthusiasts alike, this engaging collection of essays offers fresh angles on familiar Potter themes and topics (A is for Animal; C is for Clothes) whilst others cast light on uncharted corners of her imagination (D is for Dancing; U is for Uncanny; G is for Ginnetts Circus). Entries like F is for Fairy, T is for Trees, S is for Seasons and R is for Rabbit Tobacco look at topics related to race, gender and the environment as other essays use key words to open up discussion of Potters legacies and impact (L is for Lake District; P is for Peter Rabbit; H is for The Horn Book), including global reception, TV and film adaptations, and the development of Potter's beloved Lake District as a thriving tourist destination.

Paying close attention to the texts while also considering the broader contexts at play, this book broaches questions that offer intriguing ways into the works readers feel they know so well: how does a youthful encounter with a circus come to shape Potters imagination Why does eating and food feature so extensively in her writing and how does this relate to contemporary debates on diet and environmental crisis Providing a close-up encounter with one of the most celebrated childrens authors, this book invites new recognition of the ways in which Beatrix Potters writing explores ideas which remain deeply relevant today, including the relationship between humans and the natural environments they inhabit.

Reviews

There are already many books about Beatrix Potter and her famous Tales. This one surprised me with its delightfully fresh approach, its lively opinions, and its wealth of background knowledge, organized through artificial connections created by the sequence of the alphabet. The result is multifaceted, dynamic, and unfailingly readable. * Margaret Mackey, Professor Emerita, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta, Canada *

Author Bio

Penny Bradshaw is Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of Cumbria, UK where she is Programme Leader for MA Literature, Romanticism, and the English Lake District. She is also the theme lead for Cultural Landscapes within the Universitys research Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas, and the author of two critical editions, as well as several book chapters and journal articles, relating to the literary contexts of the Lake District.