Blyton in other fiction

[Lucky Star]

Thanks Anita. I'll have a look next time I'm in Tesco.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I've just read Thicker Than Water by Penelope Farmer and I came across the following reference to Enid Blyton:

Couldn't she see that the way Jill Jennings crooked up her eyebrow, twisted her mouth, when she was supposedly smiling at me, meant she wasn't any friend of mine. In fact she was one of the reasons I had no friends. It was her called me Malory Towers after the school in Enid Blyton, after that everyone called me Malory, everyone laughed at me. And all because I'd been stupid to admit that I had been supposed to go to boarding school, really.

[Jomo]

It was her called me Malory Towers after the school in Enid Blyton…

I haven’t heard of Penelope Farmer before this.

The first thing that struck me about this excerpt is the awkward sentence structures. I am not obsessive about grammar, but I feel that “It was her called me Malory…” creates a block for the reader. I’m no wordsmith but I wanted to rewrite this phrase before I continued. Is it mimicking an actual speech pattern?

It’s an interesting reference that plays into class-consciousness and associated characterisations, that boarding school is only for ‘snobs’ and ‘toffs’. I suppose for the most part this is true, and schools of good reputation charged fees that would have required a professional’s income. I have not been an avid reader of Blyton’s school stories, so I don’t know how much they serve to create this impression. I know I have read a couple of the school stories back in the distant past, but the only one I have read recently is Mischief at St Rollo’s. It does not seem to conform to the stereotype.

I have been assured by British friends that there were some very inexpensive boarding schools prior to incorporation into the government curriculums, structures and standards from the 1970’s onwards. Their performance was apparently very variable. My friend Romy, who was several years older than me, was sent to an English boarding school when her mother remarried in the early 60’s, and she stated emphatically that she did not come from a wealthy, privileged background, nor did the other students. She had a poor opinion of the school, but told me there were many others like it, the cheap end of the market, often for parents who had to work long hours or travel for work.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Penelope Farmer does mimic the speech patterns of characters, though not always convincingly and some of the phrasing does feel awkward. I don't much like Thicker Than Water as it plods along rather drearily. I love Penelope Farmer's Charlotte Sometimes though, an atmospheric time-slip novel which I read several times as a child.

[Hannah]

It was her called me Malory Towers after the school in Enid Blyton…

I'm still not sure what that sentence means. Does it mean "it was her who called me..."?

[Boatbuilder]

Hannah, I'm sure you're right.

It appears to have been written in the same context as it was probably spoken. People tend to omit words in their speech that would normally be included in grammatically correct writing. I doubt (that) very few of us speak our native language in perfect grammar.

My inclusion of the word 'that' in brackets is much the same thing, as I see it. It could be included or excluded.

[Hannah]

Thank you, John.

I agree that sometimes spoken language is different and words are omitted. I've just never seen that "who" was omitted like that, I think. But I might say "I think he comes" instead of "I think that he comes" in German (wouldn't do so in English though because I don't know if it is common in English).

[Moonraker]

It certainly struck me as poor English. Maybe, "It was down to her calling me Malory Towers, after the school in Enid Blyton, that everyone called me Malory, resulting in everyone laughing at me" would be easier on the eye!

[Judith Crabb]

Not the spoken word, but grammatically I suppose that it should be ''It was she who called me...'

[Moonraker]

I have just downloaded a box set of Cotswold Murder Mystery books, by Stella Cameron, to my Kindle. Book 1 contains this:

"We took in a few Enid Blytons (sic) yesterday. You might like to look at them," said the bookshop owner.

"I'll do that," Alex said.

She collected children's books. On her library shelves were beautiful classical books, but she also gathered in childhood favourites - even if the condition was less than fine. She loved the charming illustrations, especially the line drawings in some of them.

She saw how torn the top book's cover was. Torn and taped together. But she also saw it was an original cover on a copy of The Circus of Adventure and swept it up. This was the only one missing from the books she already had in that series.

I am warming to this character!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I'm warming to her just from reading your post!

People do say "Enid Blytons" (meaning "Enid Blyton books") so I don't think the (sic) is needed.

[Moonraker]

You may have a point - is it simply plural or possessive as in Enid Blyton's books. After all, you wouldn't really have a collection of Enid Blytons, unless they were dolls or models!

[Anita Bensoussane]

"We took in a few Enid Blytons yesterday" is simply plural. It's quite common to say something like, "I've got plenty of Enid Blytons, Roald Dahls, Noel Streatfeilds and Arthur Ransomes in my collection."

[Moonraker]

I Googled I have a collection of Blytons, and the heading was:

Did you mean: I have a collection of Blyton's

Maybe the jury is undecided!

[pete9012S]

Great series - I too have these books.
Seems there's even a bit of love left over for B.M too!

‘Sounds heavenly,’ Alex said. ‘I didn’t finish going through the
books because I wanted to come up, but I’ll take the newer Betty Maxey Blyton with that lovely snow scene cover that was on top and the scrumptious Heidi for sure.’ And probably the rest.