James Baquet

    If you’ve seen “Saving Mr. Banks,” you may know the story of P. L. Travers (1899-1996), the pen name of Helen Lyndon Goff. (The “Mr. Banks” of the title refers to the parents of the children in “Mary Poppins,” who allegedly represented Travers’ own stern father. )

    Born in Australia of British parents, Travers was quite a colorful character herself, although nothing like the Disney version of her creation. In fact, even Travers’ original conception of Mary Poppins was almost nothing like the Disney-fication.

    The original nanny in the stories was darker, a bit more dangerous, and not as interested in reforming the children as the adults in the households she served. Poppins is a witch at least, perhaps even a minor trickster god. A Snake King is her cousin, and she can speak to animals.

    The adventures on which she took the children weren’t quite so wholesome, either — one old lady they visit, who owns a sweets shop, breaks off her fingers and serves them to her guests. (They’re made of sugar.) The old lady also remembers when the world was made, and she and Mary Poppins climb a ladder to hang paper stars in the sky — where they become real.

    All of this comes from Travers’ lifelong fascination with mythology, the deeply held beliefs of the world’s peoples. She delved deeply into Irish myths, spent two summers living with and studying Native Americans in the United States, and went to Japan to study Zen (Chan).

    At various times an actress, a secretary, and a journalist, her real love was writing stories and essays exploring her understanding of the more mysterious side of life. She was recuperating from a serious illness when she wrote the first “Mary Poppins” book, a project she had thought about for a long time.

    Her last published work was titled “What the Bee Knows: Reflections on Myth, Symbol and Story.” It contains chapters with titles like “The World of the Hero,” “Out From Eden,” and “Le Chevalier Perdu” (The Lost Knight) — all common issues in the study of myths.

    Single for all of her life, P.L. Travers had one adopted son. She died at age 96.

    Vocabulary:

    Which word above means:

    1. according to what people say

    2. deep interest

    3. creation

    4. improving; making better

    5. turning into the style of Disney

    6. a type of god who can’t be trusted

    7. strict, serious

    8. positive, morally healthy

    9. recovering, getting better

    10. thoughts, careful consideration