A serious, well-behaved, young black cat
September 8, 2016 10:08 AM Subscribe
73 years after her death a new Beatrix Potter story was published
The new story The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots was written by Potter but not illustrated after it was rejected by her publisher. The published book is illustrated by Quentin Blake, known for illustrating books by Roald Dahl and contains an audio CD narration by Helen Mirren. Apparently fan favorites Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle appear in the new story.
The new story The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots was written by Potter but not illustrated after it was rejected by her publisher. The published book is illustrated by Quentin Blake, known for illustrating books by Roald Dahl and contains an audio CD narration by Helen Mirren. Apparently fan favorites Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle appear in the new story.
I think it's closer to Squirrel Nutkin, the review in the main link is not very good.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 10:15 AM on September 8, 2016
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 10:15 AM on September 8, 2016
Ok I need a lore dump: do we learn whether Sally Henny-penny ultimately wore out her stockings or not?
posted by selfnoise at 10:20 AM on September 8, 2016
posted by selfnoise at 10:20 AM on September 8, 2016
I couldn't find a source for it that wasn't a print book, so I left it out of the FPP, but apparently Potter was also an early pioneer of marketing tie-ins, patenting Peter Rabbit dolls and making Peter Rabbit wallpaper. Also as noted previously, she was a mycologist and sheep breeder. Just an all around very cool person.
We've been reading the stories to our (far too young to understand yet) daughter and it's funny how many of them stand up as pretty good. We did The Pie and the Patty-Pan the other night and it was great! Mrs. Tiggly-Winkle was also really good. I know Potter really liked The Tailor of Gloucester, which I found to be an incomprehensible mash of Victorian tailoring terms,but overall I'm pleased with how well they hold up, even to an adult.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 10:26 AM on September 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
We've been reading the stories to our (far too young to understand yet) daughter and it's funny how many of them stand up as pretty good. We did The Pie and the Patty-Pan the other night and it was great! Mrs. Tiggly-Winkle was also really good. I know Potter really liked The Tailor of Gloucester, which I found to be an incomprehensible mash of Victorian tailoring terms,but overall I'm pleased with how well they hold up, even to an adult.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 10:26 AM on September 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
If Mr McGregor turns out to be a racist, so help me.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:28 AM on September 8, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 10:28 AM on September 8, 2016 [8 favorites]
Growing fruits and vegetables has completely changed my perspective on Mr. McGregor. As far as I'm concerned, Peter Rabbit is the real villain in those stories.
posted by jedicus at 10:38 AM on September 8, 2016 [13 favorites]
posted by jedicus at 10:38 AM on September 8, 2016 [13 favorites]
If Mr McGregor turns out to be a racist, so help me.
Go Set a Nutkin
posted by leotrotsky at 11:08 AM on September 8, 2016 [18 favorites]
Go Set a Nutkin
posted by leotrotsky at 11:08 AM on September 8, 2016 [18 favorites]
If Mr McGregor turns out to be a racist, so help me.
Given he was already planning on eating them, McGregor being an Anti-lepite would be a fair bit less offensive, I'd think.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:10 AM on September 8, 2016
Given he was already planning on eating them, McGregor being an Anti-lepite would be a fair bit less offensive, I'd think.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:10 AM on September 8, 2016
Those illustrations really don't fit a Beatrix Potter story.
I prefer the Further Tales of Peter Rabbit, by Emma Thompson.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:32 AM on September 8, 2016
I prefer the Further Tales of Peter Rabbit, by Emma Thompson.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:32 AM on September 8, 2016
Excellent news! First though, is there any nightmare fuel to compete with Roly-Poly Pudding? (Can there ever be any?)
posted by comealongpole at 1:34 PM on September 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by comealongpole at 1:34 PM on September 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is being billed as a new discovery, but in fact the story was first published in Leslie Linder's A History of the Writings of Beatrix Potter (1971). (Some of it is accessible, at least here in the UK, via the digitized version on Google Books.)
It's not a flawless story, but it is satisfyingly dark (like Samuel Whiskers and Mr Tod) and has some excellent lines. "The rabbit opened his umbrella and set off again; it bobbitted along under the bushes like a live mushroom."
posted by verstegan at 2:16 PM on September 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's not a flawless story, but it is satisfyingly dark (like Samuel Whiskers and Mr Tod) and has some excellent lines. "The rabbit opened his umbrella and set off again; it bobbitted along under the bushes like a live mushroom."
posted by verstegan at 2:16 PM on September 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
Reading it again, I think the reason it's a disappointing story (though a fascinatingly dark and complex one) is that it sort-of critiques the British class system but doesn't quite have the courage to follow through.
Kitty, the protagonist, is a respectable lady-cat with a secret penchant for cross-dressing (there is a definite lesbian subtext here), who goes out with her gun, runs into a couple of villainous ferrets and has a wild and crazy time. Then she gets caught in a trap and runs home vowing never to go poaching again. "For the rest of her days Kitty was a little lame; but it was an elegant limp; and she found quite enough occupation about the yard catching mice and rats; varied by tea-parties with respectable cats in the village such as Ribby and Tabitha Twitchit."
The moral seems to be that it's fun to take a walk on the wild side, but that you can't step permanently out of your social position, and if you do you'll get punished for it. It's a very British story of secret longing and repressed desire.
posted by verstegan at 3:22 PM on September 8, 2016 [4 favorites]
Kitty, the protagonist, is a respectable lady-cat with a secret penchant for cross-dressing (there is a definite lesbian subtext here), who goes out with her gun, runs into a couple of villainous ferrets and has a wild and crazy time. Then she gets caught in a trap and runs home vowing never to go poaching again. "For the rest of her days Kitty was a little lame; but it was an elegant limp; and she found quite enough occupation about the yard catching mice and rats; varied by tea-parties with respectable cats in the village such as Ribby and Tabitha Twitchit."
The moral seems to be that it's fun to take a walk on the wild side, but that you can't step permanently out of your social position, and if you do you'll get punished for it. It's a very British story of secret longing and repressed desire.
posted by verstegan at 3:22 PM on September 8, 2016 [4 favorites]
These posthumous cash grabs really sit poorly with me. I see that someone has ransacked Fitzgerald's writing to push out some no doubt interior writing soon, as well.
From a scholarship perspective, I understand it, but the avarice is so naked, and the reality is that everyone writes some shit. Its the "secret treasure" aspects that frustrate me. Guess what you polished that half written essay buried in a folder somewhere, it wasn't a diamond it was just a turd. Put it out for free, stop milking these denuded estates.
posted by smoke at 3:51 PM on September 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
From a scholarship perspective, I understand it, but the avarice is so naked, and the reality is that everyone writes some shit. Its the "secret treasure" aspects that frustrate me. Guess what you polished that half written essay buried in a folder somewhere, it wasn't a diamond it was just a turd. Put it out for free, stop milking these denuded estates.
posted by smoke at 3:51 PM on September 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
Isn't it public domain, anyway? Copyright expires seventy years after the author's death.
posted by the latin mouse at 8:04 AM on September 10, 2016
posted by the latin mouse at 8:04 AM on September 10, 2016
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posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 10:10 AM on September 8, 2016 [1 favorite]