The familiar figure of
Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of
fairy taleA fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
s and
nursery rhymeThe term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
s which are often published as
Mother Goose Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one "nursery rhyme". A
Christmas pantomimePantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
called
Mother Goose is often performed in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The so-called "Mother Goose" rhymes and stories have formed the basis for many classic British pantomimes. Mother Goose is generally depicted in literature and book illustration as an elderly country woman in a tall hat and shawl, a costume identical to the peasant costume worn in Wales in the early 20th century, but is sometimes depicted as a
gooseThe word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
(usually wearing a
bonnetBonnets are a variety of headgear for both sexes, which have in common only the absence of a brim. Bonnet derives from the same word in French, where it originally indicated a type of material...
).
Identity
Mother Goose is the name given to an archetypal country woman. English readers were familiar with
Mother Hubbard"Old Mother Hubbard" is an English language nursery rhyme, first printed in 1805 and among the most popular publications of the nineteenth century. The exact origin and meaning of the rhyme is disputed...
, already a stock figure when
Edmund SpenserEdmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and one of the greatest poets in the English...
published his satire "Mother Hubbard's tale", 1590; with the superstitious advice on getting a husband or a wife of "Mother Bunch", who was credited with the fairy stories of
Madame d'AulnoyMarie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d'Aulnoy , also known as Countess d'Aulnoy, was a French writer known for her fairy tales...
when they first appeared in English. Mother Goose is credited with the Mother Goose stories and rhymes; yet no specific writer has ever been identified with such a name. An early mention appears in an aside in a versified chronicle of weekly happenings that appeared regularly for several years, Jean Loret's
La Muse Historique, collected in 1650. His remark,
...comme un conte de la Mère Oye ("...like a Mother Goose story") shows that the term was already familiar.
Other references to "mère l'oye" or "mère oye" occur in earlier French writings. A compilation of satires published in 1626 mentions "un conte d'Urgande et de ma mère l'Oye," (
Les satyres de Saint-Regnier). Guy de la Brosse, in his 1628 work
De la nature, vertu et utilite de plantes, mentions "contes de la mère oye." And in
Pieces Curieuses en suite de celles du Sieur de St. Germain, a piece written in 1638 reads "... tout ce que je fais imprimer dans mes Gazettes passe desormais pour des contes de ma mère l'oye, et des fables du moisne Bourry pour amuser le peuple... ." A side note reads: "Dont l'on fait peur aux petits enfans a Paris."
In spite of evidence to the contrary, there are doubtful reports, familiar to tourists to
BostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
,
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
that the original Mother Goose was a Bostonian wife of an Isaac Goose, either named Elizabeth Foster Goose (1665–1758) or Mary Goose (d. 1690, age 42) who is interred at the
Granary Burying GroundFounded in 1660, the Granary Burying Ground in Massachusetts is the city of Boston's third-oldest cemetery. Located on Tremont Street, it is the final resting place for many notable Revolutionary War-era patriots, including three signers of the Declaration of Independence, Paul Revere and the five...
on Tremont Street. According to Eleanor Early, a Boston travel and history writer of the 1930s and '40s, the original Mother Goose was a real person who lived in Boston in the 1660s. She was reportedly the second wife of Isaac Goose (alternatively named Vergoose or Vertigoose), who brought to the marriage six children of her own to add to Isaac's ten. After Isaac died, Elizabeth went to live with her eldest daughter, who had married Thomas Fleet, a publisher who lived on Pudding Lane (now Devonshire Street). According to Early, "Mother Goose" used to sing songs and ditties to her grandchildren all day, and other children swarmed to hear them. Finally, her son-in-law gathered her jingles together and printed them.
In
The Real Personages of Mother Goose (1930), Katherine Elwes Thomas submits that the image and name "Mother Goose", or "Mère l'Oye", may be based upon ancient legends of the wife of King
Robert II of FranceRobert II , called the Pious or the Wise , was King of France from 996 until his death. The second reigning member of the House of Capet, he was born in Orléans to Hugh Capet and Adelaide of Aquitaine....
,
Berthe la fileuse ("Bertha the Spinner") or
Berthe pied d'oie ("Goose-Foot Bertha" ), called in the Midi the
reine Pedauque who, according to Thomas, is often referred in French legends as spinning incredible tales that enraptured children. The authority on the Mother Goose tradition, Iona Opie, does not give any credence to either the Elwes Thomas or the Boston suppositions.
Perrault's "Tales of my Mother Goose"
The initiator of the literary fairy tale genre,
Charles PerraultCharles Perrault was a French author who laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from pre-existing folk tales. The best known include Le Petit Chaperon rouge , Cendrillon , Le Chat Botté and La Barbe bleue...
