Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter

Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter

This a girlhood book, beloved by Mummy and me, which I reread during my TMI course about the love of reading. Another woman in the course mentioned it as being a childhood book that she had loved, so I reread it.
Although I still appreciated the good narrative pace, and the description of the forest, the Limberlost, as an adult reader in the 21st century I was struck by several features which I had never noticed as a girl.
The first was the didactive quality of the book which took precedence over any realistic character development. Freckles, although a sympathetic character, had emerged from an unhappy childhood without any blemishes on his character. "The Angel," was such a perfect little missy that she was bound to make any girl reader feel inadequate. Although only 16, she was able to step commandingly into any situation, be it providing medical succor or organizing of a crew of workmen twice her age. Freckles put her on a pedestal, and there she reigned, perfect in every respect.
The second difference from today's literature which eroded my modern appreciation was the attitude towards economic development. Although Freckles loved the forest and befriended all its creatures, there was no doubt in his mind that its proper destiny was to be cut down for the financial benefit of "the Boss." It was interesting to notice this change in our attitude towards nature; heartening to see how our thinking has developed, but a barrier to recommending this book to unformed minds today.
I was sad to reread this book and not love it as much as I had loved it as a girl, but interesting to see how children's literature can influence our development. For sure, children reading this book 50 years ago would have felt that the Angel and Freckles were role models, and also they would have adopted the exploitation model of our use of forests.
Another interesting sideline is the noble birth which Freckles was discovered to possess at the end of the book. Despite his humble upbringing, his sterling qualities were accounted for by the noble blood coursing in his veins!
I hate to be critical of this book, because I did love it when I was nine, but times change.
Another postscript is that the woman in the course thought that my collection of Stratton-Porter books might be worth something because they are such old editions!