Biography Elizabeth Goudge

1 biography

1.1 personal life
1.2 writing career
1.3 themes
1.4 plagiarism of goudge s work
1.5 influence
1.6 adaptations

biography
personal life

goudge born on 24 april 1900 in cathedral city of wells, father, henry leighton goudge, vice-principal of theological college. family moved ely when became principal of theological college there , christ church, oxford when appointed regius professor of divinity @ university. elizabeth educated @ grassendale school, southbourne (1914–18), , @ art school @ university college reading, extension college of christ church. went on teach design , handicrafts in ely , oxford.)

the of star (1941)
henrietta s house (1942)
the little white horse (1946)

after father s death in 1939, goudge , mother moved bungalow in marldon, devon, planning vacation there. however, second world war broke out while there, , decided stay. local contractor built them new bungalow on westerland lane, known providence cottage, lived 12 years. wrote several of books there, using marldon based setting: smoky house (1940), castle on hill (1941), green dolphin country (1944), little white horse (1946), , gentian hill (1949). after mother s death in 1951, moved oxfordshire, spending last 30 years of life living @ cottage on peppard common, outside henley-on-thames, blue plaque unveiled in 2008.

she died on 1 april 1984.

writing career

goudge s first book, fairies baby , other stories (1919), failure , several years before wrote first novel, island magic (1934), immediate success. based on channel island stories, many of had learned mother, native of guernsey. elizabeth herself regularly visited guernsey child, , recalled in autobiography joy of snow spending many of summers maternal grandparents , relatives.

for little white horse, published university of london press in 1946, goudge won annual carnegie medal library association, recognising year s best children s book british subject. own favourite among works.

goudge founding member of romantic novelists association in 1960 , later vice president.

themes

goudge s books notably christian in outlook, containing such themes sacrifice, conversion, discipline, healing, , growth through suffering. novels, whether realistic, fantasy, or historical, interweave legend , myth , reflect spirituality , deep love of england. whether written adults or children, same qualities pervade goudge s work , source of appeal readers.

she said there 3 of books loved: valley of song, dean s watch , child sea, final novel. of child sea said:

i doubt if book, nevertheless love because theme forgiveness, grace seems me divine above others, , desperate need of tormented , tormenting human beings, , because seemed give have give; little, heaven knows. , know can never write novel, not think there else say.

plagiarism of goudge s work

early in 1993, crane s morning indrani aikath-gyaltsen published penguin books in india, author s second novel. in u.s. published ballantine books, , enthusiastically reviewed new york times , washington post. post, paul kafka called @ once achingly familiar , breathtakingly new. [the author] believes live in 1 borderless culture. in february, times called magic , full of humour , insight , although conceded deliberately old-fashioned style verges on sentimental.

one month later, reader ontario informed goudge s publisher book rosemary tree (hodder & stoughton, 1956) had been taken on without acknowledgment whatsoever . reader informed newspaper reporter , there scandal.

the rosemary tree, once labeled pop fiction, meant consumed , forgotten, story of hope, rescue, , redemption god , devil subtly , surprisingly rendered 2 elderly shut-in ladies. portrays devonshire vicarage landscape in transition, upsetting people s grasp of past while working out presents, surely defying such shallow dismissals.

when first published in 1956, new york times book review criticized slight plot , sentimentally ecstatic approach. after aikath-gyaltsen recast setting indian village, changing names , switching religion hindu keeping story word-for-word same, received better notices.

kafka later remarked post review: there s phrase aesthetic affirmative action. if comes exotic parts, s read differently if s domestically grown. ... maybe elizabeth goudge writer hasn t gotten due.

several months later, indrani aikath-gyaltsen dead, perhaps suicide, there suspicious circumstances , requests investigation.

influence

j. k. rowling, creator of harry potter, has recalled little white horse favourite book child. has identified 1 of few direct influence on harry potter books. author included details of characters eating , remember liking that. may have noticed list food being eaten @ hogwarts.

adaptations

the television mini-series moonacre , 2009 film secret of moonacre based on little white horse.

green dolphin country (1944) adapted film under u.s. title; green dolphin street won academy award special effects in 1948.