The Chalet School

[ShellacB]

There seem to be plenty of old Chalet School Threads, but I can't find a current one.

In the middle of a re read. I have just finished the Tyrolean and Herefordshire ones. I loved them!

I do remember the Swiss books not being quite of the same quality, so not sure whether to read them all.

Could anyone recommend the best Swiss books if I was to skim through?

I think I assumed it implied Maria was somehow indigent, but that seems deeply unlikely…? Who is it that turns up working as a waitress — Carla Von Flugen? Or am I hallucinating that?

Oh I always preferred Madge to Joey, I think the books lose something once Madge disappears from them.

Yes she was one of the best all round and least annoying adult characters. She was always a voice of reason and good sense, without being pious and whilst still having character about her and a sense of humour.

I think that Hilda was originally meant to be Madge 2 but she just didn’t have the same charisma and character as Madge.

I think that in the first book she is actually the main heroine, rather than Joey. For the first few books a lot of it is narrated from Madge’s viewpoint. So it is a shame that her role was increasingly watered down and that by the end of the series she was relegated to the odd remote mention.

I think ultimately EBD just loved Joey so much that after she became an adult Madge had to be sent off to the background so she didn’t detract from Joey as the main adult heroine.

She may have regretted marrying Madge off as keeping her as a single headmistress might have worked better and even given Joey more of a realistic reason to hang around the school as an adult neighbour. I have always though that the original plan was to end the series after Madge married Jem as there seemed to be a happy ending in place for a lot of the characters at that point, with Joey set to go to Belsornia shortly, etc. Perhaps it was so popular that she decided to continue it afterwards. Hence Joey deciding not to go to Belsornia.

Did the school actually become a limited company?
I think I missed that part….
In which case did Hilda Annersley become a part owner?

It's mentioned at the beginning of New Mistress:

'Now, it’s such a big affair, that they’ve turned it into a limited liability company and quite a lot of people have shares in it. But Lady Russell is still head of it or chairman or whatever they call it.'

It's mentioned somewhere else too, but I can't remember where. It's said that many of the staff have shares (maybe they get an annual bonus in the form of shares). I should think Hilda and Nell would be offered favourable investment options when the company was first formed.

Who is it that turns up working as a waitress — Carla Von Flugen? Or am I hallucinating that?

Yes it's Carla Someone who was Joey's contemporary at school. I think I'd rather be a waitress than mother's help to Joey.

Do you want to start a new thread, @ShellacB as the OP of this thread, before we come to the end of this one?

Much as Joey is annoying for large parts of the series, it would have been a complete waste of her time and talent to go off to Belsornia as a lady-in-waiting. She became a popular and prolific writer - I guess we have to assume her output was similar to EBD's but with more historical fiction in the mix. She deserved a decent career.

I agree this might have been a 'rounding off the book series' option that EBD thankfully thought better of.

In terms of careers it’s horribly disappointing how many girls end up expecting to go home and help mother- whether she’s ill, feeble or just busy. EBD seems to have lived much of her life with hers so maybe she’s trying to make sense of it

Much as Joey is annoying for large parts of the series, it would have been a complete waste of her time and talent to go off to Belsornia as a lady-in-waiting.

She was quite unsuited to being a lady-in-waiting anyway. Tact, discretion and being able to wait in the background until wanted are the main qualities required, none of which Jo had. Madge probably realised it wasn't a good idea and quietly put a stop to it. As things turned out, it wouldn't have been for long anyway. Madge and Jem would probably have wanted her out of Belsornia when they all left Austria.

Thanks Honoria. I have started a new thread for us. The Chalet School 2 - Still talking about it a century later.

I am not sure how to post the link here on my phone. Would someone else be kind enough to do that?

Also, do I need to close this one off now?

Mind you, her idea of writing a book seems very casual at the point where the Belsornia idea is still in play — it sounds initially as if she is only planning to read it to the Die Rosen kids. She complains about leaving school because what she’s going to be doing (helping out at Die Rosen, going on with her singing lessons) seems ‘so little’ in comparison.

