My First Adventure with Mary Poppins
This is my first time going through P.L. Traver's book, Mary Poppins (The first in a series). I grew up with the Disney film, so it brings up the differences in adaptations, particularly in how Disney softened Mary Poppins.
This is my first time going through P.L. Traver's book, Mary Poppins (The first in a series). I grew up with the Disney film, so it brings up the differences in adaptations, particularly in how Disney softened Mary Poppins.
In this first book, Mary Poppins is not there to fix anything really. She just, well, "Pops in". She is stern, aloof, vain, curt and, quite honestly, a liar in that she fervently denies several of the adventures with Jane and Michael ever happening.
The version of the book I went through is not the original 1934 version. The chapter called "Bad Tuesday" originally had Mary Poppins, Jane and Michael visiting people in different parts of the globe. Criticism about stereotypes prompted Travers to revise it in 1967...
However, the book was still banned in San Francisco Public Library System in 1980:
"Mary Poppins' is banned from general circulation in the San Francisco Public Library system because it is out-of-date, unpopular and poorly written, the children's librarian says."
"Mary Poppins' is banned from general circulation in the San Francisco Public Library system because it is out-of-date, unpopular and poorly written, the children's librarian says."
Librarian Joan Dillon also says the 1932 P.L. Travers children's book is full of stereotypes about women and non-white races:
upi.com/Archives/1980/…
upi.com/Archives/1980/…
The chapter was revised yet again by Travers in 1981, 47 years after its initial publication, by a then 82 year old Travers. People are replaced by animals, such as a panda.
Which can bring up questions about ebooks, censorship, changing values and changing books.
Which can bring up questions about ebooks, censorship, changing values and changing books.
For one only familiar with the Disney version, it is hard to go through the 1981 version of the 1934 Mary Poppins without almost constantly referencing and comparing it to the movies. I wonder, without the Disney musical, if Mary Poppins would still be culturally relevant today?
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