Thoughts on Enid Blyton

[Lizita]

My and my sister were huge fans when we were young, but my mum always hated them, they are very un pc.

I have got a couple from the library for nostalgia's sake and it's so weird to read them again now! I always remember them as being pretty innocent stories, but I had forgotten how dramatic some of the adventures are (eg the Famous Five stuck in a cave with a man with a gun) and also how ridiculous some scenarios are (though I know it's partly cos they're so out of date now). Famous Five again - in the cave one of the boys went off to get the police and HE was leading the police (who were weilding guns too) back through the cave!! Made me chuckle.

I can sort of tolerate the sexism in them because it was the time Enid Blyton was living in. The classism is appalling though, and racism in a few, and all the stereotypes ! I hate to say I'm sure I was influenced a lot by her books (particularly the school ones) and I MUST have had a very odd view of what the world outside was like!
I must say I am so grateful to my mum for being so vehemently anti-Enid Blyton as i would've grown up completely unaware of the truth of it!

My favourites were the Famous Five, The Faraway Tree books, and The Wishing Chair. I also had a fondness for Malory Towers and St. Clare's - and the Naughtiest Girl in the School which I had completely forgotten about till I saw it in the library!

btw - anyone else heard that in fact it was laura's daughter, rose wilder lane, who wrote the little house books?

Well,she wrote thaem as an adult didn't she,so no doubt her children encouraged and helped her?

Ooooh two museums! Excellent!

Also - most of the stories are complete fiction! They aren't a true account of her life, as I though they were.

they are fictionalised - not a true account of her life, but heavily based on real things that happened to the ingalls family.

Oh no!!! Howmuch is made up! Where can I learn more??

Have just been on to one of the websites...they say "Although Laura's books are based on her life, she did make changes when she felt it made for easier reading; her books are classified as historical fiction, not autobiography". It's based on her life, though. Often wonder what Manly's sister made of Laura's description of her?!

or have a look at this

Thanks! Next on my 'to buy' list.

Ma used to say 'May bees fly in September' if anyone said maybe. Does anyone know what this means????

As far as I know, bad events in their lives were glossed over as far as possible. That presumably is why 'The First Four Years' seems so harsh/raw, because she never got the chance to 'fictionalise'it. For example, the baby brother dying, only got a couple of lines in one of the books.

LOVED her books. Who cares if they were not pc?

I read a fascinating interview with Enid Blyton where she described how she wrote her books.

She said she just sat at her desk, closed her eyes, visualised the characters (they just sprang into her imagination with no effort on her part)and the books "wrote themselves" in front of her closed eyes and she just wrote down what she saw.She claimed to have no active control over the stories.

I thought that was amazing.

Whose baby brother?Laura or Rose's? Can't recall that bit.

The baby brother was laura et all's. He died whilst they were visiting relatives 'back East' when Pa had no work, they may have been on their way to Plum Creek. He was buried on an uncle's farm. Soon after, Ma got pregnant with Grace.

If you search on Amazon, there are lots of other books which fill in the gaps that Laura left. They are okay, not the same but passable! There iare also a number of biographies available. And stuff by her daughter who I believe became a writer of some kind.

kama

I don't recall mention of the baby brother. So weird as I thought that I was the Number One fan!

Feel all sad now

Which book was it mentioned in? 'The First Four Years?'

When I was in primary school I remember my teacher "banning" Enid Blyton, yeah right!

I think anything that gets kids reading is great. DS already has some Noddy books (although they are the reworked ones, no "gollywogs" !) and if he wants to read other Enid Blytons later on I won't be stopping him.

There is terrible racism & sexism in a lot of old kids books - re-reading LM Mongomery I was surprised how much inherent racism I found.

Anyway I read it all and didn't turn out a total redneck. (I hope!).

Back in the 60s my brother actually joined the Enid Blyton book club and he even had a letter from her. Dunno what happened ot it, probably worht a fortune now. Anyway he handed down his "Five Find Outers" (the ones with Fatty and Buster the dog - god would you get a kids book today with someon called "fatty" ???!!) to me and I wish I still had those lovely old editions to give my kids.

Moondog, I think it was just referred to in Plum Creek, but was written about in one of the books which someone else wrote, which fills in the gaps.

I will try and find it.

Competition for No 1 Fan!!

This thread has brought back so many memories. My mother has a collection of enid blyton original books soemwhere, I used to love readign them as a child. I didn't know there was more than one faraway tree book, I so wanted to go up there! And on the wishing chair. Does anyone remember Mr Twiddle too?
They are totally un-PC, but that was wen they were written, and they are just so appealing for young children, I can't wait to start readign them to dd.

Moondog, it is mentioned at the beginning of By the Shores of Silver Lake. It is overshadowed by the death of Jack(the dog), and Mary's blindness.

And I am the No.1 fan.