User:Ekg34/Madeline (book)

Madeline (Book)

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Madeline is a 1939 book written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans. Inspired by the life experiences of its author/illustrator, it is the first in the book series of seventeen books, which inspired the Madeline media franchise. It is considered one of the major classics of children's literature through the age range of 3 to 8 years old. The book is known for its rhyme scheme and colorful images of Paris, with an appeal to both children and adults.

 Background 

Madeline was inspired by the experiences of its Austrian-American author and illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans. Bemelmans spent his first years raised in a hotel in Austria, a dull setting in which he became known for causing trouble. His bold personality contrasts with this post-war setting seen depicted through Madeline’s personality. He was sent to a private school, but after a disciplinary incident was sent to America where he joined the U.S. Army. He took his inspiration from the war and began drawing cartoons of people around his hotel business, which marked the beginning of his interest in illustrating children’s books.

The women in Bemelmans' life including his wife Madeleine and daughter Barbara provided inspiration for creating the main character Madeline. (Heins) He also used inspiration from his life within the plot, such as by including some of the experiences of his mother’s time at boarding school. The plot notably portrays a traumatic event in Bemelmans' life, when he was taken to the hospital after a bicycle accident. This can be seen depicted through Madeline’s experience of emergency appendix surgery.

During his post-war time in America, he met a publisher who encouraged him to write children’s books. Ultimately this publisher rejected Madeline for being too sophisticated for a child audience with images that were too expensive to print.

Summary

The story is set in an all-girls boarding school in Paris, France. The opening rhyming sentences were repeated at the start of the subsequent books in the series:

In an old house in Paris

That was covered in vines

Lived twelve little girls

In two straight lines.

Madeline is the smallest of the girls. She is seven years old, and the only redhead. The group’s troublemaker, she is the bravest and most daring of the girls, flaunting at "the tiger in the zoo" and giving Miss Clavel a headache as she goes around the city engaging in all sorts of antics.

One night, Miss Clavel wakes up, sensing something wrong. She rushes to the girls' bedroom and sees Madeline crying. A pediatrician named Doctor Cohn is called and takes Madeline to the hospital because she has a ruptured appendix. Hours later, Madeline finds herself recuperating in the hospital. She is greeted by her classmates and Miss Clavel, who gives her flowers and a doll house from her Papa. In return, Madeline shows them her scar. Madeline's classmates and Miss Clavel go home, but Miss Clavel wakes up again to find the other little girls wailing, demanding to "have their appendix out too". Miss Clavel assures them that they're all well and calls on them to go to sleep.

 Style 

The style and creative efforts put into Madeline contribute to its status as a classic. Madeline’s pleasing rhyme contributes to its timeless success. The rhyme scheme is representative of themes of regularity and irregularity, seen through its initial symmetrical verse transitioning into pages of mixed meter with irregular rhyme.

The notable style of the illustrations includes the window in the book technique, which create the effect that the book is an illusion and not reality. The illustrations also balance symmetry and asymmetry between the framing and images which tie into the plot, for example the recurring symbol of the girls walking in two straight lines. There is a balance between order and disorder, seen through the contrast between the symmetry of the buildings and nature against the chaos that occurs within the book's plot.

 Analysis 

Madeline's being set in Paris, France and written during WWII impacts how it is read and received. The setting of Paris specifically appealed to Americans during the war, as the city was a symbol of Western Civilization. Its foreign beauty portrayed within the book's images built a sense of American longing to visit and protect such an appealing and chic city. Bemelmans' paintings are a lasting cultural representation of Paris, and are definitive for those who have never been there to see it for themselves. Bemelmans continued to set his books in an idealistic version of Paris, despite their creation during the chaos of war, maintaining the city’s pristine reputation. Along with the book's positive representation of Paris, Bemelmans’ expressionistic style of art also contributed to the popularity of Madeline. This art style was very popular at the time, making the book a success with adults beyond its success with children.

Critical reception
Madeline was named a Caldecott Honor Book for 1940 and a subsequent book in the Madeline series, Madeline's Rescue, earned a Caldecott Medal in 1954. This book was also an ALA Notable Children's Book.[ citation needed]

Film
In 1952, this story was adapted into a 6-minute animation by United Productions of America. The film was nominated for the 1952 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. In 2013, it became available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.