Peter Pan

Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew), 1860-1937Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.3

Word count: 257K words
Chapters: 26

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Peter Pan by J. M. BarrieAuthor: Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew), 1860-1937,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jun 25, 2008

Editor's review

Peter Pan is J. M. Barrie's classic children's book; this Project Gutenberg edition, in the PZ juvenile belles lettres class, gives readers free access to the original text. Its value lies in carrying the complex emotions of growing up, adventure and refusing to grow up through light fantasy storytelling: Neverland, pirates and fairies satisfy children's appetite for adventure while leaving adult readers a lingering sense of childhood slipping away. The language mixes theatrical dialogue with narrator's asides, reading like a story told aloud, and suits reading together or as an entry to English originals. Note that the book dates from the early 20th century, and some wording and plot treatment bear the marks of its time; parents may want to discuss these while reading. Overall it is a classic of moderate length, rich in imagination and worth rereading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Parents who want to share a classic fantasy with their children
Readers who want an accessible entry to English-language classics
Teen readers who enjoy fairy tales, adventure and growing-up themes
Adults interested in classic children's literature and its adaptations

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer realistic or fast-paced modern narratives
Young readers impatient with century-old wording and narration
English beginners expecting a simplified or graded-reader level

Reading tips

When reading together, go chapter by chapter and talk about Peter's choices after each.
For the English original, read through the plot first, then revisit the dialogue to feel the characters' tone.
Pay attention to the narrator's asides; they are key to the book's overall tone.
After finishing, compare it with animated or film adaptations and discuss the differences.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

How different is the original from the animated film?

Quite different. The original has many narrator's asides, theatrical dialogue and complex feelings about growing up, and its plot does not fully match common animated adaptations. Read it as a work in its own right, then compare it with adaptations to better appreciate its distinctive voice and depth.

What English level is it suitable for?

It is classic children's literature on the easier side of intermediate: sentences are not long, but it uses early-20th-century vocabulary and British expressions, with plenty of dialogue. It suits readers with some English reading ability who can handle unfamiliar words with a dictionary; complete beginners should start with a simplified version or read along with someone.

What age is it suitable for?

It depends on how the child reads and which edition. For reading together, lower-to-middle primary school children can follow the story; independent reading of the English original suits older children with some vocabulary. The pirate conflicts and other elements reflect their era, so parents can discuss them as they read to help children understand.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew), 1860-1937 Author

J. M. Barrie (James Matthew Barrie, 1860–1937) was a British writer best known for creating the literary figure of Peter Pan. Thirty of his works are held in this collection, including Peter and Wendy, Peter Pan, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, The Little White Bird, and Sentimental Tommy. The Peter Pan stories are the most widely known, telling of a boy who refuses to grow up and his adventures in Neverland; they combine the wonder of fairy tale with gentle reflections on childhood, growing up, and loss, and have been adapted for stage and screen many times. Barrie's writing is delicate and tinged with sentiment, moving between everyday life and fantasy, and his works are often grouped under inspirational coming-of-age reading. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.