Stoic Sleep Talk In The Rain With The Female Stoic

Welcome to this Talk Myself to Sleep Stoic Series.

In this series written and produced by me,

Stephanie Poppins,

The Female Stoic,

We learn all about female authors from the past who have celebrated Stoicism in their work.

It is time to relax and fully let go.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out on a long sigh.

Feel your shoulders melt away from your ears,

Feel the pressure seep away from your cheeks and feel yourself sink deeper into the support beneath you.

Listen to my voice and let the words drift away into the dark night sky.

Happy listening.

Today's episode looks at the Stoic virtue of resilience in Susan Coolidge's book What Katie Did.

Susan Coolidge created one of the most enduring characters in American children's literature with her Katie Carr series that began in 1872.

Her portrayal of Katie Carr embodies fundamental Stoic principles that resonated deeply with the Victorian audience and established a powerful literary archetype,

The resilient girl who transforms adversity into moral strength.

The Victorian era witnessed a revival of interest in Stoic philosophy,

Particularly through Elizabeth Carter's influential 1758 translation of Epictetus's Discourses.

This became the standard English version for over a century.

As one of the Blue Stockings Circle,

Carter earned respect for the first English translation and her version has outlived every English prose translation of its day.

Carter's translation begins with the foundation principle,

Some things are in our control and others are not.

This is the dichotomy of control.

Things within our circle of control are our actions,

Our virtues,

Our morals,

Our principles.

Everything external to this is outside our circle of control.

This dichotomy becomes the philosophical backbone of Katie's transformation.

Katie Carr is the main character in what Katie did.

Her journey exemplifies this Stoic principle perfectly.

When a serious accident leaves her bedridden,

Katie initially focuses on what Carter's Epictetus identifies as not in our control,

Her body and physical circumstances,

How she finds herself after the accident.

However,

As the story develops,

We see that Katie learns by her cousin Helen's guidance to focus on things that are by nature free,

Unrestrained and unhindered.

In other words,

Her thoughts and moral responses to what has happened.

And so rather than succumb to despair,

Katie Carr learns to transform her period of confinement into an opportunity for moral growth,

An opportunity to develop patience,

Selflessness and wisdom.

In Susan Coolidge's novel What Katie Did,

The structure deliberately places obstacles in Katie's path to serve as a test of character that allows her to demonstrate Stoic resilience.

Initially the lively Katie is now bedridden and suffering terrible pain and bitterness as a result of a terrible accident that happened after she made a reckless decision to ignore her aunt's advice and take a chance on a swing that was structurally unsound.

Day after day she is forced to sleep in a room that is dark,

Dreary and cluttered with medicine bottles and when her siblings try to comfort her,

She drives them away.

These scenes represent the human response to suffering.

These scenes focus on what Epictetus describes as things not in our control,

Actions that are restrained and focused on external forces,

Things beyond Katie's control.

However the transformative moment comes when Cousin Helen introduces Katie to what she calls the School of Pain.

In this school she will learn lessons in patience,

Cheerfulness,

Hopefulness,

Neatness and making the best of things,

Which mirrors Epictetus's Stoic teaching that we must remember then if we suppose things which are slavish by nature are also free and what belongs to others is our own,

Then we will be hindered.

Cousin Helen teaches Katie to stop focusing on her physical limitations.

These belong to the realm of the body,

Specifically identified by Epictetus as beyond our control.

Cousin Helen says that instead Katie should concentrate on her moral and emotional responses,

The things that are within her circle of control.

The author's treatment of Katie's confinement particularly resonates with Carter's rendering of Stoic teachings about acceptance and inner freedom.

With Cousin Helen's help Katie makes her room tidy and nice to visit.

She gradually transforms her space from a place of bitterness into one of comfort and moral guidance.

This is mirrored in her physical transformation and it demonstrates what Carter translates as the freedom inherent in opinion,

Pursuit,

Desire,

Aversion and,

In a word,

Whatever are our own actions.

While Katie cannot control her physical condition,

She exercises complete dominion over her mental and emotional responses and this transforms her environment into a place where everybody in the family feels welcome and accepted.

It becomes the heart of the home.

Wolsey's transformation of Katie from an impulsive tomboy into a wise counsellor demonstrates the Victorian interpretation of Stoic resilience.

Before her accident Katie is described as energetic and reckless.

There are moments when it is a fine thing to be tall,

Says Susan Coolidge.

On this occasion,

Katie's long legs and arms served her an excellent turn.

This physical exuberance,

While admirable,

Lacks the deeper virtue that comes through trial.

We then see the post-accident Katie who embodies a different kind of strength.

She becomes someone who reads widely.

Nothing was so dull she couldn't get through it,

Coolidge noted.

This demonstrates the Stoic practice of finding value and meaning in whatever circumstances present themselves.

A resilience which reflects the Stoic belief that the mind,

Properly trained,

Can find nourishment and growth in any material.

The Stoic Edwardian girl archetype became popular because it offered both inspiration and practical guidance for contemporary readers.

Katie's story suggested true nobility came not from avoiding suffering but from meeting it with grace and purpose.

Her transformation provided a template.

Adversity could be transformed into virtue through proper attitude,

Discipline and moral purpose.

Indeed,

The character's appeal lay in demonstrating even a bedridden child could become a source of wisdom and strength for others.

In the book,

Katie actively engages with her circumstances.

She finds ways to contribute to her family's welfare and her own moral development.

This active approach to adversity reflects the Stoic emphasis on rational action within the bounds of what is possible,

Demonstrating that acceptance of circumstances need not mean passive resignation.

As Marcus Aurelius wrote,

Adapt yourself to the life you've been given but love the people with whom you share it.

In What Katie Did,

Katie Carr learns to love her constrained life precisely because she uses it to better serve those around her.

The novel's popularity also reflected the Stoic understanding that virtue is the only true good.

Katie's physical abilities,

Which seemed so important before her accident,

Proved to be external,

Forces that could be lost without diminishing her essential worth.

Instead we see her discover what Seneca called the invincible mind,

A strength that no external circumstance could touch because it derived from character,

Wrath and circumstance.

And this Stoic heroine template extends far beyond Susan Coolidge's series.

It is echoed in countless subsequent works of children's literature.

Characters who transform suffering into strength,

Who find joy despite limitation,

And who maintain moral purpose through adversity,

Become standard figures in the literary landscape.

This archetype proves so durable because it addresses fundamental human needs,

The desire for meaning in suffering,

And the hope that character can triumph over circumstance.

Epictetus taught us the things in our control are by nature free,

Unrestrained and unhindered.

And Katie Carr embodies this teaching perfectly.

Despite her physical restraints,

She discovers a freedom no external circumstance can touch,

The freedom to choose her responses,

To cultivate virtue and to serve others.

Stoic philosophy can be adapted for young audience,

And the Katie Carr series is proof.

This series is a good example of virtue in action,

And Katie Carr depicts perfectly that internal realm where virtue is born and character is forged.

I hope you enjoyed this episode about Katie Carr.

If you did,

You can find my audiobooks,

What Katie Did,

Katie Goes to School,

And What Katie Did Next at newworldbooks.

Uk.

Thank you for listening.

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