St.Clare's v Malory Towers

[reelingintheyears]

Why was that thread just pulled?

Kingscote, and I'll be Ginty, please!

I always think of Kingscote when I see threads about uniform changes at schools and people being unhappy about them - if Keith could allow you only to replace navy with scarlet as and when your navy was outgrown, you'd think all these normal schools could be as sympathetic!

Did anyone ever read 'Three Terms at Uplands' by Angela Brazil? Similar sort of thing. It was brilliant!

Malcontentinthemiddle Really? Did you read all the books?

Not the Player ones, but apart from that, yep! LOTS of times!

bagsy me Bill, the butch one with the horses

A 'stolen helicopter' in the Valley of Adventure? I think not!

The St Clare's books IMO are less good than Malory Towers, EB's own girls were at boarding school when she wrote Malory Towers so could draw from experience which makes them more powerful somehow. There's one very weak St Clare's book which EB wrote without using her famed 'cinema screen technique' and it's much poorer as a result. For those that don't know EB used to go almost into a trance and watch her characters and her stories unfold in her mind's eye, it was a method that required no conscious effort and is one reason why her books are often really gripping page turners. Books were rarely planned at all, perhaps a basic outline but that's all. That's why there are sometimes inconsistencies. She typed the stories as they 'appeared' at a type writer often on her knee outside in her beloved garden. EB commented when writing a Famous Five (from memory) when George, I think, turned and spoke to another character 'how funny, never in a million years could I have thought of something that clever myself'.

I read somewhere that Lauren St.John (of Dead Man's Cove and White Giraffe fame) uses a similar technique.

a method that required no conscious effort and is one reason why her books are often really gripping page turners

Or perhaps it's quite a good idea to put some conscious effort in so that your books don't end up being utter shite?

Oh, come on, utter shite - but compelling when you're that age.

I think the Chalet school would have given you about the equivalent of an Oxford first, degree from the Royal College of Music and term at a finishing school - they always seemed terrifyingly educated (and, erm, spoken three languages).

Darryl was actually a bully, wasn't she?

Some are well written and very good Malcolm :) Interestingly it tends to be those that are less well known.

Yes, I think she was - not as bad as Alicia, but quite unpleasant. As are her family - when they go to collect Zerelda, having never met her, they all discuss how much they expect to dislike her due to her being American. Darrell's father then refuses to speak to her in the car, as well!

I still think you'd get the best education at Kingscote - Latin, Greek, and Spenser in IIA!

Oh they are not well-written! Some nice conceits which might appeal to a young child, but you can't say they're well-written, surely!

Oh gosh ... my mum is actually like that with Americans.

My best mate is American and my mum constantly asks me in a smug voice 'don't you find her accent horrible'. I cringe.

They are quite racist books - product of the time I guess - but one reason I liked Chalet School better.

How well do you know the books Malcolm? I'd argue some are well written, and use stimulating and challenging vocab. Journalists etc have been quick to criticise in the past but few have read any of her books, certainly not the best.

Always preferred Malory Towers myself, not sure why though. Maybe because it goes all the way through? (I don't remember a last term at St Clare's, but perhaps I've just forgotten.) Also really liked the Whyteleafe (sp?) ones with their democratic school council, and thrilling male friendships . . . Agree that the girls are all absolutely vile to each other. That's why graduating to Kingscote which lays bare the horror with such clear-sightedness is so fascinating!

Chalet School incredibly variable - a few really quite good I think, but some absolutely terrible ones too.

The Trebizon books are totally bland but very readable - my sister and I are still disappointed that she never got round to the sixth form. I'm surprised there hasn't been a similar series in the last 10 years to capitalise on the HP fascination-with-boarding effect. But perhaps there has been. Anyone know? If not maybe I should ditch my job for a week or two and have a shot, employing EB's 'cinema screen' technique as instructed . . .

Kalidasa I've tried the 'cinema screen' technique but it seems to get jammed at the first scene :). I can see a vivid snapshot but then the projector stops working. :). EB developed the technique, I believe, as a young child when she was very unhappy and trying to drift off to sleep. It seems that some can summon it at will, it's a bit like dreaming whilst awake I think.

