Play THIS One on the Pipes, Pan!

Among a train of thought, the meaning of the name Peter came back to me. It is, of course, rock or stone. Then a line from a song bounced in immediately after. Despite the fact that it seems as if it would, this line does not readily pop into my head whenever Peter/rock comes up. The line is:

I am a rock, I am an island.

How could my next thought NOT be Peter Pan?



(Just a picture of an island -
not suggesting this is the Neverland!)



If you’re not aware, “I Am a Rock” is a song by the great duo Simon & Garfunkel. Naturally, I had to look up the lyrics. Too bad that some of them don’t fit very well with Pan, but much of it does. Perhaps the only one that is completely unlike Pan is a disdain of laughter. (What a horrid notion anyway!) The others can at least be chalked up to metaphor such as having books - [in many cases] these are just stories, and he loves those.  And the "Don't talk of love" set brings to mind the Fairy Dance scene in Hogan's version.



I Am a Rock
Simon & Garfunkel

A winter's day
In a deep and dark December;
I am alone,
Gazing from my window to the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow.
I am a rock, I am an island.

I've built walls,
A fortress deep and mighty,
That none may penetrate.
I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.
I am a rock, I am an island.

Don't talk of love,
But I've heard the words before;
It's sleeping in my memory.
I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died.
If I never loved I never would have cried.
I am a rock, I am an island.

I have my books
And my poetry to protect me;
I am shielded in my armor,
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock, I am an island.

And a rock feels no pain;
And an island never cries.

PANcil Drawing

How did P.J. Hogan reveal to Jeremy Sumpter that he'd gotten the role of Peter Pan?
He showed him a drawing and asked him who it is.  Jeremy replied with the obvious.  Peter Pan.
But the sketch depicted him, said Hogan.

Pretty cool.  I like the drawing.  My only critique is that he looks rather tall.  Also note that Pan apparently had wraps on his feet as part of the design.  I can see the probable need, and the logic.  But I'm glad they chose to eliminate them.  Barefoot is just much more in tune with rough and tumble Peter.

Thanks for sharing this pic, Mark Robert.  He's Sumpter's manager and you can see this photo and much more at the official site.  I'd been curious what the drawing looked like ever since I'd heard about it.  I think it's on the extras in the DVD.  Or else it had been during a promotional interview.  I don't remember... it's been nearly a decade since the film came out!

At any rate, always a delight to see a nicely done drawing of the eternal boy.  And even better to see an historic one!  (That label too much for you?  Don't forget he's the first Pan on film that's not silent, filmed on a theatrical stage or animated.  Not to mention the first seen boy in the role on film.)

Euler.... Euler... Euler...

Today Google celebrates a man named Leonhard Euler.

It’s the 306 anniversary of his birth date. Euler, a Swiss mathematician and physicist, pioneered and made important discoveries in fields as diverse as infinitesimal calculus and graph theory. Already hurts my head. (I’m not a math person!)

So why do I bother remarking on it?

A character of mine has a surname of Euler as well. Funny thing is, he’s not named for this man. The main character of that tale, Jeremy, “told” me his best friend’s last name. Turns out it’s famous in the right circles.

I discovered the accidental reference after having written the book. Perhaps sadly, Frankie Euler isn’t anywhere near the mental level of his non-namesake. But I like him anyway.

The book in question, by the way, is What If It’s a Trick Question? and it can currently be read online at Authonomy . The link is in the left sidebar column.  Not sure if it's going to be there much longer or not - so start reading what's been called my masterpiece by some, and meet Franklin Euler for yourself.

*As always, my drawings, deemed either good or bad in quality/skill/etc., are primarily for my amusement only.

*Regarding the pronunciation of Euler, see the comments.

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.