Escaping Christopher Robin
Title and/or Affiliation
Associate Professor of English and Humanities at Community College of Philadelphia
Presenter Bio
Kathleen Murphey is an associate professor of English and Humanities at Community College of Philadelphia. She has presented at over 50 regional and national conferences. In addition to academic writing, she has done creative writing (retellings of fairy tales, protest poetry, etc.) and some creative visual art (collage on paper mache masks, subversive knitting pieces, and composite photographs). More about her is available through her website, https://www.kathleenmurphey.com/.
Session
Pooh's Roots
Start Date
10-7-2026 3:15 PM
End Date
10-7-2026 4:30 PM
Abstract
There is a difference between being an author and being a character in a book. The author remains the author always. The character may well grow out of his part—Christopher Milne, The Enchanted Places (1974)
A.A. Milne (1882-1956), the writer and playwright, is most known for his creation of Winnie-the-Pooh of the 100 Acre Wood. His son, Christopher Robin Milne (1920-1996), features predominantly in these stories and poems as Christopher Robin. However, Christopher Milne struggled with the character his father created of him and his true self, and these are the pleasures and problems explored here of Christopher Robin, Christopher Milne, and A.A. Milne in the four collections, Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), The House at Pooh Corner (1928), When We Were Very Young (1924), and Now We Are Six (1927).
Escaping Christopher Robin
There is a difference between being an author and being a character in a book. The author remains the author always. The character may well grow out of his part—Christopher Milne, The Enchanted Places (1974)
A.A. Milne (1882-1956), the writer and playwright, is most known for his creation of Winnie-the-Pooh of the 100 Acre Wood. His son, Christopher Robin Milne (1920-1996), features predominantly in these stories and poems as Christopher Robin. However, Christopher Milne struggled with the character his father created of him and his true self, and these are the pleasures and problems explored here of Christopher Robin, Christopher Milne, and A.A. Milne in the four collections, Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), The House at Pooh Corner (1928), When We Were Very Young (1924), and Now We Are Six (1927).