Page 7 of 16
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 07 Mar 2017, 18:48
by Moonraker
Mildly amusing, if ever-so slightly irritating.
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 07 Mar 2017, 21:56
by Anita Bensoussane
Rob Houghton wrote:And when you think, she was really the first female writer (apart from Beatrix Potter, but her books are vastly different) to have mass market appeal, as many modern writers do now - and all without the help of the internet and television!
A few other female writers were very popular in Britain before/at the same time as Enid Blyton - e.g. Mrs. Molesworth, Frances Hodgson Burnett, E. Nesbit, Angela Brazil, Elinor M. Brent-Dyer and Noel Streatfeild. Enid Blyton benefited from having unusually close contact with her audience though (through
Teachers World,
Sunny Stories,
Enid Blyton's Magazine, the PDSA magazine and the clubs she ran). And of course there was an extraordinary amount of merchandise based on her books.
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 08 Mar 2017, 09:52
by Moonraker
Blyton might be the first author/ess to be a 'brand'. A visit to The (real) Cave would confirm her success as a 'brand'.
I consider myself so lucky and privileged to have been granted access to the vast corridors and rooms of the Cave.
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 00:47
by Rob Houghton
This was on the Midlands News today. Reminded me of an Enid Blyton story!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39193347
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 10:27
by Moonraker
How did rabbits light all those candles?
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 10:46
by Rob Houghton
With a box of matches or a Bic...?
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 13:39
by floragord
Rob Houghton wrote:floragord wrote:I was interested in the point made that all 3 of the participants had grown up in homes with large numbers of books, presumably that gives an advantage in developing an early and ongoing interest in reading?
From personal experience, I'd say yes - definitely. I was always read to as a very small child, and grew up with a love of books. My mom used to discuss the pictures with me, and ask me to point out things in them - she would read simple stories to me, and encouraged me to read Enid Blyton books, first reading the stories to me.
Books were very much a part of my life growing up. By the time I was 4 I could read quite complex sentences, which my mom built up out of flash-cards - and I could also read simple reading books. Many children these days can't even read when they start school, so its no wonder they find it hard work rather than fun when they eventually 'have' to learn to read. As was said in the interview - at school, reading simply becomes 'decoding' rather than being a fun warm moment between children and parents.
Good point - I'm always rather sad when people tell me the message "Reading Is A Waste of Time" was dinned into them at an early age, so they still feel guilty when they sit down with a book, and no doubt many who took it on board as gospel never get to enjoy one of the most pleasurable leisure activities of all
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 13:56
by Rob Houghton
I was obviously influenced by my mom more than my dad, as he rarely ever read a book and still doesn't now. he doesn't even really read newspapers. He always used to say something along the lines of 'there are too many books to ever read, so why bother' lol.
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 14:06
by Fiona1986
Similar story here - my mum's a huge reader but my dad isn't. He has a handful of books he has loved and now does read the odd Conn Iggulden and Game of Thrones type thing. He does read two newspapers every day though!
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 17:25
by Courtenay
I've always been grateful that both my parents were (and are) great readers. And Enid Blyton fans, at that!
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 19:08
by sixret
Anita Bensoussane wrote:Rob Houghton wrote:And when you think, she was really the first female writer (apart from Beatrix Potter, but her books are vastly different) to have mass market appeal, as many modern writers do now - and all without the help of the internet and television!
A few other female writers were very popular in Britain before/at the same time as Enid Blyton - e.g. Mrs. Molesworth, Frances Hodgson Burnett, E. Nesbit, Angela Brazil, Elinor M. Brent-Dyer and Noel Streatfeild. Enid Blyton benefited from having unusually close contact with her audience though (through
Teachers World,
Sunny Stories,
Enid Blyton's Magazine, the PDSA magazine and the clubs she ran). And of course there was an extraordinary amount of merchandise based on her books.
I also want to add Mabel Esther Allen, Josephine Elder and Violet Needham in the list of popular female writers(children books). For some reasons, some Violet Needham's books are expensive.
But I think, one female writer who has been very popular for so long is Agatha Christie.
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 19:16
by Rob Houghton
sixret wrote:But I think, one female writer who has been very popular for so long is Agatha Christie.
Agreed - but I was thinking more of children's writers.
And most other children's writers of the early 20th century, apart from Beatrix Potter and E Nesbit, Arthur Ransom and AA Milne are now no longer in print in popular bookshops.
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 19:23
by sixret
Exactly, Rob. The fact that most of EB and AC books have never been out of print is the undeniable evidence of their popularity.
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 21:32
by Daisy
Did anyone see the item on Midlands Today where a lady found a letter from Enid Blyton in a non-Blyton book in Hay-on-Wye? It was one of those congratulatory letters to a prize winner - Mary. I am guessing the main letter was a standard one where the winner's name was inserted later.
Re: Blyton References on TV
Posted: 09 Mar 2017, 21:35
by Courtenay
There's a thread about it here, Daisy:
http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... f=3&t=7529" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
