The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett published in 1911. Mary Lennox, a spoiled and lonely orphan, is sent from India to her uncle's gloomy house on the Yorkshire moors, where she discovers a locked, forgotten garden. Bringing it back to life transforms her and her sickly cousin Colin.
The story
After her parents die in a cholera epidemic, Mary is sent to Misselthwaite Manor. A robin shows her the buried key to a walled garden closed for ten years.
With Dickon, a country boy who charms animals, she secretly tends the garden. She also discovers Colin, her uncle's son, who believes he will never walk.
The healing garden
As spring comes, the garden blooms, and the children grow stronger and happier. Colin learns to stand and walk.
Burnett suggests that fresh air, gardening work and simple joy can heal both body and mind.
Publication
The novel was first serialized in The American Magazine in 1910-1911, then published as a book in 1911.
It was not Burnett's greatest success in her lifetime, but it became one of the most loved children's books of the twentieth century.
Anecdotes
Great Maytham Hall
Burnett lived for some years at Great Maytham Hall in Kent, where she restored an old walled rose garden. It is often seen as an inspiration for the book.
Yorkshire dialect
Dickon and the servant Martha speak in Yorkshire dialect, which Mary gradually learns and enjoys speaking.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Mary Lennox?
An orphan girl sent from India to Yorkshire.
Who is Colin?
Mary's sickly cousin, who learns to walk.
When was the novel published?
In 1911.