Mary De Morgan facts for kids

Mary De Morgan (born February 24, 1850 – died May 18, 1907) was an English writer. She was famous for her three books of fairytales. These books were On a Pincushion (1877), The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde (1880), and The Windfairies (1900). All her stories were later put together in one collection in 1963.

Mary De Morgan is not as well-known as some other fairytale authors. However, her stories were very special. She was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen. Her tales often did not have a happy ending. Also, the main characters might not become rich or powerful. Instead, they often learned how important it was to live without these things. Her stories also sometimes made fun of politics. Experts say her fairytales were very important for how literary fairytales grew during her time.

One of her stories, The Toy Princess, was shown on the BBC children's TV show Jackanory in 1966. The same story was also on Jackanory Playhouse in 1981. Her brother, William De Morgan, who was a potter and novelist, drew pictures for her first book.

About Mary De Morgan

Early Life and Family

Mary De Morgan was born in London, England, on February 24, 1850. She was the youngest daughter of Augustus De Morgan, a famous mathematician. When she was young, Mary was known for speaking her mind very directly.

After her father passed away in 1871, she lived with her brother William in his house in Chelsea. She stayed there until he got married in 1887. After that, she lived in rented rooms and worked as a typist to earn a living.

Storytelling and Friends

While living with her brother, Mary often told stories. She shared these tales with her nieces and nephews. She also told them to the children of her friends and family. Many of these friends were famous artists and writers.

Some of the children who heard her stories included Jenny and May Morris, who were the children of William Morris. A young Rudyard Kipling and his sister also listened to her tales. Other children were from the Burne-Jones and Mackail families. Later, Angela Thirkell and her brother, Denis Mackail, who both became novelists, remembered Mary De Morgan's stories from their childhood.

William Morris, a well-known writer and artist, really liked her stories. When he was very ill in 1896, Mary went to help take care of him.

Her last collection of fairytales, The Windfairies, was published in 1900.

Later Life and Passing

Mary De Morgan moved to Cairo, Egypt, for her health. She had a serious lung illness called tuberculosis. In Cairo, she took charge of a special school for girls in Helwan. She passed away in Cairo in 1907.

Her Views and Fairytales

Women's Rights

Mary De Morgan was part of the Women's Franchise League. This group worked to get women the right to vote. Her beliefs about women's rights showed up in her fairytales. Many of her stories have strong female characters. These characters often outsmart or rescue men. For example, her story The Toy Princess can be seen as making fun of what society expected from women. Interestingly, the made-up kingdom in that story also had similar expectations for its men.

Social Ideas in Her Stories

William Morris, a close family friend, was a socialist. This means he believed in sharing wealth and resources more equally. It is thought that his ideas might have influenced Mary's writing.

In her stories like "Siegfried and Handa" and "The Bread of Discontent," she made fun of mass-produced goods. These stories show bad characters making communities switch from well-made, handmade items to cheap, factory-made ones. This led to big problems. This can be seen as a way she criticized capitalism, which is an economic system where businesses are privately owned.

Mary De Morgan's stories also often showed that being very rich or powerful was not always a good thing. This matched her own feelings. She once said she was glad to have only a small income. She enjoyed planning how to spend her money. She felt being very rich would be boring.

Mary De Morgan's Fairytales

On a Pincushion

In her first collection, On a Pincushion, the first three stories are told by objects. A brooch, a shawl-pin, and a pin on a pincushion tell each other tales to pass the time. This idea of giving human qualities to objects is like what Hans Christian Andersen did in many of his stories.

Stories in this collection include:

• The Story of Vain Lamorna
• The Seeds of Love
• The Story of the Opal
• Siegfried and Handa
• The Hair Tree
• The Toy Princess
• Through The Fire

The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde

This collection includes:

• The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde
• The Wanderings of Arasmon
• The Heart of Princess Joan
• The Pedlar's Pack
• The Bread of Discontent
• The Three Clever Kings
• The Wise Princess

The Windfairies

This was her last collection of fairytales:

• The Windfairies
• Vain Kesta
• The Pool and the Tree
• Nanina's Sheep
• The Gipsy's Cup
• The Story of a Cat
• Dumb Othmar
• The Rain Maiden
• The Ploughman and the Gnome