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Ecological Holism in The Secret Garden

《秘密花园》中的生态整体主义观

Introduction

1. Background information

The Secret Garden written by Frances Hodgson Burnett is considered to be a classic of childrens literature. It has won a world-wide popularity, not only from children, but from many adults and it has never been out of print since it was first published in the United States in 1911. As Burnetts most popular novel, her own life experience contributes a lot to its success.

Frances Hodgson Burnett is an English-American playwright and author, best known for her children's stories, in particular Little Lord Fauntleroy (published in 1885), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911). Burnett has an active imagination, and a special fondness of nature, enjoying traveling and appreciating the beauty of nature. She published her first story before she was eighteen and was determined to be a working writer. From then on, she has published numerous woks, including novels, stories and plays. Among them, The Secret Garden was written beginning in 1904 when Burnett bought a home in England with a walled garden. It was her own rose garden that gave her the idea for The Secret Garden, her most important masterpiece which confirms her position of superior childrens writer.

The Secret Garden is a book about the beauty of the spirit and the magic of nature. Mary Lennox, a leading character in the book, is a disagreeable- looking 10-year-old girl who was born in India to selfish wealthy British parents who never wanted her and only indulged in their own lives. Spoilt and with a temper, she is angry, rude and unaffectionate. After a cholera epidemic killed her parents, she was taken to England to live with her uncle at his home called Misselthwaite Manor. It was in the manor that she met her cousin, Colin, another selfish, sour and rude child who had not been outdoors and even left the bed for almost ten years. In order to amuse herself, Mary started to wonder around the manor and that is why she accidently found the secret garden that has been hidden for ten years. She is so interested in the garden and she decided to make the garden alive again. Without any gardening experience, Mary let her new friend, Dickon, a twelve-year-old boy with a good nature and much gardening knowledge into the secret garden. Together, they started to grow roses and other plants in the garden. Marys time is occupied by working in the garden and she began to change even if she didnt notice it herself. She could eat more, she could run faster, she began to communicate with others and she loved the beauty of the environment. It is decided Colin needs fresh air and the secret garden instead of lying in the bed all day, Mary and Dickon take Colin to the secret garden. The garden is very much like a magic that it helps to improve Colins health and he could even walk by himself. The children spend every day in the garden, working, laughing and running. The secret garden represents a splendid picture when the spring comes and the two selfish, irritable and autistic children, Mary and Colin become unbelievably as normal and healthy as any other children.

2.The significance of the study

The Secret Garden has been adapted into films three times and several television serials. Stage adaptations of the book have also been created. A musical version opened on Broadway in 1991 was nominated for seven Tony Awards. It is adopted frequently as teaching material in primary and middle schools in the US. As a masterpiece in the world literature, The Secret Garden emphasize the importance of nature in the process of childrens development, which reveals the relationship between children and the garden and to some extent, it demonstrates the relationship between people and nature. Thus, the study also has its practical significance since environmental protection has become the common issue that concerns the governments of many countries and people of all walks of life.

A series of environmental problems, such as the deterioration of the ecosystem, the extinction of bio-species and the green-house effect have posed a serious threat to human living conditions and health. The government has taken actions to fix our damaged environment as much as they can. People begin to find a way to achieve peaceful coexistence of economic development and environmental protection. What should be the best way to deal with the relationship between human beings and environment? Ecological holism gives us the answer.