Though the idea of anyone, however optimistic, thinking Joey would make a remotely adequate lady-in-waiting is hilarious to me. I mean, I’m not sure having saved someone’s life is much basis for a life of unpaid royal companion, handbag holder and bystander.

Here is the link: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/what_were_reading/5574492-the-chalet-school-2-still-talking-about-it-a-century-later

This one will automatically close when we get to 1000 posts, no need to do anything else.

@BallybunionTao I think Maria does come to help Joey with the many children at some point early in the Swiss era. Then I think she meets a nice young man one weekend when taking the boys down to school/tutoring in Montreux? I think I only read that fairly recently in one of my newish GGBP editions, so it may have been cut from the Armada paperbacks.

In terms of careers it’s horribly disappointing how many girls end up expecting to go home and help mother- whether she’s ill, feeble or just busy. EBD seems to have lived much of her life with hers so maybe she’s trying to make sense of it

But EBD wasn't just at home helping mother. She was pursuing two careers for much of that time.

Oh yes, you’re absolutely right- I meant the emotional side, more. Maybe they just got on fine.
What happens to Sibyl and the grand plan of Art Needlework?

I think that makes it sadder in some ways, that she didn’t depict more CS old girls doing similar. But it’s clear she (maybe understandably) likes the idea of being looked after, and not having to earn a living, and the sheer number of times she describes someone collapsing in distress, mental or physical, and being looked after, sedated, coddled etc, suggests it’s a deepseated comfort fantasy of hers. Ditto the whole ‘doctor as ideal husband’ thing.

Re: Sybil, good question. I think that timing wise she'd have been at the RSN when they were involved in producing the coronation robes.

Didn’t Sibyl have to ditch that plan because of Madge & Jem wanting to take her & Josette to Australia?

That rings a bell. Why Australia? I seems a bit random, but I suppose there are doctors there and a mother of marriageable daughters has to think ahead.

I think there is some truth to the marrying off - there was a transitional stage in the 1950s and 60s when a lot more young women did start training for a career, but gave up work as soon as they married/had kids, when in those days was often early 20s. And most women did marry, in those days. Though agree it is painful to see so many characters' ambitions cheerfully quashed.

Hi everyone

We have a new thread as below

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/what_were_reading/5574492-the-chalet-school-2-still-talking-about-it-a-century-later

Wonderful to think that we are all still reading and discussing The Chalet School 101 years after the first book was written!

Yes Maria popped up as mothers help around Excitements

It was Carla then I believe Marie von und zu Wertheimer rescued her from this fate though I don't remember any further follow up on that

I think EBD is constantly finding herself accidentally on purpose getting Madge out of the way, because she’s so much more appealing as mother, leader and friend than Jo!

She does also denigrate her a bit artificially to make Joey more appealing as the centre of the series, long before we get to the 'that sweet woman, Lady Russell' stage -- I'm reading Exploits (am under a different name in the new thread, as I'd NC, this thread has been going on so long) when Madge has only been married three years, and Madge spends halfterm either nagging the Bettany twins for potentially getting dirty when playing on the Salon floor with Rufus, registering that David's tunic is dirty (how!) after all the visiting CS girls had cuddled him, and freaking out about whether the girls' outdoor boots are going to damage her oak floors, Jem making it to and from the San in the snow, and the girls using all her prized curtains and bedlinen for tableaux.

(I mean, it's hardly surprising she was frazzled with the entire school spending all but bedtime at Die Rosen for several days), but it definitely makes her seem dull and 'mumsy' and domestic compared to zany schoolgirl Joey.

Was Jem invited to a convention or something?

I think Maria might have been very heavily affected by the death of her father.

Something along those lines. Madge was constantly being pushed out of the way to make room for Joey!

Yes, Maria was shown to be greatly affected by the loss of Herr Marani

I think that we are near the final post here. So just in case anyone has missed it there is a new thread here.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/what_were_reading/5574492-the-chalet-school-2-still-talking-about-it-a-century-later