The Role of Language in Telling The Time Period of E.b. White’s Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web

In this paper, I will be explaining how E.B. White’s use of specific dialect, speech, and phrases is important in telling the time period in which Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little were written, around the 1940s.

Introduction

The author of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, Elwyn Brooks White most commonly known as E.B. White was born on July 11, 1899 in Mount Vernon, New York. He goes by E.B because he doesn’t like his first name, one of his nicknames was Andy. His parents were Samuel Tily White and Jessie Hart, he was the youngest of six children; two older brothers and three older sisters.

E.B. White found himself getting a higher education from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. At Cornell University he was editor of the school newspaper. White graduated in 1921.

In 1925, White published his first article in The New Yorker magazine. He was officially hired by The New Yorker Magazine as a writer and contributing editor in 1927. Not only did he work for The New Yorker Magazine, but he also worked for The United Press and Seattle Times. In 1929, E.B. White married Katharine Sergeant Angell. Together they had one son.

He wrote his first book in 1945, Stuart Little. He got his inspiration from sleeping on a railway car where he dreamed about a little boy who acted like a mouse. He wrote Charlotte’s Web in 1952, his inspiration was a spider he found in his barn in Maine weaving a web. Charlotte’s Web takes place on The Zuckerman Farm, it is a big farm with a barn and a lot of animals. While a specific time period is never mentioned in either Stuart Little or Charlotte’s Web, both most likely take place in the 1940s, because of the simplicity of life.

Not only did White write children’s books, but he also wrote adult books such as Here is New York. In his life he won multiple awards. He received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. In 1971, he received the National Medal for Literature. He also won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal. In 1973, after publishing over 17 works, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. A collection of his essays was published in 1977.

E.B. White’s wife died in 1977. In White’s later years he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. He continued publishing until his death on October 1, 1985, in his home in North Brooklin, Maine at the age of 86.

Literary Criticism

When Charlotte’s Web was first published on October 15, 1952, the publishing company, Harper & Row was sceptical about a spider being the main character. White wrote Charlotte’s Web because it shows the life of a pig and a farm, it shows that a pig needed to be saved. White has always had a fascination with spiders, “Spiders are skillful, amusing and useful, and only in rare instances has anybody ever come to grief because of a spider.” (E.B. White) His inspiration came from a pregnant spider in New York, put it in a box, and brought the spider to his home in Maine. White’s writing was controversial because many people thought talking about death in a children’s fictional book was wrong, but White never saw an issue with it.

A few weeks before Charlotte’s Web was released, White released an essay on why he wrote it. “Animals are a weakness with me, and when I got a place in the county I was quite sure animals would appear, and they did.” (E.B White) His reason for writing it was because of his love and fascination for animals, especially his special connection to one of his pigs.

Many literary criticism was written about Charlotte’s Web, both good and bad. “By the first few pages, I was hooked, drawn into a barnyard world that felt more real than anything I had ever encountered on the page.” he also said “I was in tears, the first time a book ever elected that reaction from a book.” Puffin views Charlotte’s Web as a new and different book, he often said that it is different from anything like it. Puffin thought very highly of Charlotte’s Web. According to Puffin’s essay, it is about a farm girl who saves a pig from being killed, the pig later goes into the Zuckerman’s farm, the pig was saved by a spider, named Charlotte. It is a story about true friendship, and it shows the beauty of death. In the end, the pig is saved but Charlotte dies when she lays her eggs.

Some more positive feedback about Charlotte’s Web, according to Publisher’s Weekly Magazine, Charlotte’s Web is the number one children’s book in America. Besides White’s fascination with spiders, he wrote it because of his anxiety. Two things calmed his anxiety, animals and writing, In Charlotte’s Web he combined those two things. In E.B. White’s old age, as he suffered from Alzheimer’s his son would read him his writings.

