Little Lord Fauntleroy in Never too Late to Read Classics

Nov 23, 2009 Manybooks rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-literature, classics, grandparents, book-reviews, noblesse-oblige

Calling a child (and of course, this is most usually and generally a young boy) a Little Lord Fauntleroy often tends to be more than a bit derogatory and it can even insinuate that one thinks, that one believes the youngster in question to be supposedly rather spoiled, precocious and given to sometimes annoyingly prim and proper, rather arrogant airs and graces. But actually and truly, this is an unfortunate labelling which is in fact and indeed pretty well a majorly and strangely ironic misnome Calling a child (and of course, this is most usually and generally a young boy) a Little Lord Fauntleroy often tends to be more than a bit derogatory and it can even insinuate that one thinks, that one believes the youngster in question to be supposedly rather spoiled, precocious and given to sometimes annoyingly prim and proper, rather arrogant airs and graces. But actually and truly, this is an unfortunate labelling which is in fact and indeed pretty well a majorly and strangely ironic misnomer, as little Cedric Eroll, the main protagonist of Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1886 novel Little Lord Fauntleroy is for all intents and purposes anything BUT spoiled (for far from being the latter, far from from acting and behaving in an arrogantly entitled fashion, young Cedric actually shows a wonderful and much enviable combination of British nobility and American spirit, a sense of justice, an appreciation and support of opportunity for all). And with her novel, with Little Lord Fauntleroy, Frances Hodgson Burnett (who was born in England and then immigrated to the United States of America with her family as a child) draws heavily and most appreciatively on her own personal experiences in both England and the USA, examining in a gentle but nevertheless critical manner the prejudices of both the Americans and the English (not only towards each other, but actually also in a more general and global manner of depiction and description), analysing concepts of class, social structure, nobility, presenting the importances of family, filial love and affection (and how young and American born Cedric, with his exuberance, his gentle determinedness, his willingness to love and be loved, is able to win over his aristocratic English grandfather and his rigid, stodgy and often even nastily uncompromising ideals of class and social structure, always remaining staunchly American to a point, but also easily and joyfully adopting the best and most worthwhile tenets of Britishness, of aristocratic tradition, emerging as a wonderful and in all things grand and good combination of both).

Now while at first, young Cedric with his lovable and emotionally overflowing demeanour, his affectionate means and ways (inherited mostly from his beloved American mother, a woman utterly and vehemently despised by the grandfather, by the Earl of Dorincourt, simply for being an American and a co-called commoner) does have a strained and a trifle strange relationship with his grandfather (who had never been in any way close to his own three sons and thus does not really know what to make of Cedric, and how to act in his presence, how to approach him), slowly and sweetly, the two manage to forge a mutual understanding and appreciation of one another, with the Earl of Dorincourt increasingly allowing himself to love Cedric, to show and react with affection and tenderness, and Cedric also begins to understand his own, his British aristocratic background a bit more, becoming a bit more subdued and thoughtful, but still never losing sight of who he is, of his American inheritance and culture (with Frances Hodgson Burnett presenting in Cedric her wished for ideals of what the British aristocracy should be and should strive for, namely compassionate, understanding and responsible privilege, a caring and yes even a loving attitude towards all, but especially towards tenants, domestic help, those working underneath and for the earls, the barons, the landed gentry, a trifle paternalistic perhaps at times, but still an attitude to be feted and an attitude much more acceptable and in all ways superior to the attitude that Cedric's grandfather, that the Earl of Dorincourt had shown in the beginning, in the opening chapters of Little Lord Fauntleroy.

And now finally, while if I were to read Little Lord Fauntleroy simply as a story by itself and in and of itself, I would most probably be ranking the novel with a low to medium four stars, compared to my two favourite Frances Hodgson Burnett classics, compared to both The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, Little Lord Fauntleroy while definitely a lovely and engaging tale, a sweet enough and readable story, is still not quite as yet equally magical and spectacular, and thus, a highly rated (and perhaps even a bit guiltily so) three stars is the maximum ranking I am able and willing to choose, and do indeed stand by having chosen (for sometimes, Cedric really is just a wee bit too good to be true, a bit too perfect, an adorable little boy, no doubt, but also someone of an at times rather too obvious perfection, as even Sara Crewe in A Little Princess has her episodes of despair and silently endured angry frustration, not to mention how increasingly nuanced with both negativity and positiveness, the majority of the main characters of The Secret Garden are generally presented by Frances Hodgson Burnett as both acting and being). ...more

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May 25, 2013 Anna Kļaviņa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: british-irish, rakstniece, classic, historical-fiction, made-into-a-film, children, read-in-2013

A long time ago I saw a movie so I knew what to expect. Maybe, I would have loved this book when I was 7 and hated it when I was 14. Now at 21, I think it was OK-ish.
I wanted to give this book excuses, first Frances Hodgson Burnetts' novel, first published in 1885 and all that. But Mark Twains' The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published in the same year!
My biggest issue is Cedric Errol aka Little Lord Fauntleroy. Why? The sun shines out his backside! That's why. The supporting char ...more

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Feb 21, 2014 Laura marked it as to-read

Shelves: british-literature, fiction-19th-century, e-books, gutenberg, children-ya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alvbj...

Free download of an abridged version is available at Project Gutenberg. ...more

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Dec 29, 2017 Karen rated it really liked it

I have Burnett's complete collection, although I have read The Secret Garden and A Little Princess multiple times, I had never read this book. Burnett was born during Victorian times in Manchester England, so her books reflect the Victorian era. ...more

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