Malcolm, IMO House-at-the-corner is not an EB many are familiar with and the sort of higher quality EB book I was alluding to:

REVIEW BY JENNY BALSTON

Curiously overlooked by critics, House-at-the-Corner must rank amongst Enid Blyton's finest books. Personally, although it is hard to make a decision, I should probably choose it as my own favourite. I read it countless times as a child, and inevitably nostalgic memories would influence my preference now, but, nevertheless, it is a well written book, thoughtfully constructed with a close-knit and convincing plot. As always, the story is a compelling one and the characters are much more distinctively portrayed and are developed in greater depth than is apparent in her fast-moving and generally more popular and better- known adventure stories.

I read all Malory Towers and St Clares as a child, and a fair few secret sevens and famous fives, some of the Naughtiest Girls and some of the real drivel like the faraway tree stuff.

I always felt EB was more 'committed' to MT than StC's in a way - I think she enjoyed writing Darrell much more than those twins (and who would have guessed that PAT would be the sensible one and Isobel a bit fey.....)

I remember reading Trebizon and finding it a bit lame, but getting through anyway because I was one of those girls who just liked school stories! I do remember how she always used to refer to 'the Greek girl' and 'the black girl' in them though. Seem to remember the black girl was a super runner.....

I think writing a new boarding school series, although it would be fun, would be too difficult now because of class and so on. Even Ann Digby obviously felt that Rebecca had to be at Trebizon for expediency (father working abroad for seven years and company pays the fees), rather than just being wealthy and posh (as Tish was).

I'd find it fun to write one but I'd really struggle not to start putting things in about how invidious private education is all the time, and not make the girls a load of stuck up prats!

Does anyone remember Jean Ure's 'Peters' series? I think she was trying something similar (early 90s), with a Nicola Marlow-like heroine, but in a very unlikely sounding single sex girls comp in London, with blazers and summer dresses and people having crushes on the netball captains....

Naughtiest Girl was actually based on Summerhill (a real school - v. v. liberal, no formal lessons, etc) - when I realised this, and mentioned this to my DD she gave me a supercilious look, and said everyone knows that (she'd read the preface).

And of course the Chalet School is the best.

The Peter's Series sounds interesting, Malcolm, not familiar with it. IMO you missed some of the best EBs. Jane Beaton's Class was good fun, based on EB but working class teacher from Glasgow teaches at posh girls boarding school, MT for grown ups. MT better that ST C's because EB actually had 'boarding school' experience by then.

She can't have been much more familiar with Summerhill than she was with anything she based MT on then - everyone goes to lessons and wears smart blue and gold uniform in Naughtiest Girl!

Although I expect some people at Summerhill might make a noise that sounds like a repaired wheelbarrow when the wheelbarrow wasn't repaired at all too.....

Cortina, it is quite - long out of print, but maybe on Amazon? I only have one ex-library copy, called Jo In The Middle. I think she gave up after they reached second year anyway!

Funny how second year/lower fourth is so often the cut off, isn't it?

The best school of all was the Smolny Institute for girls of noble family in St Petersburg, where the girls boarded without holidays from 9-18 and were divided by the colour of their uniforms into blues, browns and whites.

Did anyone else read "Masha" by Mara Kaye? I had it on near permanent loan from the library but it was never in the shops. My husband found (through Abe books-it had to come from America) a copy for me recently. Best present I have ever had.

Otherwise, St Clare's for me: Darrell and Sally were intolerably smug

Have you read the sequel to Masha, pointissima, The Youngest Lady in Waiting? It's about what happens to the girls after they leave the Smolny Institute, set against the background of the Decembrist Uprising.

I read both Enid Blyton series, but Antonia Forest's school stories were a revelation - books populated by real people rather than one-dimensional stereotypes. I can't believe all but the first one are out of print now.

Malcontentinthemiddle And you still want to be Gin? Blimey. [hhmm]

well, I would take the sporting prowess, the beauty, the intelligence and the charisma and then just do better things with them!