‘The Story of Charlotte’s Web’ was written by Micheal Sims who wanted to understand how Charlotte’s Web was written. He visited White’s barn in Maine. White created a fictional version of the barn and its animals from his childhood.

There were also negative views on White’s writing of Charlotte’s Web. In ‘Let’s Ruin Some Childhoods: Charlotte’s Web’, Tansy Rayner Roberts said, “Seriously, it’s about how the female spider does all the work, the male pig gets all the glory and then she dies happily at the end.” She is saying that there is some unrealistic expectations and sexism in Charlotte’s Web. The essay also talks about how Wilbur is constantly asking for help because he knows that they are fattening him up, he never tried to save himself until Charlotte died.

E.B. White’s Stuart Little, a literature classic, also received literary criticism, mostly negative. White first dreamed about Stuart Little in the 1920s, but didn’t publish it until 1945. It’s a story about a boy who looks like a mouse. It was a controversial story because the main character is so independent, there isn’t a clear difference between being an adult and being a child, thus people thought that only older children should read it. Small characters are seen as large heroes, which places a false image in a child’s head.

Stuart Little is meant to be an empowerment story. The story shows maturity. Many people wonder if Stuart should be treated like an animal or a human, his parents often treat him like an animal. For example, when her ring fell down the drain, Stuart’s mom asked him to go down the drain and retrieve it. Stuart goes on adventures throughout New York and the country. Positively, Malcom Cowley described it as “the parts of Stuart Little are greater than the whole.” And “Stuart's unconventional view of the world brings the loftiness of New York City repeatedly under his microscopic scrutiny”. 

Author’s Words

The reader can tell the time period projected in Charlotte’s Web by the dialect and contexts of words used in the book. The time period can be told through the word ‘Papa’, in the 1940s it may have been common to call a father papa, but in 2020 most people call their father dad. Similarly, the word ‘carriage’ shows time the period, because in 2020 they are commonly called strollers. “I am a glutton but not a merry-maker”, it is saying that the rat does not want to play with Wilbur, the oig, because that isn’t its job, it is saying that the rat is selfish. When Wilbur and Charlotte first met, Charlotte introduced herself by saying, “Salutations”. Wilbur even found this term odd, but Charlotte is much older than the baby pig, in 2020 instead of saying salutations one would just say hello. The use of the word “blundered” shows the time period because in 2020 noone says blundered. The use of the word “furthermore” shows the time period because in 2020 one would say also instead. “Early summer days are a jubilee time for birds” Jubilee means joyful and happy but not commonly used in 2020. “Lurvy took out an enormous handkerchief and blew his nose very loud”. In 2020 most people will use tissues rather than a handkerchief. “He scampered over to the crate, crawled between the slats, and pulled straw up over him so he was hidden from sight.” The word scampered is not commonly used in 2020. “There was my cousin, slipping in, dodging out, beaten mercilessly over the head by the wildly thrashing fish.” The use of the word mercilessly shows the time period.

The reader can also tell the time period in Stuart Little through the dialect and context. Stuart Little’s bed was made out of a cigarette box, nowadays a child’s book would not mention a cigarette box, let alone have a child sleep in it. “Said George who was a trifle annoyed that his hook idea hadn’t worked.” The use of time period can be told through the word trifle, meaning little. “Stuart would slip on his handsome wool wrapper.” Today, they are most commonly referred to as robes. “He looked like a little old friar pulling the bellrope in an abbey.” You can tell the time period because White says friar and abbey, which are two outdated religious terms. On page 14, a wash basin is mentioned, in today's period people call these sinks. Similarly, on page 80, a wastebasket is mentioned, which is now commonly knowns as a trashcan.“Holy Mackerel.” This is an old saying that is rarely used now but it shows excitement or suprised. Finally, “Then he hid behind a candlestick and waited, listening, and watching.” Candle sticks are not used often anymore because of the electric lightbulb.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the literary criticism written about Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little shows that the time period took place around the 1940s.