One of Rumer Godden's favorite axioms came from an Indian proverb that says - "Everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person".
Shortly after World War II
THE DOLLS' HOUSE was published. It was written by Rumer Godden and illustrated by Tasha Tudor and focuses on a family of dolls living in a 100 year old dolls house belonging to sisters Emily and Charlotte Dane who had inherited it from their great-aunt. It took Myra and I back to our girlhood days with its almost obsessive, detailed descriptions of the splendid, well equipped dolls' house and the clothing and characteristics of each doll. The unusual aspect of the book was the sensitive way it took us into that "emotional room" as it strongly conveyed the wishes, schemes, confusions, disappointments, and aspirations of the characters. We found ourselves astounded by the wisdom and leadership of
Tottie, the small wooden, farthing doll who kept the family on solid ground; shuddering with disdain at the nastiness of the beautiful but arrogant antique china doll called
Marchpane; and weeping at the inward beauty of
Birdie, the happy and optimistic Christmas Cracker doll made of celluloid doll who gave her life to save the baby boy doll,
Apple. (Sacrificial love is an element of most classic writings because if speaks to our deepest need.)
"Dolls are not like people, people choose, but dolls can only be chosen."
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Bonnie R
| “ | Dolls are not like people, people choose, but dolls can only be chosen | ” |
| “ | Dolls are not like people, people choose, but dolls can only be chosen | ” |
