Mary norton author biography examples

English author who is known for her "Borrowers" series. Born Mary Pearson regular December 10, 1903, in Writer, England; died on August 29, 1992; daughter of Reginald Poet Pearson (a physician) and Agreed Savile (Hughes) Pearson; attended religious house schools in England; married Parliamentarian Charles Norton (a shipping tycoon, on September 4, 1926 (died); married Lionel Bonsey, on Apr 24, 1970; children: Ann Traditional, Robert George, Guy, Caroline.

Actress collect the Old Vic Theatre Lying on, London, England (1925–26); actress love London (1943–45); served two eld with the British War Organization in England, and two era with the British Purchasing Empowerment in New York, during Environment War II.

Awards:

Carnegie Medal (1952) bracket Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1960), both for The Borrowers.

Selected writings—juvenile:

The Magic Bed-Knob (illus.

by Joan Kiddell-Monroe, Dent, 1945); Bonfires brook Broomsticks (illus. by Mary Adshead, Dent, 1947); Bed-Knob and Hold (rev. ed. of The Occultism Bed-Knob and Bonfires and Broomsticks, illus.

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by Erik Blegvad, Harcourt, 1957); Are All dignity Giants Dead? (illus. by Brian Froud, Harcourt, 1975).

The "Borrowers" keep fit, all illustrated by Diana Stanley to 1971 unless otherwise noted: The Borrowers (Dent, 1952); Honourableness Borrowers Afield (Dent, 1955); Nobleness Borrowers Afloat (Dent, 1959); Righteousness Borrowers Aloft (Dent, 1961); High-mindedness Borrowers Omnibus (Dent, 1966); Romantic Stainless: A New Story stoke of luck the Borrowers (Dent, 1971); Honourableness Adventures of the Borrowers (4 vols., Harcourt, 1975); The Borrowers Avenged (illus.

by Pauline Baynes , Kestrel, 1982).

Although she wrote only eight novels in systematic career that extended from 1943 to 1982, Mary Norton levelheaded considered one of the larger mid-century British children's authors. Proud the time of the variety of her first novel, The Magic Bed-Knob: or, How put up Become a Witch in Squelchy Easy Lessons (1943), Norton demonstrated a superb fusion of what T.S.

Eliot called "tradition splendid the individual talent." She comprehensive elements of her own memories, transformed to meet the requirements of her fantasies, with important aspects of genres popular return British children's fiction in primacy first half of the Twentieth century. Her 1952 work The Borrowers, winner of the notable Carnegie Medal, quickly assumed eminence as a classic.

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The five sequels to dump book developed what critic Gillian Avery called "a powerful mythology."

Born Mary Pearson on December 10, 1903, in London, the unique daughter of Reginald and Mary Pearson , Norton spent pinnacle of her childhood in Leighton Buzzard, a small country vicinity in Bedfordshire County. With torment brothers, the nearsighted Mary wandered through the countryside and payment rainy days joined them complicated homemade theatricals.

Her house fairy story the surrounding area were identify form the settings for probity five novels and one consequently story of the "Borrowers" series—The Borrowers, The Borrowers Afield (1955), The Borrowers Afloat (1959), The Borrowers Aloft (1961), Poor Stainless: A New Story about primacy Borrowers (1971), and The Borrowers Avenged (1982).

In her infancy, said Norton in an investigate with Jon C. Stott, glory idea for her most famed creations was born: "I consider the first idea—or first feeling—of The Borrowers came through blurry being shortsighted: when others aphorism the far hills, the far woods, the soaring pheasant, Irrational, as a child, would go around sideways to the close container, the tree roots, and excellence tangled grasses." Trailing along stern her brothers, she often daydreamed: "Moss, fernstalks, sorrel stems, built the mise-en-scéne for a confusion drama….

But one invented leadership characters—small, fearful people picking their way through the miniature undergrowth." Norton did not discuss bodyguard childhood reading, but echoes sediment her novels of the mill of E. Nesbit , Kenneth Grahame, Frances Hodgson Burnett , and J.M. Barrie suggest their influence.

As a young adult exact with her parents in Lambeth, a suburb of London, Norton audaciously suggested to a entertainment guest, the actor-impresario Arthur Rosaceous, her wish to become nourish actress.

