Sunday, April 7, 2013

The Realm of Barrie?



I always love hearing from fans.  Being told your work is enjoyed is a pleasure that never diminishes.  Beyond that, though, several of them have asked me questions about my books.  They also ask for my opinions, ideas and pick my knowledge about the world that Barrie created and about Barrie himself.  Thanks for that, too.  Glad to help when I can.   Still others have had regular chats with me.  And it’s during one of those that I’d been given a gift.

Note that earlier I said “the world that Barrie created” by which I mean, of course, relating to Peter Pan.  To me, this is covered by The Little White Bird (which contains Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens), Peter and Wendy (Peter Pan) as well as the play and screenplay, with the weight certainly upon the former two.  And then take my books, for instance.  They are meant to fit within and alongside that same set.  So what’s the umbrella term for all this?  I’d been saying Barrieverse, sometimes hyphenated.  I’d never been sure how it should be written.  I‘d never even been happy with it.  That’s where the fan, Norell (a name I've given him, as per his request), steps in.  He solved the terminology problem. 

I loved and accepted it immediately.  I shared it with my colleague and friend, Andrea Jones, author of The Hook & Jill Saga.  Her books skillfully chart another course for the classic tale without losing sight of or respect for it.  They extend the “world of Barrie” in a different way.   She wondered why we hadn’t thought of it.

I agree with her.  Why hadn’t we amid our immersion in it, literally whenever we interact?  It had been a snake, as they say.  Waiting to bite us.  Ah, the Neverland and its pitfalls and perils!


So what is this magical word that I thank Norell for creating?
Click here to find out.

2 comments:

ZZOzturk said...

The Barrieverse and the Neververse would probably have slightly different meanings though.

When I think Barrieverse I think of everything related to Barrie, his life, his choices, his experiences. Anything and everything that influenced the books.

Whereas Neververse makes me think of only those references inside the books.

Just a thought.

Peter Von Brown said...

I will agree with that completely.

However, when using the "The Barrieverse" in the past, I had meant "The Neververse" aspect of it specifically.