The Secret Garden (Oxford World's Classics) - Softcover

Burnett, Frances Hodgson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199588228 ISBN 13: 9780199588220

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2011

Synopsis

An orphaned girl a grim moorland manor with hundreds of empty rooms strange cries in the night and a walled garden with its door locked and the key buried These are the ingredients of one of the most famous and well-loved of childrens classics an inspiring story of regeneration and salvation that gently subverted the conventions of a century of romantic and gothic fiction for girls Marking the one hundredth anniversary of the publication of The Secret Garden this new edition of Frances Hodgson Burnetts classic tale of redemption and renewal features a fascinating introduction by Peter Hunt that explores the relationship between the book and the 19th-century genres of girls stories romances the gothic and the sensational and examines the books symbolic undercurrents The book includes new explanatory notes that point out literary parallels and manuscript changes as well as glossing historical allusions and meanings an up-to-date bibliography a new chronology and Burnetts essay My Robin a companion piece to the book About the Series For over 100 years Oxford Worlds Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe Each affordable volume reflects Oxfords commitment to scholarship providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features including expert introductions by leading authorities voluminous notes to clarify the text up-to-date bibliographies for further study and much more

About this title

Review:

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12)

From the Publisher:

What secrets lie behind the doors at Misselthwaite manor? Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too.

But Missalthwaite hides another secret, as Mary discovers one night. High in a dark room, away from the rest of the house, lies her young cousin Colin, who believes he is an incurable invalid, destined to die young. His tantrums are so frightful, no one can reason with him. If only, Mary hopes, she can get Colin to love the secret garden as much as she does, its magic wil work wonders on him.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0199588228
• ISBN 13: 9780199588220
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288
• Editor: Hunt Peter