A. A. Milne: A Study of His Work and Writing Advice

The Humorous Punch

Known best as the author of the Winnie-the-Pooh adventure stories, Alan Alexander Milne, abbreviated A. A. Milne, was born on January 18th of 1882 in London. Upon receiving a scholarship in mathematics, Milne studied math at Trinity College of the University of Cambridge, where he contributed to the student magazine, Granta, as a writer and editor. During this time Milne discovered his affinity for writing, and upon graduation in 1903, moved to London. Early in his career, a magazine that took stock of Milne’s work was Punch, a British literary magazine on humor. From the year 1906 until 1914, A. A. Milne contributed his humorous essays to Punch as the assistant editor of the magazine.

THE DIABOLIST: One of the humorous pieces A. A. Milne wrote, titled “The Diabolist”, was published when the game was a trendy and competitive pastime. Diabolo is played by throwing a two-headed top, known as a bobbin, into the air before catching it with a string stretched between two sticks. The comedic essay features a young man visiting a couple of his friends where they practice their diabolo skills and speak to one another of their personal records. The characters’ main goal is to improve the amount of time their bobbin might remain in the air and also increase their tally of times the bobbin is caught. 

Milne uses humor to portray the obsessive nature that possessed people during the diabolo craze taking Great Britain by storm around 1908. Milne cleverly tells the story between a sequential tallying of times the bobbin is caught by the main character; Thereby showing how prevalent this trend was through the continued and perpetual use of the bobbin tally. An interesting feature in this piece is the main character’s mention of authors Wordsworth and Keats. This is done in the context of reciting their works in order to keep time of how long the bobbin is in the air. The piece, “The Diabolist” is humorous in that each of the characters is attempting to further their personal diabolo records through whatever means necessary; whether that be breaking lights or spinning various foods (including soup). Milne uses silly examples of circumstance to demonstrate the popularity and widespread attention this trend received.

WWI Playwright 

After writing for the British literary magazine Punch for eight years and establishing himself as a writer, A. A. Milne goes on to become an accomplished playwright. During the time of World War I, which lasted from 1914 until 1918, Milne was an able-bodied young man of 32 years when the war began. Despite previously declaring himself a pacifist, in 1915 Milne enlisted in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. After an injury, he then worked in the Royal Corps of Signals, which oversaw communications throughout the war, and was accountable for writing military-related propaganda and press releases. 

Milne’s first play, Wurzel-Flummery, was written during his time in the military. He explicates that during his time with Punch, he felt as though the risk of writing plays, which are not guaranteed any commission, were not worth time he could otherwise spend writing articles that are certain to be published. However, after being freed from the pressure to strictly write essays, A. A. Milne experimented with playwriting. The humor Milne wove into his plays’ narratives were a way of entertaining himself during his time as a professional soldier, explaining that although he and his writing partner did not assume they would profit from this endeavor, they certainly hoped so. Throughout his career, Milne totals 18 published plays.

WURZEL-FLUMMERY: Milne’s Wurzel-Flummery premiered in London, April 1917: one year and seven months before WWI would officially come to an end. A.A. Milne’s one-act play could not have been produced at a more opportune time. Because the purpose of the play was to evoke laughter, this play was critically acclaimed in providing comedic relief during the time when WWI was a prominent stressor in the country. The plot of the play portrays two men who receive a proposal to gain a considerable amount of money for the price of changing their reputable family names to the silly “Wurzel-Flummery”. The characters both consider the opportunity and potential sacrifice of their names in a comedic manner. Milne had originally written the play to be seen in three acts. However, through the possibility that the play might be produced if he could reduce it to two acts, Milne explains how he slashed characters and whittled the piece down to what he deems the best version of the play, told in one act.

THE RED HOUSE MYSTERY: As a fan of the mystery genre in his childhood, Milne takes a venture into the territory and devises his own detective novel after establishing himself as a playwright, the only mystery of his three published novels. Featuring the adept Detective Anthony Gillingham and published in 1922,The Red House Mystery earned massive praise and has surprisingly outlasted its time in regard to the “life expectancy” average of such works. The novel was one of Milne’s bestsellers until the invention of his most famous work, Winnie-the-Pooh, around 1925. In his creation of the sleuth Anthony Gillingham, Milne competently crafts his characters with the depth and dynamic that comes from such an experienced author; in doing so, he celebrates Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes with the portrayal of his witty, amateurish detective and sidekick Bill Beverley. 

