Part 2: The wonderful world of Beatrix Potter

However, one notable habit of Potter’s is her tendency to include human participation in some of the adventures she fondly narrates. The Tailor of Gloucester is more or less a Christmas tale about a desperate tailor, a clever cat, and some very industrious mice who put their personal differences aside for one very demanding project during one very special night. Another is The Tale of Pigling Bland and The Tale of Little Pig Robinson. Both feature pigs as their protagonists; the former follows the exploits of a disobedient pig who lands in nefarious circumstances, and the latter exhibits how a well-meaning young pig is tricked into joining a human naval venture which leads to kidnapping, attempted murder, and a tropical part in a famous nursery rhyme.

Animalistic “cannibalism,” a.k.a. the food chain, is a recurring topic in most of the stories, e.g. The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies, which chronicles the adulthood of Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, and their offspring. Nevertheless, Potter manages to transmit her feelings on the issue with delicacy appropriate for her readers. Moreover, the majority of Potter’s storybooks focus on evident morals, criticizing or admiring obvious human traits and behaviors in her animal characters while pointing out the means to rectify certain actions.

To be continued...

All twenty-three stories in The Complete Tales are available in local libraries and bookstores in Fresno, and online.