Margaret Ogilvy

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

3.8

Word count: 162K words
Chapters: 17

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.Margaret Ogilvy by J. M. BarrieAuthor: Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew), 1860-1937,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Oct 1, 1995

Editor's review

Margaret Ogilvy is J. M. Barrie's biographical tribute to his mother, Margaret Ogilvy, recalling her life and family life in warm yet restrained prose. Barrie would later become famous for Peter Pan; here he reveals the delicate emotional observation and narrative rhythm of his nonfiction. The book's depiction of nineteenth-century Scottish family life, mother-son affection, and the experience of bereavement holds both literary and historical value. Readers may note how the author transforms private memory into a literary text for public reading. It will appeal to those interested in Barrie's life, biographical writing, and Scottish culture.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in J. M. Barrie's life and creative background
Readers who enjoy biography and family memoirs
Scholars of nineteenth-century Scottish society and family life
Literary readers curious about another side of the author of Peter Pan

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a complete autobiography or detailed chronological record
Readers who prefer fiction and plot-driven stories
Readers impatient with the slow pace of memoir

Reading tips

Familiarize yourself with Barrie's basic family background with his mother before reading the main text.
Read alongside Peter Pan to observe how the author expresses childhood and maternal love differently.
Note details of Scottish daily life as material for social history.
Pair with Barrie's other biographical writings for a fuller picture of his life.

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

Is this book Barrie's autobiography?

Not exactly. It focuses chiefly on Barrie's mother, Margaret Ogilvy, and has a strong memoir quality, while also reflecting the author's own upbringing and family experience.

Do I need to know Peter Pan before reading this book?

No. The book stands on its own, but familiarity with Peter Pan helps you better appreciate Barrie's ongoing concern with childhood, motherhood, and family feeling.

What historical background does the book involve?

Mainly everyday nineteenth-century Scottish family life, education, and religion. It can serve as supplementary material for understanding the social atmosphere of the time, not as a systematic history.

Comments

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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.