Early manuscript: notes and outline (page 1), circa 1935. It is not a woman in spider’s clothing, or a boy in a pig’s skin.”Į.B. In his balance between fantasy and reality, animals may talk, but “it is indeed a spider who talks, indeed a pig. His realistic depictions of the behaviors and physicality of his subjects is one of the elements that have given his novels such lasting appeal. As a child he kept “pigeons, dogs, snakes, pollywogs, turtles, rabbits, lizards, singing birds, chameleons, caterpillars, and mice.” This love and fascination would manifest itself in the respect he accorded his animal characters.
White was an animal lover - and owner - all his life. Its popularity with readers continues over 50 years after its first publication. Charlotte’s Web, in particular, is often cited as one of the best American children’s books of the 20 th century. But his most beloved works are his books for children: Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web, and The Trumpet of the Swan, which are considered classics of children’s literature. B.” White (1899-1985), Cornell ’21, was an essayist, humorist and poet, well known for his contributions to The New Yorker and Harper’s Magazine, as well as for being co-author/editor of the best-selling writing guide The Elements of Style. White at his New Yorker office with his dachshund Minnie, circa 1950. The items in this exhibit case are drawn from Cornell’s comprehensive collection of White’s papers.Į.B.
Collectively, these idealized depictions serve as a paean to a simpler lifestyle and a closer connection between animals and humans. Still more can be attributed to his strikingly vivid descriptions of the natural settings they inhabit: Stuart’s road trip through rural New England, the Zuckerman’s farm, and Louis’s Canadian wilderness. Much of this appeal can be traced to the care White took to ensure that his creations were grounded in authentic animal behavior. Stuart Little the mouse-boy, Wilbur the pig, Charlotte the spider, and Louis the swan are so fully-realized, with their stories so masterfully blending realism and fantasy, that they have become touchstones of children’s literature, endearing themselves to generations of young readers. White’s love of the natural world, particularly its animals, more apparent than in the characters that populate his three books for children.
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