Peter Pan\u27s Shadows in the Literary Imagination (Book Review)

In Peter Pan\u27s Shadows in the Literary Imagination, Kirsten Stirling uses these shadows as a metaphor for Peter Pan\u27s influence on literature. Besides examining the shadows cast by J. M. Barrie\u27s iconic creation, Stirling also considers shadows cast upon Peter by events in Barrie\u27s life, the author\u27s previous works, and English pantomime. Chapter 1 explores the textual history of Peter Pan, tracing his origins through the privately printed photograph album The Boy Castaways of Black Lake Island (1901), the adult novel The Little White Bird (1902), the play Peter Pan (1904), the novel Peter and Wendy (1911), and the final published version of the play (1928). Because all of the texts provide conflicting origins for Peter, the character remains ambiguous, unpredictable, and complex