Mary de Morgan facts for kids

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

Mary de Morgan is not as well-known as some other fairytale writers. However, her stories are special. They were influenced by Hans Christian Andersen. Unlike many fairytales, hers often did not have a perfectly happy ending. Her characters might not become rich or powerful. Instead, they often learned how important it was to live without those things. Her stories also sometimes made fun of politics and society. 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 appeared on Jackanory Playhouse in 1981. Her brother, William de Morgan, who was a potter and novelist, drew pictures for her first book.

Mary's Life Story

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 being very direct and honest. She would sometimes tell people exactly what she thought!

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

While living with William, Mary loved to tell stories. She told them to her nephews and nieces. She also told stories to the children of her friends and family. Many of these friends were famous artists and writers. These children included Jenny and May Morris, whose father was William Morris. Young Rudyard Kipling and his sister also heard her tales. Mary de Morgan's stories were enjoyed by many.

William Morris really liked her stories. When he was very ill in 1896, Mary went to help take care of him. The Windfairies, published in 1900, was her last collection of fairytales. Mary de Morgan died in Cairo, Egypt, in 1907. She had moved there for her health because she had tuberculosis, a serious lung illness. In Cairo, she also took charge of a special school for girls in Helwan.

Mary's Beliefs and Politics

Mary de Morgan was part of a group called the Women's Franchise League. This group worked hard for women to get the right to vote. Her beliefs are clear in her fairytales. Her stories often feature strong female characters. These characters often outsmart or rescue men. For example, The Toy Princess can be seen as making fun of what society expected from women. It also showed that men in the story's kingdom faced similar expectations.

William Morris, a well-known socialist, was a close family friend. Mary told stories to his children. Some people think his political ideas influenced her writing. She made fun of mass-produced goods in stories like "Siegfried and Handa" and "The Bread of Discontent." In these tales, bad characters cause a community to stop making good, handmade items. Instead, they start making poor-quality, mass-produced goods. This leads to terrible problems. This part of her stories can be seen as a criticism of capitalism.

Mary de Morgan's stories also often show that being rich and powerful is not always a good thing. This fits with something she once said: "I am so thankful I have only a small income – it is so delightful planning things and deciding what one can afford. It would bore me to death to be rich!"

Mary's Fairytales

On a Pincushion

In her first collection, On a Pincushion, the first three stories are told in a special way. 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.

The stories in this book 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 Mary de Morgan's last collection of fairytales. It features:

• 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