ABSTRACT
It is difficult to write about a novel as unique as Peter and Wendy, made famous by its major protagonist but rarely read by children today, if it ever was widely read by youngsters. Certainly, millions of children (and adults) born in the latter part of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first know about Peter Pan, but mainly because they have experienced him flying across a stage, often impersonated by a woman like the wonderful actresses Jean Arthur and Mary Martin, or they have watched the Disney animated version. In fact, most young people and adults have probably been introduced to Peter and his friends through a Disney book, a television adaptation, Peter Pan artifacts, a local production of the play, or Steven Spielberg's film Hook. Very few have ever read J. M. Barrie's stories in Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1906) or the novel Peter and Wendy (1911), or seen the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (final text in 1928) in the original. Even fewer are familiar with the name J. M. Barrie, nor may they really care who he is. Yet, there is a fascinating history behind James Matthew Barrie, the imaginative creator of Peter Pan, and how Peter Pan came into being, and it can help us understand why Peter Pan, the boy who refuses to grow up, continues to capture the imagination of people throughout the world.