The novel captured the attention of Raymond Chandler, founder of hardboiled detective fiction. In 1944, Chandler composed a literary criticism through his case study essay of A. A. Milne’s The Red House Mystery. While Chandler commends the timeless quality of the novel, he finds fault with Milne’s main character who seemed necessary to the story exclusively due to the incompetence of the police. The plausibility of the scheme was also an issue in Chandler’s opinion, but he compliments the charm and technique in which Milne applies within this charming book. In addition to those criticisms of one of the leading authors in the genre, Milne’s The Red House Mystery is often overlooked due to the tremendous “Winnie-the-Pooh”. Tragically, when examined comparatively to the global ascendancy of Milne’s children’s books, the consensus accepts Milne’s only detective novel as a rather unimpressive work from the otherwise experienced author. Refuting this, Milne states later in an introduction to his The Red House Mystery that his composition of the book was to quell his personal passion for the genre.

Teddy, Mr. Edward Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh

Although A. A. Milne was already an established writer before his most famous creation known as Winnie-the-Pooh, it remains the most recognizable work from the author. The children’s books Milne penned feature the lovable bear that was originally inspired by a 20” tall teddy bear bought at Harrods department store in London. This bear was intended for A. A. Milne and his wife’s son. After marriage to Dorothy de Selincourt in 1913, the couple had a son seven years later, who would one day become a central character of Milne’s children’s works. The teddy bear, first named “Mr. Edward Bear”, who would come to be on the cover of children’s books and Disneyland souvenirs, was gifted to young Christopher Robin Milne on the child’s first birthday in 1921. Milne’s son Christopher Robin and the stuffed animals he enjoyed playing with were the source of Milne’s characters in the books. Today, the original teddy bear and stuffed friends reside on display at The New York Public Library, far removed from the rough and tumble adventures they once experienced with their real-life friend Christopher Robin Milne.

TEDDY BEAR: The beloved Pooh made his first literary appearance as “Teddy” in a poem titled simply, “Teddy Bear”. The poem was among a collection for children in the book When We Were Very Young, published in 1924, and features illustrations by artist Ernest H. Shepard. Within the thirteen stanzas of eight lines and end rhymes, Milne depicts a delightful tubby bear finding pride in his short and stout stature after meeting a handsome fellow, a King no less, of similar build. “Teddy Bear” begins with a stanza similar to the one that it ends with, allowing the reader to feel that the story has come full-circle. Although we find Teddy in a similar spot as before, contemplating his stature, he now has a new experience that has changed his perspective for the better. Milne craftily keeps the verse light while conveying the rather heavy topic of self-confidence in one’s appearance. 

WINNIE-THE-POOH: The infamous “Winnie-the-Pooh” is rendered through a total of 70,000 words by A. A. Milne, including four books and two collections of poetry. Among the characters are Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet, and the fictional boy who borrows his name from the real-life Christopher Robin. These characters embark on adventures as friends through the fictional setting, “The 100 Acre Wood”, based on the Ashdown Forest of Sussex, England. Milne employs his techniques of written charm and witty humor throughout the lines of his books. However, Milne’s children’s works are anything but simple and baseless stories. His work often includes messages of community, improvement and acceptance conveyed in a pleasant way. One example of this is found in the melancholic character known as Eeyore, and the life lesson of kindness: “A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference,” writes Milne in Winnie-the-Pooh. After the release of When We Were Very Young, Milne published Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926. Now We Are Six, another collection of poetry was published in 1927, just one year following the second book in the Pooh series. The House at Pooh Corner was Milne’s final book featuring Winnie-the-Pooh, published in 1928. These light-hearted children’s adventures comprising the Winnie-the-Pooh series were widely accepted and effectively thrust Milne upwards and into new heights of popularity. 

Whimsical Resentment

A. A. Milne despised the fact that after his long career as an author, he was most commonly known as a “whimsical” writer of light verse for children. When considering the amount of work penned by the author, it is not difficult to understand why his light-hearted exploration of the children’s literature genre irritatingly eclipses his more serious works in comedy. Before his rise to fame within the children’s genre, Milne had thought of declining an editor’s request to write some verses for a new children’s magazine, yet instead his decision to indulge in the request became his foremost achievement. 

