Malory Towers: what an unpleasant bunch

[Hepzibar]

No idea what sparked this, I have started to read Malory Towers 40 years after the first time. I absolutely loved MT and read and re-read them. I loved Enid Blyton but MT closely followed by St Clare's were my favourites.

I so wanted to be Darrell Rivers with her 'posh' name (not a common sixties job like mine), how I envied her and longed to go to boarding school.

Reading it now what a thoroughly unpleasant, bullying, nasty bunch they were, including my idolised Darrell.

All those teenage girls and not a single mention of a boyfriend or a crush.

LordTubbington I played Lacrosse or Lax we called it at school. Bloody lethal “game”. Certainly not twee. My games mistress threw a ball in my eye for not paying attention. A Lacrosse ball is like a cricket ball hard and made of leather.

I’m sure boarding schools are more happy nurturing places these days, but roll back 25 yrs ago and it was an unpleasant place.

I volunteer in a primary school library, and we have quite a few Enid Blyton books, including Secret Seven, Famous Five, Malory Towers, St Clare's etc. Every year, one or more Year 3s turn up and ask for them, as they have been recommended by their mum. Typically, they only ever read one of the books (or borrow, might not necessarily read!) yet they can't get enough of Amelia Jane, Naughtiest Girl and the Enchanted Wood.
Enid Blyton books were banned in my primary school library, as the Head didn't approve!

I love Malory Towers and St Clares, if only to imagine what boarding school in the 50s was like! Malory Towers would be my Mastermind specialist subject, I've read then so many times (still read them every now and then as an adult)!

Amanda in MT was Amanda Shoutalot as Mam'zelle Dupont mis-heard her surname. Sally was jealous of Alicia when she and Betty were both off sick so Darrell and Alicia ended up hanging around together.

I still have my 1980s originals but you know the new versions don't have any slapping or boxing ears or any of that? They're toned down so they don't promote violence in the 8-year-olds who read them.

And I have read the later 6 by Pamela Cox. They stick fairly faithfully to the original style, if a girl likes MT then I'd recommend them.

There are two books by Jenny Colgan called 'Class' and 'Rules'. They are basically MT for adults (Jenny admits she was inspired by MT) - from the teachers' perspective. Not sure why I'm mentioning them, because they're so close to MT it's almost like reading the same books from the different perspective, the plot lines about the girls are quite similar.

Oh I’m pretty sure the girls wouldn’t have dreamed of even having a crush, let alone an ACTUAL BOYFRIEND. No, they were far too concerned with their schoolwork and sport to bother with boys. Not to mention that the mistresses would’ve been highly disapproving.

Not even a mention of a brother's school friend visiting during the hols. I always thought it was unrealistic.

All those teenage girls and not a single mention of a boyfriend or a crush

The one storyline I remember that made any move in that direction was when Eileen who was the matron's daughter was seen secretly meeting up with some scruffy long-haired lad, but it turned out to be her brother who the matron was ashamed of for some reason (had he lost a job somewhere or been fired or had a not very respectable job?) But they were all reconciled in the end and the shameful possibility of Eileen having a secret boyfriend (not that that word was used!) could be dispelled.

'poor lovely Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert'

Oh I just loved Jonathan as Gilbert. First crush I remember having. Was gutted when I heard he'd died

So much enjoying this. Yes, Eileen's brother! @Butterymuffin Eddie, IIRC. I think he was described as a 'lad', which meant to my young self that he was Working Class. I think Eileen's mother wasn't very nice, either (though maybe Circumstances had affected her).

@QueenOfTheAndals Wasn't it also Antoinette who oh-so-accidentally put shoe polish on Angela's and Alison's toast, in place of anchovy paste, with the result Angela had to go off to throw up?

And put the very expensive face cream on Angela's shoes!

Yes @TheFormerMrsPugwash she did put shoe polish on the toast!

Eileen was definitely considered of a lower class than the other girls at SC and her mother was depicted as a monster.

Oh yes i remember the shoe polish/face cream swap and not much else. Prompted by that i did clean some shoes the other day with a bit of e45 when the shoe polish ran out!! 😂😂😂

I hated those books, but loved the famous five.

Oh I loved MT and SC - I grew up on army camps in Germany and remember ordering loads of English boarding school prospectuses and demanding that I be allowed to go never happened though.

