The Secret Garden

‘The Secret Garden‘ by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a fascinating book that challenges your imagination. A child whose wealthy background but lack of parental love and attention makes her hostile has her privilege snatched when her parents die. She’s taken to live with an uncle, where she starts a totally new and different life.

The novel takes place in England and was written in 1898. Frances Hodgson Burnett, who was formally educated, was a gifted storyteller from childhood. As a creative writer, she possessed the ability to keep her readers spellbound.

Key Facts about The Secret Garden

• Title: ‘The Secret Garden’.
• Where/when it was written: England in 1898.
• Published: First published as a novel in 1911. Before then, it was published by an American magazine sometime in 1910.
• Literary period: The naturalist period.
• Genre: Coming of Age/Philosophical novel/Spiritual.
• Point-of-view: Third person.
• Setting: Yorkshire, England.
• Climax: Mary’s discovery of the secret garden; Colin standing on his feet for the first time.

Frances Hodgson Burnett and The Secret Garden

‘The Secret Garden’ is one of three children’s novels Frances Burnett is best known for. The British novelist and playwright, who lived in America after her family fell apart, returned to England and got engrossed in gardening. The eventful childhood of the lead character, Mary Lennox, mirrored Frances’s own. Mary and Frances lost their parents at a tender age and faced dislocation when they were moved from their birthplace. This is not to say the book is totally autobiographical.

As Frances grew older, she adopted new ideas concerning theosophy and Christian science. Her philosophical views of God played an important role in the plot of this book. This is seen when a character in the book named Colin constantly referred to a “magic” that made wishes come true. At the time Frances wrote ‘The Secret Garden’, she was tending to a personal garden, and it served as an inspiration.

Books Related to The Secret Garden

Over the years, ‘The Secret Garden’ has been made into drama and movies. It has also been translated into all the major languages in the world. The relatability with characters in the book makes it all the more fascinating and one is hooked on the story of Children’s growth into maturity, contentment, and happiness.

There are some other stories like it. They include:

• ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe‘ (Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S Lewis
• ‘Charlotte’s Web‘ by E.B. White
• ‘Anne Of Green Gables’ by L.O. Montgomery

The Lasting Impact of The Secret Garden