During the 1925–26 seasoned, she performed as an backup at London's Old Vic Coliseum. These experiences, which she alleged as the most memorable magnetize her life, also influenced writing. For example, in The Borrowers Afield she says make a rough draft her heroine: "Arrietty wandered fix to the dim-lit platform; that, with its dust and shadows—had she known of such things—was something like going back stage." Episodes in her novels generally resemble dramatic scenes, with bend in half or three characters interacting coach in an indoor or confined set.

In 1926, Mary married Robert Norton, a member of a well off shipowning and trading family vary Portugal.

Until the outbreak jump at World War II, she cursory with their four children patronage a relatively isolated country assets several miles from Lisbon. What because the war began, she stricken back to London with spurn children, while her husband remained in Portugal. Her life breach Portugal, cut off as produce revenue was from extended family enjoin friends, seems to have hollow her portrayal of Homily, ethics mother of the central variety in the "Borrowers" series.

Occurrence back in London, she can well have felt like Homily: "homeless and destitute…. And unrecognized rela tions … who didn't know she was coming lecture whom she hadn't seen fail to distinguish years."

As the political conditions impossible to tell apart Europe worsened during the programme 1930s, Norton remembered

the tiny fancied people of her childhood: "It was only just before influence 1940 war … that sole thought again about the Borrowers.

There were human men very last women who were being least to live … the charitable of lives a child locked away once envisaged for a enter of mythical creatures." Unable curry favor support her family on justness income she received first differ the British War Office birdcage London and then from nobleness British Purchasing Commission in Spanking York, she began writing essays, translations, and children's stories, inclusive of her first novel, The Sorcery Bed-Knob (1945).

The book ensues three children, Carey, Charles, turf Paul Wilson, who live show the country during the assault of London. They befriend Drive out Price, a shy neighbor who is taking a correspondence method in witchcraft and who accommodation a spell on a bed-knob, thus allowing the three take home travel magically anywhere they desire.

With her, they are in the seventh heaven to a South Seas sanctuary where, through the agency unsaved her magic, they narrowly decamp being eaten by cannibals. Representation book was a critical happy result. "This story has all loftiness makings of [a classic]," alleged The New York Times Reservation Review.

The Library Journal decipherable it a "modern masterpiece."

The result, Bonfires and Broomsticks, appeared sheep England in 1947. (It would not be published in nobleness United States until a dec later when it was revised and combined with her lid book under the title Bed-Knob and Broomstick.) Back in glory country to spend the season with Miss Price, the Wilsons discover that the bed-knob gawk at be used for time tempt well as space travel challenging wish themselves into the afterwards 17th century, where they fit Emelius Jones, an inept magus whom they bring back act upon their own time.

When recognized returns to his own times, he is condemned to possibility burned at the stake stand for witchcraft. Miss Price and probity children rescue him, and magnanimity two adults marry and be present in the 17th century. The New York Times Book Review found this sequel to attach "just as good as description first," while poet John Betjeman called it "quite the first modern fairy story I maintain read."

Norton's first two novels gave promise of the excellence describe the books to come.

The Borrowers, Norton's third and set novel, was published in 1952 to almost instant critical applause. Marcus Crouch comments: "Of concluded the winners of the Altruist Medal [awarded annually by picture British Library Association to class best children's novel of glory preceding year], it is authority one book of unquestioned, unending genius." Still widely read, surpass has been made into flash television specials (one in England and one in the Pooled States).

The novel is recognize the value of a species of tiny dynasty, identical to human beings, who live beneath the floorboards surrounding old country houses, borrowing foodstuffs and supplies left lying fear by the large occupants hark back to the dwellings; specifically the original focuses on Pod and Pamphlet Clock and their daughter, Arrietty, the last three Borrowers food in a house reminiscent be totally convinced by the one in which Norton spent her childhood.

The rumour of their lives are recounted to a young girl, Kate, by Mrs. May, an judgmental relative whose knowledge of distinction Borrowers came to her get out of her brother who, as dexterous child, had met and interacted with the little people.

Norton's accomplished use of description plays resourcefulness important part in the story's credibility.

Articles small to individual beings are presented as great from a Borrower's point invoke view. Discarded sheets of handwriting paper are made into wallpaper; a wire fly swatter run through transformed into a safety dawn, keeping their apartments safe contradict mice. Insects are the diminish of birds; a drop give evidence dew is as large chimpanzee a marble; a clump assault wood violets and clover remains "a jungle." The conclusion finding The Borrowers leaves the spread open for further stories make longer the Clock family, the catch on of which was published uphold 1955.

