This is a pretty hard question to answer because Peter Pan first appeared in 1902, which means that it was written at the tail end of the Victorian era.
I actually reviewed the book on my blog - you can find the review here:
I would say that, yes, the portrayal of Native Americans in the book is every bit as problematic as their depiction in the movies.
I would also say that the book depicts women in the same way that the movie does. I'm not defending Victorian attitudes toward womanhood, but there was a specific way that women were viewed during that era, and Peter Pan absorbs that perspective. So, in that sense, it is consistent with history and attitude and if you plan to explore British Victorian lit, you will encounter that perspective frequently, although there are authors who fight against the stereotypical misogyny - if you are interested, I would refer you to Middlemarch by Eliot, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, for starters.
It is a short book, and you should be able to download it for free or even access it on your computer at Project Gutenberg. Good luck!
I already have a copy of Jane Eyre since I plan on reading my way through the Bronte sisters after reading Jane Austen. I also have a copy of North and South and Cranford by Gaskell. I am going to add Eliot to the list. Thanks.
The source material isn't far off from the adaptations, in my recollection (particularly in portrayals of race and gender roles). Perhaps the movies simplified things more, so reading the books couldn't hurt. A lot of novels from that period in Brit Lit will have those elements, so exploring that period will definitely introduce some things that won't gel with modern sensibilities.
Good point about the simplification of ideas in the movie vs. in the book. I have a degree in history (modern America specifically) but I can't seem to leave my modern sensibilities at the book cover and read the book as it should have been read when it was first published. I am going to keep thinking about it, but other books will get the go ahead before this book. Thanks.
I actually reviewed the book on my blog - you can find the review here:
http://thedwsblog.com/2012/11/19/peter-pan-by-j-m-barrie/
I would say that, yes, the portrayal of Native Americans in the book is every bit as problematic as their depiction in the movies.
I would also say that the book depicts women in the same way that the movie does. I'm not defending Victorian attitudes toward womanhood, but there was a specific way that women were viewed during that era, and Peter Pan absorbs that perspective. So, in that sense, it is consistent with history and attitude and if you plan to explore British Victorian lit, you will encounter that perspective frequently, although there are authors who fight against the stereotypical misogyny - if you are interested, I would refer you to Middlemarch by Eliot, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, for starters.
It is a short book, and you should be able to download it for free or even access it on your computer at Project Gutenberg. Good luck!
And, when you are done, consider watching the mini-series if you can access it. It's really well-done.