|
A Little Princess is a 1905 children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It is a revised and expanded version of Burnett's 1888 serialized novella entitled Sara Crewe: or, What happened at Miss Minchin's boarding school, which was published in St. Nicholas Magazine. Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Burnetts blue plaque in central London Frances Hodgson Burnett, (November 24, 1849 - October 29, 1924) was an English–American playwright and author. ...
In political geography and international politics, a country is a political division of a geographical entity, a sovereign territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation and government. ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
Jane Frank: illustration from Thomas Yoseloffs The Further Adventures of Till Eulenspiegel (1957). ...
A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ...
See also: 1904 in literature, other events of 1905, 1906 in literature, list of years in literature. ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...
ISBN-13 represented as EAN-13 bar code (in this case ISBN 978-3-16-148410-0) The International Standard Book Number, ISBN, is a unique[1] commercial book identifier barcode. ...
See also: 1904 in literature, other events of 1905, 1906 in literature, list of years in literature. ...
Jane Frank: illustration from Thomas Yoseloffs The Further Adventures of Till Eulenspiegel (1957). ...
Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Burnetts blue plaque in central London Frances Hodgson Burnett, (November 24, 1849 - October 29, 1924) was an English–American playwright and author. ...
Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...
The St. ...
Plot summary
Seven year old Sara Crewe, who was raised in India by her affluent father, Captain Ralph Crewe, has been sent to London, England to be educated at Miss Minchin's Seminary for Young Ladies. Impressed by the father's fortune, and wishing to keep Sara at the school as long as possible, Miss Minchin allows Sara to have far more luxuries than the average student. She has her own personal maid, a pony, a private sitting room and an extravagant wardrobe. She is also permitted to do anything she pleases, and is constantly praised, complimented and shown off as the school's star pupil. When Captain Crewe becomes part owner of diamond mines -- investing his life's fortune with a "dear friend" -- Sara's status grows even more. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...
Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified - by Athelstan 927 AD Area - Total 130...
In spite of this adulation, Sara takes her situation in stride. She is bright, compassionate, and is generally well-liked by her classmates. A gifted storyteller, she can draw the attention of every student in the Seminary, even those that are not fond of her, such as Lavinia. Sara pretends she is a princess and strives to emulate the qualities of one: generosity, compassion and politeness. Her best friend, Ermengarde, is the "school dunce"; Sara helps her learn her lessons by weaving them into stories. Sara is also the "adopted mother" of a younger student, Lottie. Sara and Lottie share a bond since neither one has a mother. She also befriends Becky, the school scullery maid, and smuggles food to her.
On Sara's eleventh birthday, one of Captain Crewe's solicitors arrives with bad news: Captain Crewe has died of jungle fever. Furthermore, his "dear friend" and business partner has run off with the Crewe's entire fortune, leaving Sara penniless. Miss Minchin, enraged, threatens to turn Sara out into the street but is convinced to keep her as a servant. She immediately takes all of Sara's belongings and sends her to the attic to sleep in a squalid room next to Becky's. From that point on, Sara becomes an all-purpose servant at the school, doing everything from teaching French lessons to cleaning and running errands. She is deprived of food and adequate clothing. Many of the other servants take delight in ordering Sara about. As Sara's situation worsens, she begins to despair. She keeps herself going by imagining that she and Becky are prisoners in the Bastille. Her friends Ermengarde and Lottie also lift her spirits by sneaking to her attic to visit her whenever they can. The Bastille The Bastille ( ) was a prison in Paris, known formally as Bastille Saint-Antoine—Number 232, Rue Saint-Antoine—best known today because of the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, which along with the Tennis Court Oath is considered the beginning of the French Revolution. ...
One day, a seriously ill and depressed man moves into the townhouse next to the Seminary. Sara calls him the "Indian Gentleman" when she sees several objects from India being carried into his home. She meets the Indian Gentleman's lascar, Ram Dass, when she spots him through a skylight and speaks Hindustani with him. She also becomes interested in the family who frequently visits the Indian Gentleman, and dubs them The Large Family. What Sara does not know is that the Indian Gentleman is actually her father's "dear friend," Mr. Carrisford. Like her late father, he was ill although with brain fever in India, and ran away after Captain Crewe died. However, he neither lost nor stole the Crewe wealth but has instead increased it. He is guilt-ridden because he cannot find Crewe's daughter to restore her fortune.
The father of the Large Family, Mr. Carmichael, is Mr. Carrisford's solicitor. His main duty is to locate the lost Sara Crewe. The mission takes him on extended trips to Russia and France to follow possible leads, since no one knows her whereabouts. Sara and Mr. Carrisford live on opposite sides of their townhouse walls for years. Sara becomes increasingly thin and shabby to the point where one of the children of the Large Family, Donald, believes she is a beggar and offers her a Christmas sixpence. The Carmichael children are interested in her, but do not ask her name, and go on their way. They begin to call her "the-little-girl-who-is-not-a-beggar" and watch her as carefully as she observes them, never guessing that she is the missing Sara Crewe their father is searching for.