I so desperately wanted to be Carlotta in St Clare's, the wild Spanish circus girl who used to lose her temper and slap people sighs wistfully

My main complaint about these books now is that I learned to pronounce the name 'Alicia' as Alissia - my mother corrected my Alickia pronunciation.

I now teach - and EVERY child I call Alissia snarls 'It's ALESHA!' back at me...

@BlessYourCottonSocks My mother said the same (thereby bursting my lovely bubble). However, I have subsequently taught several Alicias-pronounced-Alissias, which has set my mind at rest.

Then Antoinette rushed off to Matron in fake distress at having poisoned them, who hauled them off to be dosed.

@SarahAndQuack - I think I had read the books a good few times before I saw the Kevin Sullivan series (either I'd just missed it, or it was broadcast quite a bit later where I grew up), so I'd had my mental images well mapped out beforehand. (It was actually weird watching the series, as it included plot lines from books that hadn't been translated into my language back then, and I had never realised that, so imagined the director had gone wild speculating! I did read them in English as soon as I knew how to!)

I think as a child I was so enamoured with Anne and her wild fancies that I had cast Diana as boring and ordinary in my mind, together with her unpleasant family. I guess in my mind she just existed there as someone for Anne to monologue at! And though I was a normal-sized child, I grew up thinking I was fat and felt bad about it, so maybe any mention of her elbow dimples made me hate her for all kinds of psychological reasons...

I had a look around the blog someone linked upthread, and there was an interesting piece about Anne and Marilla, and how Marilla is actually the main character of the books, as she is the one with a proper story arch, and the one changes by caring for a child.

I've been having a mega re read of all the old EB classics. I've read all the Famous Five, some for the first time, now onto the school books. I used to love Malory Towers and St Clare's as a kid, and read and reread them so many times!

But yes, they are indeed a horrid bunch. Poor Gwendoline Mary never really stands a chance. And what was so great about Darrell that she got be Head Girl?

Another thing what is it with these puerile tricks that Alicia, Bobby and Janet play? I never found these particularly funny as a child, and reading them as an adult, I'm thinking at girls of 14 and 15 playing such silly tricks. And as for Mam'zelle being so gullible...

But maybe this was what girls' boarding schools were like in the forties and fifties?

Ronsters It was Miss Grayling that gave the wise words and gave the verdict on Daphne's fate to her fellow students. She was given the option to leave and explain to her parents the reasons why, or to face her form, tell the truth and await their verdict. All chose to forgive her, except Gwendoline, who once again only thought of herself and what would mummy and her governess think.

Alicia (still pronounced Allissia in my head) squirmed and appeared contrite - for now.
Darrell reflected on how she hadn't come out of this smelling of roses (accusing poor Ellen of stealing).
Sally reflected on her poor leadership.

I still have my 1980s originals but you know the new versions don't have any slapping or boxing ears or any of that?

Yes I knew there had been a revamp of the later editions, which is why I deliberately bought original copies off Ebay. If I was going to indulge in nostalgia, it had to be the real thing.

But Darrell losing her temper and slapping and pushing people is really quite something.

Reading these books now on a kindle still takes me right back to my bedroom in the 70's. I can see it, see me, see the books and the characters are still exactly the same in my imagination. It's amazing.

I am still envious of them being at Malory Towers, the dorm, the lessons, the friendships, the education, the building, the area and even the pool.

EB took me out of a northern council estate and a dreary concrete comprehensive.

@TheFormerMrsPugwash
Wasn't it also Antoinette who oh-so-accidentally put shoe polish on Angela's and Alison's toast, in place of anchovy paste, with the result Angela had to go off to throw up?

Angela spat her toast out all over the table while Alisn, who had better manners, spat her mouthful into her handkerchief (I always remember that part!)

Ronsters It was Miss Grayling that gave the wise words and gave the verdict on Daphne's fate to her fellow students. She was given the option to leave and explain to her parents the reasons why, or to face her form, tell the truth and await their verdict. All chose to forgive her, except Gwendoline, who once again only thought of herself and what would mummy and her governess think.

If I remember rightly, Daphne stitched up Gwendoline like a kipper . Boasting about all her money and a lavish lifestyle, which turned out to be a pack of lies, then it turned out she was a thief to boot and almost killed Mary-Lou (who, IIRC, was kind, or at least not mean to Gwen). Her reaction was pretty normal, I think! I'll have to download them all now and have a re-read!