不死鸟与毯子 (1904)

The Phoenix and the Carpet is a fantasy novel for children. It is written by E. Nesbit and first published in 1904. It is the second in a trilogy of novels that begins with Five Children and It (1902), and follows the adventures of the same five children: Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and the Lamb. Their mother buys the children a new carpet to replace one from the nursery that they destroyed in an accidental fire. The children find an egg in the carpet, which hatches into a talking Phoenix. The Phoenix explains that the carpet is a magic one that will grant them three wishes a day. The five children go on many adventures, which eventually wear out their magic carpet. The adventures are continued and concluded in the third book of the trilogy, The Story of the Amulet (1906).

Plot

Shortly before 5 November, celebrated in Britain as Guy Fawkes Night, when people build bonfires and set off fireworks. The four children have accumulated a small hoard of fireworks for the night, but they are too impatient to wait until 5 November to light them, so they set off a few samples in the nursery. This results in the fire that destroys the original carpet. To replace it their parents purchase a second-hand carpet, which is found to contain an egg that emits a phosphorescent glow. The children accidentally knock the egg into the fire, whereupon it hatches, revealing a golden talking Phoenix.

It transpires that this is a magic carpet that can transport the children anywhere they wish, although it is capable of fulfilling only three wishes a day. Accompanied by the Phoenix, the children have exotic adventures. There is a moment of terror when the youngest, the baby known as the Lamb, crawls onto the carpet, babbles incoherently and vanishes, but it turns out that the Lamb only desires to be with his mother.

At a few points in the novel, the children find themselves in predicaments from which the Phoenix is unable to rescue them by himself, so he goes to find the Psammead and has a wish granted for the children's sake. In addition, at the end the carpet is sent to ask the Psammead to grant the Phoenix's wish. These offstage incidents are the only contributions made by the Psammead to this story.

Four of the children (without the Lamb) attend a Christmas pantomime at a theatre in the West End of London, smuggling the Phoenix along inside Robert's coat. The Phoenix is so excited by this spectacle that he unintentionally sets fire to the theatre. All ends well when the Phoenix magically reverses the damage: no one is harmed, and the theatre remains intact.

One aspect of The Phoenix and the Carpet that is unusual for children's fantasy fiction is the fact that the magical companion does not treat all the children equally. The Phoenix favours Robert, the child who put his egg in the fire, albeit by accident, over his brother Cyril and their sisters. This is a mixed privilege, as Robert is lumbered with the duty of smuggling the Phoenix past their parents at inconvenient moments.

In the novel's final chapter, the Phoenix announces that he has reached the end of his current lifespan and must begin the cycle again, apparently on the grounds that life with the children has left him far more exhausted than he would have been in the wilderness. He lays a new egg from which he will eventually be reborn. Under the Phoenix's direction, the children prepare an altar with sweet incense, upon which the Phoenix immolates himself. The magic carpet has also reached the end of its lifespan, as it was never intended to be walked upon regularly, and, at the request of the Phoenix, it takes the egg to a place where it won't hatch again for 2,000 years. There is a happy ending, with the children receiving a parcel of gifts from an "unknown benefactor" (the Phoenix, who arranges this gift by means of a wish granted by the Psammead) and Robert receiving a single golden feather. But the feather has vanished by the evening.

The last volume in the trilogy, The Story of the Amulet, contains a minor episode in which the children travel thousands of years into the past and encounter the Phoenix, who does not recognise them because the events of the previous book have not happened yet.

Characters

Main

Cyril – the oldest of the five children. He is nicknamed Squirrel. Cyril often takes on the role of leader and is sensible and level-headed. He is also the main decision-maker for the children. Although his decisions are sometimes challenged, he often has the final say in what the children do. Between the two older boys, Cyril is more considerate of morals when making decisions.

Anthea – the second oldest of the children. Her nickname is Pantha or Panther. She takes on the role of a mother figure. She is rational, polite, considerate, and well-mannered. She also considers morals when helping to make decisions. Anthea is the one who has the sewing skills to fix the carpet and who demonstrates the most compassion and remorse for it.

Robert – the third oldest of the five children. His nickname is Bob or Bobs. The Phoenix is most attached to him because he originally dropped the egg into the fire. Although Robert is one of the younger children, he represents an adult voice in the story – he recollects and tells the other children 'facts' that he gathered from his father over the years. He is also the one child who thinks to bring candles on their adventures after experiencing the dark tower and cave on the first carpet trip. He often takes on the role of protector of his sisters and the Phoenix.

Jane – the fourth child in the family. Her nickname is Pussy. She is a stereotypical representation of a nineteenth-century 'girl' child – innocent, afraid, and in need of male protection. She is also the one who persuades the burglar to milk the cow instead of robbing the house.