Ram Dass tells Mr. Carrisford of Sara's miserable existence in the attic. Together, they hatch a plan to improve her life by secretly giving her gifts. While she is sleeping and working, Ram Dass and his assistants cross the roof and bring furniture, rugs, books and other presents. Every night, they kindle a fire in the fireplace and leave a huge meal for Sara and Becky. Eventually, they completely change the attic room into a comfortable, warm place. They even send expensive clothing to the school to replace Sara's rags. Sara sees this as proof that magic is real and that someone cares about her, and her spirits improve immensely. Aside from Becky, no one discovers the transformed attic room. Only Miss Minchin and Miss Amelia are unsettled by Sara's happier demeanor and new clothes. In fact, when the new clothes arrive, Miss Minchin become worried that they are provided by a concerned (and possibly hot-tempered) rich uncle caring for her. She restores Sara to the place of honor.
One evening Ram Dass' monkey escapes, and Sara takes him in from the cold. The next day she brings him to Mr. Carrisford's house to return him. She casually mentions that she was born in India, and Carrisford and Carmichael discover that she is the missing Sara Crewe. The Carmichaels explain everything to Sara, telling her that her fortune has doubled itself and that it will be kept safe until she is of age. Mr. Carrisford becomes her new guardian. Becky also escapes from Miss Minchin's school, becoming Sara's new attendant. Ermengarde and Lottie visit with her frequently. Sara regains her fortune and retains her generous nature. In time she devises a plan to donate bread to homeless children.
Characters Sara Crewe is the eponymous "princess." She is the only daughter of Ralph Crewe, a captain in the British army. Her French mother died at Sara's birth. Sara is born in India and grows up there, and speaks Hindi in addition to English and French. She is exceptionally clever, kind and generous, in spite of the fact that she is given every luxury she could ask for. Sara is also a gifted storyteller and has a creative imagination. She pretends she is a princess and strives to emulate the qualities of one: generosity, compassion and politeness. Sara is seven when the story begins, eleven when she loses her fortune, and about thirteen when she is discovered. An eponym is a person (real or fictitious) whose name has become identified with a particular object or activity. ...
While Sara is depicted as a positive character, Burnett notes that she is "no angel." She has a quick temper and in one scene she barely restrains herself from hitting Lavinia. She later admits that she "might fly into a rage and kill Miss Minchin." She seems to perceive no contradiction in empathizing with "the populace" while personally identifying with Marie Antoinette. Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ...
Captain Ralph Crewe is Sara's father. He shares a strong bond with his daughter and misses her desperately when she leaves for school. Captain Crewe is also young and flighty, and does not tend to be cautious with his fortune.
Maria Minchin, also known as Miss Minchin, is the owner and headmistress of the Seminary. She is rigid, given to rules and order and has a cruel streak.
Amelia Minchin, also known as Miss Amelia, is Maria's sister. She has a far kinder nature than her sister, but is too emotionally weak to assert herself to her domineering sibling. Only when Miss Minchin fails to see the error of her ways does Amelia make a stand against her.
Becky is the child scullery maid at the school. She is severely bullied and overworked by Miss Minchin, and is occasionally used as a scapegoat by other servants. Becky becomes friends with Sara while she is still wealthy and continues to support her after she is relegated to the attic.
Emily is Sara's doll. Sara treats her as a friend and confidante, and likes to imagine she is alive. When she loses her fortune, Emily is the sole possession Sara is allowed to keep when she refuses to surrender it to Miss Minchin.
Melchisedec is a rat that lives in the walls in Sara's attic room. She tames him and feeds him when she can.
Students Ermengarde St. John is Sara's best friend at school. Considered to be the "dunce of the school," she has difficulty with her French lessons and frequently draws the wrath of Miss Minchin. Sara helps by weaving the lessons into interesting stories. Ermengarde is good-natured and loyal, and sneaks away to visit Sara when she becomes a servant.
Lavinia Herbert was the richest pupil before Sara's arrival at the seminary, and is very jealous when she is displaced. Lavinia is the only pupil Sara ever openly quarrels with. After Sara loses her fortune, Lavinia ridicules her. Lavinia is described as thirteen years old when Sara first arrives, making her about nineteen at the end of the novel.
Lottie Legh is a motherless four-year old girl who has been spoiled at home and frequently throws screaming tantrums. Sara becomes her "adopted mother" at school and is usually the only person who can calm her. Lottie is very attached to Sara and comes to visit her in the attic.