, published in 1695 under the name of his son a collection of fairy tales
Histoires ou contes du temps passés, avec des moralités, which grew better known under its subtitle, "Contes de ma mère l'Oye" or "Tales of my Mother Goose". Perrault's publication marks the first authenticated starting-point for Mother Goose stories.
In 1729 there appeared an English translation of Perrault's collection,
Robert Samber's
Histories or Tales of Past Times, Told by Mother Goose (London, 1729), which introduced "
Sleeping BeautySleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault or Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm is a classic fairytale involving a beautiful princess, enchantment, and a handsome prince...
", "
Little Red Riding HoodLittle Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
", "
Puss in Boots'Puss' is a character in the fairy tale "The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots" by Charles Perrault. The tale was published in 1697 in his Histoires ou Contes du temps passé...
", "
Cinderella"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
" and other Perrault tales to English-speaking audiences. These were
fairy taleA fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
s.
The first public appearance of the Mother Goose stories in the New World was in
Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, where printer Isaiah Thomas reprinted Samber's volume under the same title, in 1786.
Mother Goose as nursery rhymes
John NewberyJohn Newbery was an English publisher of books who first made children's literature a sustainable and profitable part of the literary market. He also supported and published the works of Christopher Smart, Oliver Goldsmith and Samuel Johnson...
published a compilation of English rhymes,
, or, Sonnets for the Cradl 1791 edition of
Mother Goose's Melody (
on-line) which switched the focus from fairy tales to nursery rhymes, and in English this was until recently the primary connotation for Mother Goose.
A book of poems for children entitled
Mother Goose's Melody was published in England in 1781, and the name "Mother Goose" has been associated with children's poetry ever since.
In 1837,
John Bellenden Ker GawlerJohn Bellenden Ker, originally John Gawler was an English botanist born about 1764 in Ramridge, Andover, Hampshire and died in June 1842 in the same town. On 5 November 1804 he changed his name to Ker Bellenden, but continued to sign his name as Bellenden Ker until his death...
published a book (with a 2nd-volume sequel in 1840) deriving the origin of the
Mother Goose rhymes from
FlemishFlemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
('Low Dutch') puns.
In music,
Maurice RavelJoseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
wrote
Ma mère l'oyeMa mère l'oye is a musical work by French composer Maurice Ravel.-Piano versions:Ravel originally wrote Ma mère l'oye as a piano duet for the Godebski children, Mimi and Jean, ages 6 and 7. Ravel dedicated this work for four hands to the children...
, a suite for the
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, which he then orchestrated for a
balletBallet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
. There is also a song called "
Mother Goose"Mother Goose" is a song by the British multi-genre band Jethro Tull. It is the fourth track from their album Aqualung which was released in 1971. The lyrics are a pastiche of surreal figures based on images that Ian Anderson saw while wandering around Hampstead Heath. The song is mostly acoustic...
" by
progressive rockProgressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band
Jethro TullJethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
from their 1971
Aqualung album. The song seems to be unrelated to the figure of Mother Goose since she is only the first of many surreal images that the narrator encounters and describes through the lyrics.
"Old Mother Goose"
In addition to being the purported authoress of nursery rhymes, Mother Goose is herself the title character of one such rhyme:
- Old Mother Goose,
- When she wanted to wander,
- Would ride through the air
- On a very fine gander.
- Jack's mother came in,
- And caught the goose soon,
- And mounting its back,
- Flew up to the moon.
Pantomime
The transition from a shadowy generic figure to one with such concrete actions was effected at a
pantomimePantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
Harlequin and Mother Goose: or, The Golden Egg in 1806-07, Ryoji Tsurumi has shown; The pantomime was first performed at the
Theatre Royal, Drury LaneThe Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
, 29 December, and many times repeated in the new year.
Harlequin and Mother Goose: or, The Golden Egg, starring the famous clown
Joseph GrimaldiJoseph Grimaldi , was an English actor and comedian who is perhaps best known for his invention of the modern day whiteface clown. He chiefly appeared at Drury Lane in pantomime where his greatest success was appearing in Harlequin and Mother Goose; or the Golden Egg and followed with a successful...
, was written by
Thomas DibdinThomas John Dibdin was an English dramatist and song-writer.Dibdin was the son of Charles Dibdin, a song-writer and theatre manager, and of Mrs Davenet, an actress whose real name was Harriet Pitt. He was apprenticed to his maternal uncle, a London upholsterer, and later to William Rawlins,...
