Melancholy in Winnie the pooh

Résumé du document

Winnie-the-pooh is a fictional bear created by Alan Alexander Milne. The character first appeared in the children's books Winnie-the-pooh (1926) and Winnie at the Pooh Corner (1928). It is a reference to children literature, since the Pooh stories have been translated into many languages, notably including Alexander Lenard's Latin translation, 'Winnie ille Pu', which was first published in 1958. Winnie-the-Pooh has also been adapted many times on radio, on television, in movies or in video games. At the same time, it became one of Disney's most successful franchises worldwide. One reason that made the books so successful is the distinct way in which he honours God's great variety of personalities, while at the same time emphasizing those distinctive characteristics with which we best identify. To have accomplished this within the framework of a child's interest and vocabulary is truly phenomenal. In my presentation, I am going to focus on one particular characteristic that is emphasized in the two books, that is to say melancholy. Melancholy is a state of mind that can be defined as a deep and long-standing sadness or as a gloomy state continuing for a considerable time. I am going to see how A. A. Milne uses it in the text, where it comes from, and what it brings about for readers.

Extraits

[...] Melancholy In Winnie The Pooh Winnie-the-pooh is a fictional bear created by Alan Alexander Milne. The character first appeared in the children's books Winnie-the-pooh (1926) and Winnie at the Pooh Corner (1928). It is a reference in children literature since the Pooh stories have been translated into many languages, notably including Alexander Lenard's Latin translation, Winnie ille Pu, which was first published in 1958. Winnie-the-Pooh has also been adapted many times on radio, on television, in movies or in video games. [...]

[...] For example, in the sixth chapter of the first book, the author describes Eeeyore's birthday. For most people, this day should be happiest day of the year” because there is something special to celebrate. Yet, Eeyore starts this day by looking at himself in the water and saying how pathetic he is. Then he tells Pooh that not everybody can be happy or do the “song-and-dance”. But Pooh asks Eeyore why he is so sad and the donkey answers that he should not be sad since it is his birthday. [...]

[...] More generally speaking, there has always been a sense of melancholy or sadness in tales for children. It can be explained by the fact that authors wanted to express all the human feelings in their texts so as to show the children how it looks like. For example, in Snow-White or the Sleeping Beauty, sad things happen but the most important thing is to have a happy end. At the end of the book entitled The House at Pooh Corner, there is a sense of sadness and melancholy since Christopher Robin is leaving all his friends and the forest to go “nowhere” and to do “nothing”. [...]

[...] He is described in the text as old grey donkey”. The word is repeated many times to express the character's melancholy and sadness. The place where Eeyore lives is even called a “gloomy place” and on the map, it is described as “rather boggy and sad”. His first appearance in the story is at the fourth chapter of Winnie-the-pooh which is entitled which Eeyore loses a tail and Pooh finds one”. In this chapter, the reader discovers Eeyore's personality for the first time. [...]

[...] But the most contradictory thing is that Eeyore is very happy with those presents since at the end of the story, he taking the balloon out and putting it back again, as happy as could Secondly, I am going to describe what this melancholy can bring about for readers and how it can be explained. Many books for children are read by adults who are melancholic. Indeed, in these kinds of books, they rediscover things that they were doing when they were younger; they are nostalgic for their childhood. Therefore, in a way, A. A. Milne might have written Winnie-the-pooh for adults who would like to go back in time. [...]