March's talk, as part of the CNPPA's Cultural Landscape's series at the University of Cumbria, considered the function and meaning of gardens in children’s literature, as well as the ways in which inter-generational relationships are explored within these spaces.
The talk was promoted with references to books such as Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden and Philippa Pearce’s Tom’s Midnight Garden, but after the first few minutes these type of books weren’t mentioned again. Instead the speakers focused on the relationships between young children and ageing grandparents, dementia and picture books for the very young child. There was definitely a mismatch between the content and the promotional material! As Chris said afterwards the books we were expecting to hear about were simply click bait to get us interested!
So, not the best talk in this normally excellent series, but still some food for thought. I enjoyed the concept of the garden as a liminal space, connecting two different worlds and spaces, as well as wild and tamed space. The garden acts as a symbolic space where children can explore the world safely, whilst experiencing as sense of danger and adventure.
As I listened to the speakers I was thinking about the books about gardens which I have enjoyed. Books from childhood including Beatrix Potter's wonderful tales to adult novels including Elizabeth von Arnim's Elizabeth and her German Garden, Susan Hill's The Magic Apple Tree and Mary Wesley's The Chamomile Lawn. The Secret Garden and Tom's Midnight Garden were among my favourite novels as a child and I loved the symbolic nature of the gardens as a place of safety and personal growth. There are also many poems which reflect on the importance of gardens, my absolute favourite is Andrew Marvell's The Garden:
How well the skillful gard’ner drew
Of flow’rs and herbs this dial new,
Where from above the milder sun
Does through a fragrant zodiac run;
And as it works, th’ industrious bee
Computes its time as well as we.
How could such sweet and wholesome hours
Be reckon’d but with herbs and flow’rs!
An interesting talk, mainly because of the books about gardens I was inspired to think about and explore. I think I blocked out the many references to ageing and alzheimer's!