Table of Contents

Foreword by Neil Gaiman Preface 1. The Strangely Familiar Mary Poppins - The Mary Poppins Books - The Narrative Structure - Mary Poppins' Ambiguity - The Wonderful Real World 2. Pamela Lyndon Travers 3. Thematic Continuity of Mary Poppins - Liminal Figures and the Threshold - The Shaman - The Dandy - The Trickster - Dyonisus and the Bacchae - Liberated Bodies: The Dance - Italo Calvino and the Concept of Lightness - The Primitive Vision of the World: The Maternal Right - A Child-Like Vision of the World: The Pre-oedipal Phase - The Path of Desire - Mary Poppins and Husserl: Intentional Consciousness 4. The Governess at the Door - The Governess As Institution - The Advent of the Governess: a) The Law of Order (The Unspoiled Children) b) The Threat of Disorder (The Stolen Children) - The Governess and the Mother: Aspects of Victorian-Edwardian Sexuality - Manners - Teratology and the Governess - The Governess as Bulwark of Bourgeios Values - The Governess as Threshold Figure - Inevitable Contradictions - Fortunate Contradictions Endnotes Bibliography Index

About the Author

Giorgia Grilli teaches children's literature at the University of Bologna. She has published four books on children's literature in Italian.