Younger Hall has seen many rectors come and go: Sir Ralph Anstruther premiered the role in 1859, and was followed by Rudyard Kipling, Katharine Whitehorn (yes, she’s the inspiration behind the hall’s name), and 49 others. Between them stands J.M. Berrie (even if he doesn’t have a building after him), novelist, playwright and creator of Peter Pan. His stories remain the crux of many childhoods, infused with swashbuckling dreams of adventure and the deep desire to help as taught by his stories.
This year, we celebrate 122 years since the first appearance of what is arguably his most famous character — in other words, we celebrate Peter Pan’s 122nd birthday.
We first saw him fly clad in green on December 27, 1904, in theatres during Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, and it is this play that is the one that evokes the archetypical memories of his character: he takes Wendy and her brothers to Neverland where he fights Captain Hook and (spoiler! Although you’ve had over a century to see it so, honestly, that’s on you) wins. However, his first apparition happened two years earlier, in a novel which, while partly concerned with a social comedy and dark and aggressive undertones, adopted a softer tone to intimately explore childlike fantasy. The Little White Bird, despite being meant for adult readers, brought us one of the icons of all of our childhoods just 122 years ago.
And who doesn’t know Peter Pan? Be it courtesy of the innumerable adaptations for the big screen (the live-action is high up in my personal list of favourites) or the tales of the lost boys, he is an unfading presence in all of our childhoods that has accompanied us through the twists of infancy and the early teens. Not many of us may classify as Peter Pan (or Wendy) anymore, but that is the beauty of this story: the essence of childhood is sweet but terribly finite; like Wendy did (spoiler, again, but I’m sure you must know it already), we too grew up accompanied by Peter Pan.
Before the curtain falls again over Peter Pan and his friends, let us congratulate him and our Rector once more!
Comments