Jessie is Lavinia's best friend and confidante. Although she is described by Burnett as being "silly," she also has a better disposition than Lavinia, and expresses her disapproval at the way Sara is treated by Miss Minchin.
The "Other Side of the Wall" Mr. Thomas Carrisford, or The Indian Gentleman, lives next door to the Seminary. It is revealed that he is Captain Crewe's "dear friend." Sara, not knowing his true identity, calls him "the Indian gentleman" because she observes several pieces of Indian furniture being carried into his house.
Ram Dass is Mr. Carrisford's lascar. He befriends Sara when he sees her across their townhouses' skylights. Ram Dass tends a small monkey which frequently runs away. Lascars is a now outmoded word that comes from an ancient Persian word Lashkar. ...
Mr. Carmichael is Mr. Carrisford's solicitor and the father of The Large Family. One of his chief duties for Mr. Carrisford is to search for Sara Crewe; this task takes him to Russia and France.
Nora, Janet and Donald Carmichael are three of the children in The Large Family. They first cross paths with Sara when Donald gives her his entire Christmas sixpence on a cold day. Her response, calling him a "kind, kind little darling thing," interests the children. They begin to call her "The-little-girl-who-is-not-a-beggar" and watch her as carefully as she observes them, never guessing that she is the missing Sara Crewe their father is searching for.
Other characters Mariette is Sara's personal French maid. She is dismissed as soon as Sara loses her fortune.
Monsieur Dufarge is the Seminary's French teacher.
Mr. Barrow is one of Captain Crewe's solicitors. He comes to the school to inform Miss Minchin of Crewe's death, and gives her the idea of making Sara work in the seminary.
Anne is a beggar child Sara sees in front of a bakery one day. Seeing that she is desperately hungry, Sara gives her five out of the six buns she buys in the bakery shop. Anne finds a place to live when she is taken in by the bun woman.
The bun woman is the proprietress of the bakery. When Sara intends to buy four buns with a fourpence she finds in the gutter, the woman gives her six because Sara looks shabby and hungry. When she sees Sara gives five of the six buns to Anne outside the shop, she is so shocked and touched that she decides to take the homeless child in and give her a permanent home in the shop.
Source material Sara Crewe, or What Happened At Miss Minchin's, the work on which A Little Princess is based, was first written as a serialized novella. It was published in St. Nicholas Magazine in 1888, after a period Burnett spent travelling across Europe with her family. The St. ...
The thread of the book is evident in the novella, in which Sara Crewe is left at Miss Minchin's, loses her father, is worked as a drudge, and is surprised with the kindness of an Indian gentleman who turns out to be Captain Crewe's friend. However, at just over one-third the length of the later book, the novella is much less detailed.
Many of the characters in the book are loosely defined or not at all. The students are treated as a group; only Ermengarde is mentioned by name, and her interaction with Sara is limited to Sara's asking her for books. Much of the Large Family is only mentioned by name, and Sara only observes them from afar; the father is not linked to Mr. Carrisford until the end.
Many events in the book also do not happen. Captain Crewe's death is in the first chapter, so all of Sara's life as a show pupil - including her evident kindness even when wealthy and her gift for storytelling - is unmentioned. Indeed, the kindness of Sara in the novella is only substantiated by the incident in which she buys buns for the street urchin Anne.
Generally, the novel expanded on things in the novella; Captain Crewe's "investments" are only referred to briefly and generally, and much of the information revealed in conversations in the novel is simply summarized. However, there are details in the novella which were dropped for the novel. While a drudge, Sara is said to have frequented a library, in which she read books about women in rough circumstances being rescued by princes and other powerful men. In addition, Mr. Carrisford's illness is specified as liver trouble.
After writing Sara Crewe, Burnett returned to the material in 1902, penning the three-act stage play A Little Un-fairy Princess, which ran in London over the autumn of that year. Around the time it transferred to New York at the start of 1903, however, the title was shortened to the one with which it became famous: A Little Princess. (It was A Little Princess in London, but The Little Princess in New York.) 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...
This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...
NY redirects here. ...
1900 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...
The play was a success on Broadway, and it is probable that this triumph is what led Burnett to revise it yet again, this time as an expanded, full-length novel. Both versions of the book remain in print, although A Little Princess is better known.
New musical versions Due in part to the novel's public domain status, several musical versions of A Little Princess have emerged in recent years, including: The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...
