Pollyanna
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| Author | Eleanor H. Porter |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Children's novel |
| Publisher | L.C. Page |
| Released | 1913 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 310 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
Pollyanna is a best-selling 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter that is now considered a classic of children's literature. The book was such a success that Porter soon produced a sequel, Pollyanna Grows Up (1915). Eleven more Pollyanna sequels, known as "Glad Books", were later published, most of them written by Elizabeth Borton or Harriet Lummis Smith. Further sequels followed, the most recent of which, Pollyanna Plays the Game by Colleen L. Reece, appeared as recently as the mid-1990s.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
Pollyanna tells the story of Pollyanna Whittier, a young girl who goes to live with her wealthy Aunt Polly after her father's death. Pollyanna's philosophy of life centers around what she calls "The Glad Game": she always tries to find something to be glad about in every situation, and to always do without delay whatever she thinks is right. With this philosophy, and her own sunny personality, she brings so much gladness to her aunt's dispirited New England town that she transforms it into a pleasant, healthy place to live. Eventually, however, even Pollyanna's robust optimism is put to the test when she loses the use of her legs in an accident.
[edit] The novel's influence
Despite mixed perceptions of its literary merit, Pollyanna has proved to be both enduringly popular and, in unexpected ways, influential.
Through the success of the book, the term "pollyanna" (along with the adjective "pollyannaish" and the noun "Pollyannaism") entered the language to describe someone who is cheerfully optimistic and who maintains a generous attitude toward the motives of other people. It then became by extension (and contrary to the spirit of the book) a derogatory term for a naïve optimist who always expects people to act decently, despite strong evidence to the contrary.
The word "pollyanna" may also denote a holiday gift exchange more typically known as Secret Santa. This term is used in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas of Pennsylvania. It can instead mean a gift exchange rotation in which several families each give gifts to one other family in the "pollyanna" each year. This is often done when siblings in a large family begin to have children of their own.[1]
Pollyanna is still available in reprint editions. At the height of her popularity, Pollyanna was known as "The Glad Girl", and Parker Brothers even created The Glad Game, a board game based on the book and character. The Glad Game, a type of Parcheesi, was made and sold from 1915 to 1967 in various versions, including: "Pollyanna - The Glad Game"; "Pollyanna - The Great Home Game"; "Pollyanna - Dixie"; and "Pollyanna". The board game was later licensed by Milton Bradley but has been discontinued for many years.
It has been rumoured that there exists somewhere a collection of fan mail sent to Eleanor Hodgman Porter, the author, about Pollyanna. At this time, the location of the fan letters is unknown. In addition to the letters, there were also reports of "Glad Clubs", which appear to have been popular for awhile; however, it is questionable if they were ever more than a publicity gimmick. The Glad Clubs may have been simply a means to popularise the use of The Glad Game as a method for coping with loss, disappointment and distress.[citation needed]
In 2002, the citizens of Littleton, New Hampshire unveiled a bronze statue in honour of Eleanor H. Porter, one of the town's most famous residents. The statue depicts a smiling Pollyanna, arms flung wide in greeting. Littleton also hosts a festival known as "The Official Pollyanna Glad Day" every summer.[2]
[edit] Adaptations
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
Pollyanna has been filmed several times. Most notably, there was a 1920 silent movie starring Mary Pickford, and a Walt Disney film released in 1960 starring English actress Hayley Mills in the title role. The 1960 film was shot at the McDonald Mansion (aka Mableton Mansion) on McDonald Avenue in what was then the small town of Santa Rosa, California.
There have also been several TV adaptations of the novel. The most recent, originally broadcast in 2003 on ITV, starred Georgina Terry as Pollyanna and Amanda Burton as Aunt Polly. Nippon Animation of Japan released Ai Shoujo Pollyanna Monogatari (The Story of Pollyanna, Girl of Love), a 51-episode anime TV series that made up the 1986 installment of the studio's World Masterpiece Theater. There was also a modernized version with an African-American cast entitled Polly, which later had a sequel (Polly: Coming Home)
[edit] 1960 film
[edit] Cast list
- Hayley Mills as Pollyanna
- Jane Wyman as Aunt Polly
- Richard Egan as Dr. Edmond Chilton
- Karl Malden as Reverend Paul Ford
- Nancy Olson as Nancy Furman
- Adolphe Menjou as Mr Pendergast
- Donald Crisp as Mayor Karl Warren
- Agnes Moorehead as Mrs Snow
- Kevin Corcoran as Jimmy Bean
- James Drury as George Dodds
- Reta Shaw as Tillie Lagerlof
- Leora Dana as Mrs Paul Ford
- Anne Seymour as Mrs Amelia Tarbell
- Edward Platt as Ben Tarbell
- Mary Grace Canfield as Angelica
- Jenny Egan as Mildred Snow
- Gage Clarke as Mr Murg
- Ian Wolfe as Mr Neely
- Nolan Leary as Mr Thomas
- Edgar Dearing as Mr Gorman
[edit] 1960 film plot
The 1960 film has a bittersweet ending in which Pollyanna is paralyzed, and thus not as glad as she once was, despite assurances that she will be taken to a doctor to help her walk again. While bedridden, Pollyanna is visited by scores of people whom she has touched with her innocence and sunny disposition, tempering the sadness of Pollyanna's injury.
[edit] References in popular culture
- Pollyanna principle
- Polyanna is the sophomore album by the band Northstar.
- Paul Reubens, in the DVD commentary for Pee Wee's Big Adventure, stated that he originally intended Big Adventure to be a retelling of the Disney movie with his Pee Wee Herman character in the Hayley Mills role.
- "Pollyanna" is also the upbeat title theme to the Mother video game.
- Pollyanna appears alongside Alice Liddell, as well as Dorothy Gale, Wendy Darling and Susan Pevensie, as a 2005 and 2006-based college student in the comic The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles, where she has decided to take up regular jogging. She is also currently unlucky regarding gaining employment.
- In Sex and the City, Carrie refers to Charlotte as a "Park Avenue Pollyanna".
- In the second issue of the first volume of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Pollyanna appears as a character who has been "mishandled" by the Invisible Man. In spite of this, she still determines to remain upbeat.
- In the recent commercial advertising campaign for the Texas Instruments DLP link title televisions, the "It's the mirrors" scene is used. In fact, the line has been officially adopted as the tag line for the advertising campaign.
- Alanis Morissette Has a song called "Pollyanna Flower"
[edit] Notes
1. "Pollyanna" as a gift exchange discussed at Worldwidewords.org.
2. A description of the Pollyanna Glad Days and the Pollyanna sculpture in Littleton, New Hampshire.
[edit] See also
Three more children's classics that feature a young paraplegic who learns to walk again:
[edit] Further reading
- Keith, Lois. Take Up Thy Bed and Walk: Death, Disability and Cure in Classic Fiction for Girls. Routledge: 2001.
[edit] External links
- Pollyanna, available at Project Gutenberg.
- Pollyanna, online at Ye Olde Library
- Free online version of Pollyanna at LiteraturePage.com
- Publication history, a brief plot summary, and biographical information about the author compiled by the University of Illinois School of Library and Information Science.
- Polyanna (1915 board game) at BoardGameGeek
- Pollyanna (1920 Silent Film) at the Internet Movie Database
- Pollyanna (1960) at the Internet Movie Database
- Pollyanna (1973 TV-movie) at the Internet Movie Database
- Pollyanna (2003 TV-movie) at the Internet Movie Database
- Pollyanna (1960) at UltimateDisney.com
