17-518: The Cuckoo Clock is a British children's fantasy novel by Mary Louisa Molesworth , published in 1877 by Macmillan. It was originally published under the pen name Ennis Graham and reissued in 1882 as by Mrs. Molesworth, the name by which she is widely known. Both of those editions and many later ones were illustrated by Walter Crane ; an 1893 uniform edition is available online at the University of Pennsylvania. An edition illustrated by Maria L. Kirk
34-424: A collection of supernatural tales under the title Four Ghost Stories, and in 1896 a similar collection of six stories under the title Uncanny Tales. In addition to those, her volume Studies and Stories includes a ghost story entitled "Old Gervais" and her Summer Stories for Boys and Girls includes "Not exactly a ghost story." A new edition of The Cuckoo Clock was published in 1914. She died in 1921 and
51-420: A real child, who throws fits and is unhappy when she does not get her way. The Cuckoo, through these stories, teaches young Griselda how to control her feelings and urges. Learning the proper way to act is a major theme in many British children's books. Many books written in that age were meant for the betterment of the children reading them. In the back of a copy of Mrs. Molesworth 's The Tapestry Room there
68-523: Is a short review for The Cuckoo Clock : "A beautiful little story... It will be read with delight by every child into whose hands it is placed... Ennis Graham deserves all that praise that has been, is, and will be, bestowed on The Cuckoo Clock. Children's stories are plentiful, but one like this not to be met with every day." – Pall Mall Gazette . Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio was adapted into animated short films titled The Cuckoo Clock that released in 1950 by Tex Avery . The story began, when
85-692: Is a title in the Peerage of Ireland . It was created in 1716 for Robert Molesworth . He was made Lord Molesworth, Baron of Philipstown , of King's County, at the same time, also in the Peerage of Ireland. Molesworth had been invested as member of the Irish Privy Council in 1697, represented Camelford , Lostwithiel , East Retford and Mitchell in the British House of Commons and served as British Ambassador to Denmark . His elder son,
102-569: Is best known as a writer of books for children, such as Tell Me a Story (1875), Carrots (1876), The Cuckoo Clock (1877), The Tapestry Room (1879), and A Christmas Child (1880). She has been called "the Jane Austen of the nursery," while The Carved Lions (1895) "is probably her masterpiece." In the judgement of Roger Lancelyn Green : Mary Louisa Molesworth typified late Victorian writing for girls. Aimed at girls too old for fairies and princesses but too young for Austen and
119-531: Is buried in Brompton Cemetery , London. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Chisholm, Hugh , ed. (1911). " Molesworth, Mary Louisa ". Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 660. Viscount Molesworth Viscount Molesworth , of Swords in the County of Dublin,
136-474: Is through an enchanted object. The plot is furthered easily with the assumption that the object has no bounds of possibility. Children readers are also led to use their imagination to see all of the images the writer has concocted. Throughout the story Griselda struggles to finish her lessons during the day. The Cuckoo helps her to learn that with hard work there is eventually a reward. He rewards her greatly when she has improved in her lessons. The second half of
153-599: Is too complicated for the readers, and there is an air of conversation in the text. Throughout the novel Griselda struggles with her new place of residence. She quickly finds that what she needs most is friendship . She finds these friends first in the Cuckoo, then her maids, and finally she finds a real friend in Master Phil. It is also realized at the end that throughout the novel her aunts have been showing her examples of real love all along. This particular use of magic
170-549: The Brontës , books by Molesworth had their share of amusement, but they also had a good deal of moral instruction. The girls reading Molesworth would grow up to be mothers; thus, the books emphasized Victorian notions of duty and self-sacrifice. Typical of the time, her young characters often use a lisping style, and words may be misspelt to represent children's speech—"jography" for geography, for instance. She also took an interest in supernatural fiction . In 1888, she published
187-479: The black cat scared the sound of the cuckoo clock. Mary Louisa Molesworth Mary Louisa Molesworth , née Stewart (29 May 1839 – 20 January 1921) was an English writer of children's stories who wrote for children under the name of Mrs Molesworth . Her first novels, for adult readers, Lover and Husband (1869) to Cicely (1874), appeared under the pseudonym of Ennis Graham. Her name occasionally appears in print as M. L. S. Molesworth . Molesworth
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#1732783458506204-455: The 19th century is called the Golden age of children’s literature, because of the publication of so many notable stories that also appear in modern times. The fantasy novel for children was becoming very popular at this time. The Moral Didactic tale also continued with the popularity of the fantasy story. Often overlapping. The character of Griselda, has many interesting qualities. She is seen as
221-504: The Hon. William Molesworth, third son of the first Viscount. His son, the sixth Viscount, was a Major-General in the Army, who was lost in the wreck of Arniston . On his death, this line of the family also failed and the titles were inherited by his second cousin, the seventh Viscount. He was the eldest son of Richard, third son of the Hon. William Molesworth, third son of the first Viscount. He
238-580: The second Viscount, notably served as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sardinia , the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Republic of Venice . He was succeeded by his younger brother, the third Viscount. He was a Field Marshal in the Army. On the death of his son, the fourth Viscount, this line of the family failed, and the titles passed to the latter's first cousin, the fifth Viscount. He was the eldest son of
255-927: Was born in Rotterdam , a daughter of Charles Augustus Stewart (1809–1873), who later became a rich merchant in Manchester , and his wife Agnes Janet Wilson (1810–1883). Mary had three brothers and two sisters. She was educated in Great Britain and Switzerland, and much of her girlhood was spent in Manchester. In 1861 she married Major R. Molesworth, nephew of Viscount Molesworth ; they legally separated in 1879. She lived for an early part of her marriage in Tabley Grange, outside Knutsford in Cheshire, rented from George, 2nd Lord de Tabley . Molesworth
272-434: Was published in 1914; it is available online at HathiTrust Digital Library . A small child, Griselda, and a cuckoo from a cuckoo clock become unlikely friends. At night the clock transports her to magical places. Mrs. Molesworth's writing style is known to be very plain in context, and it has been criticized for this. But the plain text was most likely used to make the work more accessible to children. Nothing she writes
289-478: Was succeeded by his nephew, the eighth Viscount. As of 2010 , the titles are held by the latter's great-grandson, the twelfth Viscount, who succeeded his father in 1997. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh , is a descendant of the 1st Viscount through her grandmother, Margaret Rhys-Jones (née Molesworth; 1904–1985), who was the great-granddaughter of the Rev. John Molesworth , himself the father of Sir Guilford Molesworth and
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