, who invented the actions suitable for a Mother Goose brought to the stage, and recreated her as a witch-figure, Tsurumi notes: in the first scene the stage directions show her raising a storm and, for the very first time, flying a gander. The magical Mother Goose transformed the old miser into
PantaloonPantaloon or Pantaloons may refer to:*Pantaloons, a style of trousers*Pantaloon Retail India, a large retailer in India*The Pantaloons, an English touring theatre company*Pantaloon, a character in the Harlequinade-See also:...
of the
commedia dell'arteCommedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
and the British pantomime tradition, and the young lovers Colin and Colinette, into
ColumbineColumbine is a fictional character in the Commedia dell'Arte. She is Harlequin's mistress, a comic servant playing the tricky slave type, and wife of Pierrot...
and "Clown". Played
en travestiCross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
by Samuel Simmons— a pantomime tradition that survives today— she also raises a ghost in a macabre churchyard scene.
Other examples
- Books by L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
and illustrator W.W. Denslow in the late 1890s featured Mother Goose and Father GooseFather Goose: His Book is a collection of nonsense poetry for children, written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow, and first published in 1899. Though generally neglected a century later, the book was a groundbreaking sensation in its own era; "once America's best-selling children's...
.
- Tales of Brother Goose
Tales of Brother Goose, written by Brett Nicholas Moore, was a satirical book published in May 2006 which pokes fun at the classic Mother Goose tales.The narrator of the stories is Brother Goose, who is the son of Mother Goose...
by Brett Nicholas Moore, a book of short stories published in 2006, satirizes Mother Goose stories with modern dialogue and cynical humor.
List of Adaptations of Mother Goose
The classic Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes revamped with a distinct motif by modern authors.
- Mother Goose in Prose
Mother Goose in Prose is a collection of twenty-two children's stories based on Mother Goose nursery rhymes. It was the first children's book written by L. Frank Baum, and the first book illustrated by Maxfield Parrish. It was originally published in 1897 by Way and Williams of Chicago, and...
by L. Frank BaumLyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
- "Mother Goose and her Fabulous Puppet Friends" by Diane Ligon
- The Space Child's Mother Goose by Frederick Winsor: Mother Goose for scientific children.
- eNursery Rhymes by Mother Mouse: Mother Goose in the computer nursery.
- Nursery Rhymes Old and New: Mother Goose meets Mother Mouse face to face.
- Mother Goose Tells the Truth About Middle Age by Sydney Altman: Mother Goose for baby boomers.
- New Adventures Of Mother Goose by Bruce Lansky: Mother Goose with the violence abridged.
- Christian Mother Goose by Marjorie Ainsborough Decker: Mother Goose gets religion.
- The Inner City Mother Goose by Eve Merriam
-Writing career:Merriam's first book was the 1946 Family Circle, which won the Yale Younger Poets Prize.Her book, The Inner City Mother Goose, was described as one of the most banned books of the time. It inspired a 1971 Broadway musical called Inner City and a 1982 musical production called Street...
: Urban Mother Goose.
- Black Mother Goose Book by Elizabeth Murphy Oliver: Ethnic Mother Goose.
- Mother Goosed - Brighton Gay Panto, by the Pure Corn Company
The Pure Corn Company was started in 1976 by comedian Lee Tracey at The Theatre Royal Stratford East, and saw such faces as Michael Barrymore, Bobby Davro, Chubby Oates, Billy Wells, Tommy Osborne, Nick Berry, Nuts & Bolts, Barbra Sumner, Betty Smith, Gertrude Shilling, Phil Starr, Kenny Baker,...
2010.
Regionally flavored Mother Geese.
- The Alaska Mother Goose: North Country Nursery Rhymes by Shelley Gill
- An Appalachian Mother Goose by James Still
James Still was an American poet, novelist and folklorist. He lived most of his life in a log house along the Dead Mare Branch of Little Carr Creek, Knott County, Kentucky...
- Tutu Nene: The Hawaiian Mother Goose Rhymes by Debra Ryll
- Texas Mother Goose by David Davis
David Davis may refer to:*David Davis , Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Council*David Davis , British Conservative Member of Parliament, Conservative leadership candidate in 2001 and 2005*David Davis , head of the BBC's Children's Hour*David Davis ,...
- Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes Texas Style by Vicki Nichols
- Deep in the Desert by Rhonda Lucas Donald, illustrated by Sherry Neidigh
See also
- List of children's songs
- List of children's stories
- Luis van Rooten
Luis van Rooten, was an American film actor. He was christened Luis d'Antin van Rooten.Van Rooten earned his BA at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as an architect before deciding to pursue film work in Hollywood during World War II...
, Mots d'Heures: Gousses, Rames (1967).
- Mother Goose and Grimm
Mother Goose and Grimm is an internationally syndicated comic strip by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Peters. It was first syndicated in 1984 and is distributed by King Features Syndicate to more than 800 newspapers...
, a comic strip
External links