The Secret Garden is a story about Mary Lennox, a sickly, foul-tempered, unsightly little girl who loves no one and whom no one loves.
Reading and Writing Workshop: Exploring The Secret Garden Through Historical Primary Sources
General Instructions:
Begin by reading The Secret Garden either in groups or as a class. To complete a work quickly, use groups to read the work. This helps with longer texts. Divide the work into sections and assign each group a section. As groups, they will read their section, write a summary of each chapter, and then each group reports on their chapters sequentially. As students read, they should complete the Historical Thinking Guide. After reading and reporting on the entire work, the workshop might consist of a single session or more. The goal is to engage participants in an exploration of the life and times of characters through primary sources, and writing exercises that foster a deeper understanding of concepts such as migration, cultural exchange, conflict, and resilience.
Objective: Participants will analyze historical events from this work using public domain primary resources and create original creative writing pieces inspired by these events.
Session 1: British Colonialism in India
Session 2: Cholera Epidemics and Public Health
Session 3: The Yorkshire Moors and Victorian Estates
Session 4: Victorian Gardening and the Language of Flowers
Session 5: Medical Beliefs and Psychological Healing in the Edwardian Era
This workshop blends literature with history, helping participants engage with The Secret Garden in a deeper way.
Based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, here are some historical events referenced in the novel:
General Instructions:
Begin by reading The Secret Garden either in groups or as a class. To complete a work quickly, use groups to read the work. This helps with longer texts. Divide the work into sections and assign each group a section. As groups, they will read their section, write a summary of each chapter, and then each group reports on their chapters sequentially. As students read, they should complete the Historical Thinking Guide. After reading and reporting on the entire work, the workshop might consist of a single session or more. The goal is to engage participants in an exploration of the life and times of characters through primary sources, and writing exercises that foster a deeper understanding of concepts such as migration, cultural exchange, conflict, and resilience.
Objective: Participants will analyze historical events from this work using public domain primary resources and create original creative writing pieces inspired by these events.
Session 1: British Colonialism in India
- Primary Source: The British in India by Sir Thomas Metcalfe (Public Domain)
URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20349 - Activity: Read excerpts on British colonial life and discuss how Mary's privileged yet isolated upbringing reflects colonial attitudes.
- Writing Prompt: Write a diary entry from the perspective of an Indian servant in Mary's household.
Session 2: Cholera Epidemics and Public Health
- Primary Source: Report on Cholera in India (1890)
URL: https://archive.org/details/b28088227 - Activity: Examine historical reports and discuss the impact of cholera in British colonies.
- Writing Prompt: Write a fictional letter from a doctor treating cholera during an outbreak.
Session 3: The Yorkshire Moors and Victorian Estates
- Primary Source: Rural England: Being an Account of Agricultural and Social Life by H. Rider Haggard (1902)
URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27963 - Activity: Compare descriptions of Yorkshire with the novel’s setting.
- Writing Prompt: Describe a walk through a mysterious, overgrown garden.
Session 4: Victorian Gardening and the Language of Flowers
- Primary Source: The Ladies’ Flower-Garden by Jane Loudon (1840)
URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58145 - Activity: Explore how Victorian gardens reflected social status and beliefs.
- Writing Prompt: Create a poem using the symbolic meanings of flowers.
Session 5: Medical Beliefs and Psychological Healing in the Edwardian Era
- Primary Source: Mind and Health: With an Examination of Some Systems of Divine Healing by R.T. Trall (1903)
URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60871 - Activity: Discuss how Colin’s recovery reflects early psychosomatic medicine.
- Writing Prompt: Write a short story where a character heals through nature.
This workshop blends literature with history, helping participants engage with The Secret Garden in a deeper way.
Based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, here are some historical events referenced in the novel:
- British Colonialism in India - The story begins with Mary Lennox living in India, where her British parents are stationed. This reflects the British Raj (1858–1947), a period of British colonial rule in India.
- Cholera Epidemics - Mary's family and household in India are wiped out by cholera, which was a frequent and deadly epidemic in the 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in crowded colonial settlements.
- The Yorkshire Moors and Victorian England - The setting of Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire reflects the late Victorian and early Edwardian era, including large English estates and their hierarchical social structures.
- Horticultural Movements and the Victorian Love for Gardening - The restoration of the garden reflects the 19th-century English passion for elaborate gardens and the influence of gardening on well-being.
- Medical and Psychological Beliefs of the Time - Colin’s illness and the belief in “magic” or the power of positive thinking reflect the early 20th-century shift toward mental health awareness and the healing aspects of nature.