by Peter Hollindale

About Peter Hollindale

Peter Hollindale is Former Reader in English and Educational Studies at the University of York. His publications include Ideology and the Children’s Book (1988), Signs of Childness in Children’s Books (1997), and editions of both the prose and dramatic texts of Peter Pan.

Nature

The word nature derives from Latin natura, which in turn is rooted in the verb nasci, “to be born.” It denotes the primal and original condition of all things, including human beings. In essence, nature can be seen as the default condition of planet earth if freed of human impact and of humans (essentially children) before socializing and “civilizing” influences are brought to bear on them.