Abstract

Being published in 1911, The Secret Garden is not only a book for children but also a book for adults. This novel has been analyzed from different perspectives, such as children’s education, feminism, colonialism. This thesis will use the perspective of ecocriticism to analyze The Secret Garden based on the analysis of Colin. 

The first chapter is the introduction. The chapter will briefly introduce Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel The Secret Garden. And there will be literature reviews on The Secret Garden by presenting various kinds of essays written by different critics. 

The major part will be put in the chapter two. This chapter will analyze the physical and psychological recovery of Colin. And in psychological part, the recovery will be mainly analyzed in three points of view. They are Colin’s transformation on the attitude towards nature, relationship with others and self-alienation. 

Chapter three will demonstrate the significance of nature. Firstly, this chapter will present the magic power of nature in The Secret Garden. And then it will illustrate that the nature could help strengthen children’s bodies and develop children’s personalities. And the last part is the conclusion. In this part, the author will summarize the thesis. 

Keywords: The Secret Garden; Colin; ecocriticism; nature

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 An Introduction to The Secret Garden-1

1.2 Literature Reviews on The Secret Garden-2

2. The Transformation of Colin-5

2.1 Physical Recovery-5

2.2 Psychological Recovery-6

2.2.1 Attitude towards Nature-6

2.2.2 Relationship with Others-7

2.2.3 Self-Alienation-8

3. The Significance of Nature-10

3.1 The Magic of Nature in The Secret Garden-10

3.2 The Functions of Nature on Children-11

4. Conclusion-12

References-13