Riassunto
Riassunto di L’uccellino bianco
A chi è rivolto
For readers who love Peter Pan and want his beginnings, and anyone who enjoys a witty, odd Edwardian narrator, birds and fairies, and stories of friendship and childhood.
Che cos’è questo libro
The Little White Bird is a novel by J. M. Barrie, published in 1902. It is told by an older London bachelor, a gentleman with money, time and a club window to watch the street from. He is lonely in a way he will not quite admit, and he is clever, teasing and a little sly. Over the book he becomes entangled with a young couple and their small son David.
This is the book where Peter Pan first appears. A run of chapters set in Kensington Gardens tells of a baby who flies away from his nursery and lives among the birds and fairies. Barrie later took the boy into a very different story, his famous play. Here it sits inside a larger tale of friendship, jealousy and the odd bargains grown men make with children. You get a gentle, comic and sometimes strange story, and you see where a well-loved boy came from. Let us begin with the man who tells it.
In questo riassunto
- 1A lonely bachelor tells his own taleFree
- 2A secret friendship with a young couple
- 3David arrives and the narrator is won
- 4Bedtime stories carry us into Kensington Gardens
- 5What the story says about childhood and growing up
- 6A strange voice and a story within a story
Punto chiave 1 di 6
A lonely bachelor tells his own tale
The story is told by a man who gives his name only as Captain W. He is a retired soldier living in London, comfortable and unmarried, with a dog called Porthos for company. He spends much of his time at his club, watching the people go by.
From the first pages he is a slippery guide. He tells you things with a wink, hints at secrets, and often says one thing while meaning another. You soon learn that his jokes cover a good deal of feeling. He likes to be thought a man who stands apart, yet he cannot stop watching the lives of others.
His habit of watching leads him to take an interest in a young man and woman who are starting out in life. He decides, in his own roundabout way, to look after them without letting them know the full extent of it. His help is half kindness and half curiosity.
The pleasure of these early chapters is the voice. He rambles, argues with himself, and breaks off to tell you stories about his past. Barrie lets you trust him a little and doubt him a little, and that mix carries the whole book.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Captain W.
- A lonely London bachelor who narrates the tale and becomes closely involved with David and his family.
- David
- Mary's serious, curious young son becomes Captain W.'s friend and shares in his stories about Kensington Gardens.
- Mary
- David's warm, practical mother attracts Captain W.'s admiration and sometimes competes with him for her son's affection.
- Peter Pan
- A baby living among the birds and fairies of Kensington Gardens appears in Captain W.'s stories for David.
- Solomon Caw
- A knowledgeable crow in Kensington Gardens understands the mysterious connections between birds and babies in Peter's world.
- Porthos
- Captain W.'s faithful dog provides companionship during his solitary London life and accompanies him on walks.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 67,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 4 h 30 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about L’uccellino bianco
What is The Little White Bird about?
It follows an older London bachelor who befriends a young couple and their son David. Inside the story, he tells the boy about Peter Pan, a baby who flies away to live in Kensington Gardens.
Is The Little White Bird the first Peter Pan story?
Yes. Peter Pan first appears in this 1902 novel, in a series of chapters set in Kensington Gardens. Barrie later reworked the character into his famous stage play and a later book.
Who is the narrator of The Little White Bird?
He is Captain W., a retired soldier and bachelor in London. He is witty, teasing and a little secretive, and his voice shapes everything you read.
Why is the book called The Little White Bird?
The title comes from the idea that babies begin as birds before they become human. The image of the white bird links children, flight and the fantasy world of Kensington Gardens.
Is The Little White Bird hard to read?
The chapters are short and the humor is clear, and the Peter Pan section is easy to follow.