It's been over one hundred years since J. M. Barrie first told the story of Peter Pan, Wendy, and Neverland. Since then, Peter Pan has been adapted countless times, and become a constant reference point in popular culture. This hour, a look at the lasting cultural and psychological impact of Peter Pan.

 

GUESTS:

• Maria Tatar: Professor emerita of folklore and mythology at Harvard University; her latest book is The Heroine with 1001 Faces; she is also the editor of The Annotated Peter Pan: The Centennial Edition

• Jonathan Russell Clark: The author of Skateboard and An Oasis of Horror in a Desert of Boredom; his writing has appeared in The New York Times, L.A. Times, The Boston Globe, and Esquire

• Ann Yeoman: A Jungian analyst and the author of Now or Neverland: Peter Pan and the Myth of Eternal Youth and the co-author of C.G. Jung's Collected Works: The Basics

MUSIC FEATURED (in order):

• I Don't Wanna Grow Up – Tom Waits

• Never Never Land – James Taylor

• I’ve Gotta Crow – Mary Martin, Kathy Nolan

• Darling Children – Alison Fraser

• I'm Flying – Mary Martin

• Captain Hook’s Waltz – Cyril Ritchard, Peter Pan Ensemble

• I Won’t Grow Up – The Fools

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on September 17, 2025.

Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.