- Sara Crewe, will premiere May 2007 at Needham Community Theatre (Boston); music, lyrics, and book by Miriam Raiken-Kolb and Elizabeth Ellor
- Sara Crewe: A Little Princess, Whetlock Theatre, Boston, 2006. Music and libretto by Susan Kosoff and Jane Staab
- A Little Princess, TheatreWorks (Palo Alto, CA), premiered 2004. Music by Andrew Lippa; book by Brian Crawley; directed by Susan H. Schulman
- A Little Princess, Wings Theatre, New York, 2003. Book and Direction by Robert Sickinger; music and lyrics by Mel Atkey, musical director Mary Ann Ivan
- A Little Princess, Children's Musical Theater San Jose, May 2002. Book and lyrics by Tegan McLane, music by Richard Link.
Some of these productions have made significant changes to the book, story and characters, most notably the Sickinger/Atkey/Ivan version, which moves the action to Civil War-era America. Andrew Lippa is an American composer, lyricist, book writer, performer, and producer, and the resident artist at the Ars Nova Theater in New York City. ...
Susan H. Schulman is an American theater director. ...
- Princesses, a 2004 musical currently in development for Broadway, features students at a boarding school presenting a production of A Little Princess. Music and book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner; lyrics and direction by David Zippel.
Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ...
David Zippel is an American Tony Award-winning Musical theatre lyricist. ...
Related Books In 1995, Apple published a series of three books written by Gabrielle Charbonnet. The "Princess" series was an updated version of the classic, with the title character named Molly, rather than Sara. Molly Stewart's father was a famous film director who left his daughter in a posh upscale boarding school. There were three books in the series, which ended in a similar way as the original. - Molly's Heart
- A Room in the Attic
- Home At Last
Film and television adaptations
Film Some of the film versions made significant changes to the story, setting, and characters. In the 1939 version an entire subplot is devoted to Sara's abetting of a forbidden romance between the school's riding master and an under-teacher. The 1995 version moves the action to New York during World War I and generally follows the storyline of the 1939 version. In both the 1939 and 1995 films, Miss Minchin becomes aware of Sara's transformed attic room and tries to have her arrested for theft. Additionally, both versions change the book's ending completely, revealing that Sara's father is alive and having him recover from amnesia on sight of her. “The Great War †redirects here. ...
- Filipino Version (1995): Camille Prats as Sara and Jean Garcia as Miss Minchin. There were subtle differences in the film, such as the Spanish teacher replacing the French teacher.
The Little Princess (1917) is a silent film directed by Marshall Neilan based upon the novel, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. ...
Mary Pickford (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979) was an Oscar-winning Canadian motion picture star and co-founder of United Artists in 1919. ...
The Little Princess (1939) is a film directed by Walter Lang based upon the novel, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. ...
Shirley Jane Temple (born May 23, 1928) later known as Shirley Temple Black, is an Academy Award-winning former child actress. ...
Mary Nash, born Mary Ryan on August 15, 1885 in Troy, New York to parents James H. and Ellen Ryan, was an American actor. ...
Camille Prats (born June 20, 1985) is a Filipina actress. ...
This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...
A Little Princess (1995) is a film directed by Alfonso Cuarón based upon the novel, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. ...
Liesel Matthews (born as Liesel Pritzker on March 14, 1984 in Chicago, Illinois) was a child actress who starred as Sara Crewe in A Little Princess (1995), the film adaptation of the Frances Hodges Burnett classic. ...
Eleanor Bron (born 14 March 1938) is a British stage, film and television actress and author. ...
Television - 1973 version: Deborah Makepeace as Sara and Ruth Dunning as Miss Minchin. This was very faithful to the novel.
- 2004 South Korea famous boyband,TVXQ /Tohoshinki/DBSK sang "My Little Princess".Lee Yeon Hee guest starred as the symbolic princess Sara walking among a bed of roses.
- A 2006 anime, Sōkō no Strain, completely reworks the story into a mecha series about "Sara Werec", whose ability to pilot a mecha is taken away when her brother, Ralph, betrays and disgraces the family.
The Little Princess (1973) is a television mini-series directed by Derek Martinus, based upon the novel A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. ...
A Little Princess (1986) is a mini-series based upon the novel, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. ...
Amelia Shankley (born June 18, 1972) is a British actress. ...
Maureen Lipman CBE (born Hull, 10 May 1946), is a British film, theatre and television actress, columnist, and comedienne. ...
Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ...
The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ...
Princess Sarah ) was a 1985 Japanese anime series produced by Nippon Animation, based on Frances Hodgson Burnetts novel, A Little Princess. ...
Nippon Animation (日本アニメーション) is a Japanese animation studio. ...
// Nippon Animation logo. ...
shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...
SÅkÅ no Strain ) is a mecha anime series by Studio Fantasia. ...
External links
Book:google books - A Little Princess (Signet Classics)
Book:HTML Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute cultural works. ...
Book: Sara Crewe
The play
Film and television - A comparison of film and TV versions
- Full movie starring Shirley Temple (public domain)
|
Feeds |
Contact