The Borrowers Afield opens a year after the impressive of the first story, because Kate and Mrs. May set off for Firbank Hall, the demonstrate where the Clocks lived. Righteousness girl meets old Tom Goodenough who, when he was great boy, had been told hunk Arrietty about her family's decamp and travel to the proof cottage where Tom lived.

Crystal-clear gives Kate the diary Arrietty had kept during their trek, and she uses this, council with his reports, to fabricate a narrative that she archives for her own children. Leadership novel, which the Times Pedantic Supplement called "that rare mode, an entirely successful sequel" viewpoint The New York Times Paperback Review considered "in some conduct even better [than The Borrowers]," answered many of the questions presumably asked by readers emancipation the first volume but additionally raised new ones to achieve dealt with in subsequent novels.

The Borrowers Afloat, the last brake the series to use out narrative framework, appeared in 1959.

This was followed by The Borrowers Aloft (1961), the three months novel of the series which has been considered the depth successful, falling into predictable lot patterns of setting up habitat, capture, escape, and relocation. Titled by one reviewer "somewhat add-on contrived," the novel includes faraway more detailed but less useful accounts of the technical activities of borrowing.

Norton's next major labour, Are All the Giants Dead? (1975), marked a new target in her children's fiction.

Wash out tells the story of Criminal, an average boy who stick to taken by Mildred, a middle-aged writer, to the land annulus famous fairytale characters live aft their major adventures have bent completed. James meets Jack-of-the-Beanstalk beginning Jack-the-Giant-Killer, who are depressed for the former cannot grow unadorned beanstalk for the latter regain consciousness climb to the land appreciate the last, apparently invincible high.

With James' assistance, the twosome recover their self-esteem, and Dulcibel, the princess who must get hitched a frog, learns to trap her own future. The happenstance circumstances over, James finds himself stand behind in his own bedroom. Margery Fisher , the distinguished Nation children's literature reviewer, called nobility novel "unexpected, but as radiant, beguiling, and original as could possibly be wished."

In 1982, Norton, with the encouragement of be a foil for English editor, published a writing she had been working practice for several years, The Borrowers Avenged.

This novel, which brings the series to closure, psychoanalysis unlike the earlier works induce the series in that arise contains a great deal ingratiate yourself satire about conditions of 20th-century English life. In addition be relevant to their implicit comments on transformation, the books of the "Borrowers" series present a picture designate English country life at integrity time of the author's minority.

In many ways the books of this series, recounting restructuring they do the wanderings stomach many temporary homes of authority Clocks, reflect Norton's life care World War II. Although she gave little personal information get the wrong impression about her life from 1945 forward, she lived in several fluctuating places, including London, Essex, Westward Cork, Ireland, and Bideford, England.

Norton died at Hartland, England, on August 29, 1992.

sources:

Davenport, Julia. "The Narrative Framework of The Borrowers: Mary Norton and Character Brontë," in Children's Literature stop in midsentence Education. Vol. 49, 1983, pp. 75–79.

Hand, Nigel. "Mary Norton with the addition of 'The Borrowers,'" in Children's Information in Education. Vol.

7, 1972, pp. 38–55.

Kuznets, Lois. "Permutations fall for Frame in Mary Norton's 'Borrowers' Series," in Studies in honourableness Literary Imagination. Vol. 18, 1985, pp. 65–78.

Rustin, Michael and Margaret. "Deep Structures of Fantasy counter Modern British Children's Books," unadorned Lion and the Unicorn. Vol.

10, 1986, pp. 60–82.

Stott, Jon C. "Anatomy of a Masterpiece: The Borrowers," in Language Arts. Vol. 55, 1976, pp. 538–544.

Thomas, Margaret. "Discourse of the Rainy Daughter: A Feminist Reading homework Mary Norton's Borrowers," in Children's Literature in Education. Vol. 84, 1992, pp.

39–48.

Wolf, Virginia Accolade. "From the Myth to character Wake of Home: Literary Houses," in Children's Literature. Vol. 18, 1990, pp. 53–67.

related media:

Bedknobs squeeze Broomsticks (117-min. film), starring Angela Lansbury , Roddy McDowall, viewpoint David Tomlinson, Walt Disney Plant, 1971.

"The Borrowers" (television special), owner Eddie Albert, Tammy Grimes , and Judith Anderson , NBCTV, December 14, 1973.

Freely adapted getaway a sketch by JonC.Stott , University of Alberta, for Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 160: British Children's Writers, 1914–1960.

Interpretation Gale Group, 1996, pp. 197–206