Alumna author explores life of Beatrix Potter

	The jacket cover of Linda Lear's book, "Beatrix Potter: A Natural Life."

Renee Zellweger brings Beatrix Potter to life in the new film, "Miss Potter."

But the movie only covers a small part of the beloved British author's life. Linda Lear '62, an environmental historian and CC Trustee, tells the real story in a new biography, Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature (St. Martin's Press, 2007).

"There are so many extraordinary facets to her life, and so much that's been neglected in the focus on her children's writing and art," Lear says in an interview on the book's web site, www.bpotter.com. Potter was the first children's storyteller to merchandise her literary characters, she was a talented naturalist and she understood the importance of environmental preservation, Lear said.

"Beatrix had a talent for reinventing herself. She was driven by her imagination, and by a desire to do something useful with her life. Whenever one avenue of creativity and purposefulness was closed, she found another way," Lear said. When her contributions to natural science were dismissed, for example, she turned her earlier letters to children into books. She was crushed when her editor/fiancé died just a month after their engagement, but again found a new focus. "Beatrix bought a working farm and began a new life in the Lake District as a farmer and sheep breeder. Eventually her country life became all consuming and led to her visionary stewardship of the land," Lear said.

According to Lear, Potter's interest in botanical art and science stemmed from her upbringing in a Unitarian family that put great emphasis on scientific learning and the study of nature. Potter's talent as an artist was recognized early, and she drew whatever struck her fancy while on long holidays with her family in the Scottish countryside and later in the English Lake District.

Lear says that Potter became fascinated with fungi, painted them as beautiful objects, drew them under the microscope, and later studied how they reproduce.

Lear was enchanted by Potter's detailed drawings of mushrooms in evanescent watercolor, and in perfect botanical form. "They reminded her of fairies," Lear said. "They came and went sort of mysteriously in the grass."

Lear was interviewed about Beatrix Potter on NPR's "Morning Edition" program Dec. 28. To hear the segment, click here.