Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
Scientist’s Stepdaughter
It is not quite sure what the original meaning and historical background of “Little Miss Muffet” is. It has been said, however, that the nursery rhyme was written by the famous 16th-century British naturalist Dr. Thomas Muffet. It was based on a real-life event that took place with one of his stepdaughters. Dr. Thomas Muffet is well known for having written the first English illustrated classification guide of insects. So, we can imagine how many various bugs, spiders, and other insects may have always crawled around in his house. No wonder some of them frightened his children. Since Thomas regarded the insects completely harmless and expected that the children should also be used to them already, an incident with an insect amused him to the extent of writing the rhyme.
Queen Mary
Another, less likely explanation of this nursery rhyme connects it with Mary I, Queen of Scotland. She was said to be frightened by a certain religious reformer by the name of John Knox.
1. A simple retelling
A girl sits eating curds and whey. A spider appears beside her and she runs away.
2. The characters
-
Main character: Little Miss Muffet
-
Other characters: A spider
3. Setting
Outdoors (likely) / not clearly specified
4. Theme
Fear — especially sudden or irrational fear.
5. Moral
No clear lesson, though it may gently hint at facing fears.