It is understood that the author preferred to be recognized for his humorous literary works rather than his whimsical children’s books. It often surprises those who know not of Milne’s work, to learn of his many other works including standalone novels, plays, collections of poetry and works of non-fiction. When one work overshadows all other accomplishments that an author may be considerably more proud of, it is no wonder why Milne felt a certain disappointment, trapped in the perpetual comparison of the sentimental “Winnie-the-Pooh” to his other works. Resenting the expectation to write only as a children’s author, Milne continuously labored throughout the 1930s and ‘40s to write for more mature audiences, authoring works of non-fiction, war books, and collections of short story, but was unable to maintain the same volume of interest that Pooh had done in captivating all ages.

Not only was the popularity of his light verse disappointing to author A. A. Milne himself, but it was also quite traumatic for his son. Christopher Robin Milne held resentment toward his father and attempted to remove himself from the characterized Christopher Robin as much as he could. The boy insisted on being called “Billy Moon” and his family obliged. He refused to accept any royalties paid to compensate him for the character who borrowed his name and nature, and never quite forgave his parents for the upset his fictional counterpart’s popularity had caused in his previously peaceful life. Christopher Robin Milne was impacted greatly in a negative regard because of his father’s choice to use his son as a prominent character within his books. 

In Heavenly Solitude

Milne’s autobiography, It’s Too Late Now, describes the process during the time he composed his collection of children’s poetry When We Were Very Young. Milne illuminates the situation in which he found himself during a rainy spell in his London home. Escaping the stuffy house to unwind in the “heavenly solitude” of his summer-house, A. A. Milne takes a pencil, a notebook, and a conviction that he would not go anywhere else until the rain had stopped. Within 11 days, he took advantage of his self-isolation, writing until his heart was content with what he had drafted. Upon reflection of why he had chosen to write children’s poetry at that time, Milne explains the pressure imposed on him from managers to write on specific topics, but ultimately gave himself the freedom to write what felt natural in that moment—in the space where he was reminiscing his own childhood and pondering his son of three years at that time. Milne writes about how writing is fun in the biography, A. A. Milne: His Life, stating, "writing is just thrill; the thrill of exploring." A. A. Milne came upon a moment that was just right for writing light verse and served as his first step into the world of children’s literature; he allowed himself the creative space to stray from his usual subject of inscription, and in result created the beginnings of his most recognizable work today. Through Milne’s autobiographical description of his experience writing the initial fragments of the children’s poetry collection When We Were Very Young, other authors can remember to allow themselves creative space to experiment with whatever their heart may desire. 

100 Years in the 100 Acre Wood

One hundred years since the famous bear’s conception as “Teddy” in the 1924 collection When We Were Very Young, Winnie-the-Pooh has undergone a drastic transformation. He has been shaped into the highly marketed Disney character we recognize him as today. During the time of Pooh’s first appearance in “Teddy Bear”, author A. A. Milne was unaware of how his creation would still be prevalent among nursery bookshelves worldwide today. Though Milne did not appreciate how Pooh became the obscuring star of his written work, the bear accumulates billions in revenue every year, thanks to the profitable commercial franchise surrounding him, rivaling that of Disney’s Mickey Mouse.

Although A. A. Milne passed away on January 31st of 1956, his works still influence our modern entertainment. His characters have a place among the media today as in the 2023 slasher film Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and the 2018 live-action/animated film Christopher Robin. The British biographical drama Goodbye Christopher Robin, released in 2017, details the lives and struggles of the Milne family. Aside from the modern movies, Milne’s invention lives on through authorized continuations of the children’s book series. Jane Riordan’s 2023 Winnie-the-Pooh: Tales From the Forest implements a new character based on A. A. Milne’s historical information. Though penned by a different author, the style of the story imitates Milne’s. Despite his resentment for the limitations the children’s works placed upon his shoulders, A. A. Milne has earned himself a place among remarkable children’s authors thanks to his creation of the silly old bear.

Discussion Questions

The following questions are starting points to help you evaluate your writing style and apply the author's lessons to your own work. Feel free to comment below or answer the questions privately. Pick and choose what works for you.

1. Similar to the diabolo game in London, social media trends can be encouraging in finding new and interesting topics. What current fads can you explore to help you advance your work?

2. Milne had originally produced a three-act play but was more satisfied with the shorter one-act version. Sometimes less is more! Consider places in your own writing that might benefit from a reduction of characters or scenes.

3. A. A. Milne could not have predicted the negative result of writing his son as a book character. It is important to consider the All Persons Fictitious Disclaimer and serious repercussions of libel. In drawing inspiration from real life sources, how might your words influence those you write about?