Literature
In search of Peter Rabbit, Mrs.Tiggy Winkle and Squirrel Nutkin In the latest of her literary rambles around these islands Lorna Hogg goes on the trail of Beatrix Potter
Beatrix wrote two or three books a year – her total output was 30 books, including 23 books for children. A shrewd businesswoman, she patented the character of Peter Rabbit Peter Rabbit, was originally created to entertain Beatrix Potter’s former governess’s five year old son but she eventually published the antics of the rabbit in a book for children. It was a huge success and has never been out of print. Netflix are the latest media company to launch an animated version
For over a century, her stories have delighted children - and she is one of the few long established Victorian authors to have escaped accusations of political incorrectness. Parents are happy to see their children enjoying tales of the naughtiness of Squirrel Nutkin and the exploits of Mrs Tiggy Winkle. Beatrix Potter remains one of the best known - and read -- authors of children’s books and famous characters. However, what are less well known are her contributions to conservation, and how she helped to preserve the enjoyment of local countryside, to be now enjoyed by all of us. Beatrix was born on 28th July 1866 to parents from backgrounds of self-made wealth. She and her brother Bertram enjoyed comfortable childhoods at the family home in London. Their parents were interested in the arts, and encouraged both of their children to learn, and try new experiences. As was then the norm, Beatrix was educated at home by a governess and had her own
small group of friends. She was also, however, taken out to enjoy all London had to offer – in galleries, exhibitions, museums. From an early age, she enjoyed drawing, and increasingly, sketching. Like most children of that era, she enjoyed folklore, and tales of magical beings – the Aesop Fables and works by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Kingsley were favourites. She tried her hand at printing – her parents encouraged new skills, and in true Victorian fashion, she also kept scrapbooks. Above all, however, Beatrix loved the open spaces. The family travelled within the United Kingdom, and she often visited her grandparents in Perthshire. As a child, she often appeared bright and precocious, but was also reserved and frequently sickly. However, she blossomed, physically and emotionally in the countryside. Her real inspiration came aged sixteen, when she visited the beautiful, but then wild and undisturbed Lake District in Cumbria in the north
22 Senior Times | July - August 2022 | www.seniortimes.ie
