Shamanic Elements of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I read The Secret Garden in the last week of December 2011 and always meant to do a post on it, however the excitement of New Year got in the way and I never did. Because this week has been so busy and stressful, I haven't had much time for reading (although I have been reading a little - Tom Jones: one of the most brilliant books I've ever read!), but I did want to write at least something before you all thought I'd given up on blogging, so I think it's finally time I say a few words on Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden.

The Secret Garden is one of those books that will stay with me forever. In fact, I haven't picked it up since December, and yet I'm confident to write a little post on it. It just... it just stays with you. It's beautiful, sensitive, and inspiring, and it has astonishing depth. And, as you'll gather from my title, what is most interesting to me are the shamanic elements. In fact, it is so obviously connected that I cannot believe it is a mere coincidence, the understanding of shamanism and this book, I looked up Frances Hodgson Burnett to see if I could find any definitive link between FHB and modern anthropology.

Firstly, let me clarify what I mean. Shamanism is a problematic term to define, but it roughly relates to understanding on the relationship between 'our' world and the spirit world. It involves communication: the shaman literally communicates and has a relationship with the spirit world, and one of the implications of this is it allows the shaman to heal, perhaps more specifically the soul of the sufferer. This is fantastically complex and I wish I had the time to write about this further, but for now this mediocre definition will suffice.

This belief centres on the belief in animism: literally, "soul" or "life" (from the Latin anima). All things are animated, all things have life, even the non-human. Nature: rocks, the moors, animals, trees, weather, everything. Everything has a soul. Stahl defined it as, " "doctrine that animal life is produced by an immaterial soul."

Now, think of this in terms of The Secret Garden: you have one very damaged young girl (Mary) and one very sick young boy (Colin). Then you have the shaman: Dickon. You even have a "power animal", the guider and protector - the robin, who shows Mary the way into the garden. Here's an example,

"Where's that robin as it callin' us?" he said.
The chirp came from a thick holly bush, bright with scarlet berries, and Mary thought she knew whose it was.
"Is it really calling us?" she asked.
"Aye," said Dickon, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
....
"Do you understand everything birds say?" said Mary.
Dickon's grin spread until he seemed all wide, red, curving mouth, and he rubbed his rough head.
"I think I do, and they think I do," he said. "I've lived on th' moor with 'em so long."

Most people have at least seen the film of The Secret Garden so you will know that it was nature that healed both Mary and Colin. They both overcame their demons from the Secret Garden, which is a metaphor for nature, and it was the guidance from Dickon and the robin that inspired and enabled this.

As it happens, there isn't a great deal written about the shamanic elements of The Secret Garden (unless I haven't given myself enough time to search and delve, which is entirely possible). But the link, in my eyes, is far too strong to be a coincidence. Shamanism is ancient, and it wasn't something that was "discovered" in the 19th and early 20th Century, and there is always elements of it in literature without any specific reference. But this? This is almost a fictional outline of a late 19th / early 20th Century understanding of what shamanism is (The Secret Garden, incidentally, was published in 1911). So, I did a little Googling and was reminded of one of the main men of the time was Edward Burnett Tylor. So far, it seems that that "Burnett" link is a coincidence, but I'm sure she must have read him. She must have read something. I wish I knew what. I found that her husband, Swan Burnett, had a side interest in anthropology so it is entirely possible she has taken a similar interest. There is very little information on Swan Burnett, so I don't know exactly how much interest he took.

There's a stronger link. I feel like if I look hard enough she was involved or at least greatly interested in modern anthropology. If anyone knows anything more, do let me know. For now, well, time constrains me, but I will look further myself...