Looking for Enid - The mystery of the odd anagram

[Tony Summerfield]

I don't know if I am reading Lucy Mangan correctly, but is she saying it is disturbing for an adult to be reading children's books? If so I don't know whether I should be booking an appointment with a trick cyclist! On second thoughts that would probably be even more expensive than my dentist, so perhaps I will just claim second (or third) childhood!

[Green Hedges]

Eddie. I'm glad you thought my book was 'immensely interesting and great fun' for the most part. As you can imagine, I greatly prefer that to Lucy Mangan's vitriolic response. You are quite right though, that on a couple of occasions I've mistakenly referred to The Mystery of the Secret Room as The Mystery of the Empty Room. This is because when I first read the striking scene when Pip climbs the tree in the garden of Milton House, the phrase 'empty house' kept repeating and was never really superceded in my mind by the phrase 'secret room'. I'll change it for the paperback next summer.

Lenoir. Yes, chapter 4 of The Mystery of Holly Lane is a laugh. I like the idea of Fatty and Larry going out and - with a clothes horse around them - chipping up the High Street of Peterswood in the confident knowledge that Goon will take them to be workmen! Chapter six is great too when Fatty reports to the rest of the Find Outers about reading Goon's beeg beeg hand while disguised as a woman who could tell fortunes. Fatty tells Goon: "BEWAAAARE of zis fat boy. There is some mystery here. Ze fat boy and the mystery are togezzer!" I refer to that scene at one stage in 'Looking For Enid'. Paying homage to it and milking it for humour.

[Lenoir]

I like the idea of Fatty and Larry going out and - with a clothes horse around them - chipping up the High Street of Peterswood in the confident knowledge that Goon will take them to be workmen!

Yes, that’s exactly what I was referring to! There are other amusing scenes too, as you mentioned. Very few reviewers could be expected to know or appreciate this. Maybe this reviewer is taking your book too seriously, or failing to see what is serious and what isn’t? On the other hand, perhaps she is doing it deliberately, like playing ‘devil’s advocate’? I can't really say.
I think I’m starting to see where ‘you’re coming from’ and I think I will enjoy the book now.

don't know if I am reading Lucy Mangan correctly, but is she saying it is disturbing for an adult to be reading children's books?

Yes, I thought she was saying that too. No one over 10 should be enjoying them at any rate. That means just about no member of these forums should still be enthusiastic about these books, which is comforting in a way, as it means we’re more or less all in the same boat here, whatever our age.
(Actually, I moved onto other authors as well at that age, but would take out these books once a year in the long summer holidays and re-read them.)

“If we were playing a word-association game right now and you came up with the name ‘Isaac Newton’, my response would be ‘Enid Blyton’. That’s how highly I rank her.”

My first reaction was “what?” But the more I see it, the more I feel like using it for my signature!

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I thought I'd look up Lucy Mangan on the net to find out more about this Children's-book-hating-and-Blyton-in-particular journalist, and was astonished to find this!

http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments ... 47,00.html

Viv

[Eddie Muir]

Thank you for your kind words, Tony and Anita. I really do feel welcome and hope to take an active part in writing for the forums. I'm only sorry that I didn't register earlier.

I'm delighted to receive a response from you, Duncan and I look forward to the paperback edition of your book, Looking For Enid.

[Moonraker]

Good to see you here, Eddie. Great comment on Duncan's book. Good to see another Society member on board!

[Eddie Muir]

Thank you Moonraker for your kind comment about my piece on Duncan's book. Much appreciated

[tkurbjuhn]

I think the book is a good and interesting read, because it encourages the reader to look for his own Enid. This radical personal approach including the author writing down every sexual thought coming into his mind perhaps is the true reason for bad critics. Perhaps this is against cultural rules in England.
If I would write a book like " This is his Enid"( the better title, I think), I would concentrate on the find-outers being a metaphor for creativity in contrast to the world
of not-interested grown-ups caught in their long-trained habits.
And on Blytons natinonalism, which is denied by her readers , who at the same time complain about pc-changes in Blyton books.

[RDMorrell]

If I would write a book like " This is his Enid"( the better title, I think), I would concentrate on the find-outers being a metaphor for creativity in contrast to the world of not-interested grown-ups caught in their long-trained habits.

I like this idea. Although you could possibly argue the same case for some of Enid's other child characters.

And on Blytons natinonalism, which is denied by her readers , who at the same time complain about pc-changes in Blyton books.

That is a rather sweeping generalisation, and inaccurate, because this reader for one does not deny the nationalistic component in Enid Blyton's books (of course, some are more nationalistic than others). Moreover, I think most people in this group are well aware of her flaws, and acknowledge them, but also look past them to analyse her writing style and what-not. Unfortunately, many critics do not do this, and I think they miss out on many literary treats and treasures as a result.

The main reason why Enid Blyton aficionadoes complain about PC changes in her books is that these changes often detract from the quality of the original writing and are also taking the books out of the time in which they were set. However much we might cringe at certain attitudes or behaviours in Enid Blyton's books, they are part of the times in which those books were written. (That said, her books also frequently contain strong morals that are rather lacking in many of today's children's books.) But when the books are sanitised (or more accurately, bowdlerised), they lose their historical flavour. In fact, I would contend that they are becoming like the salt that loses its saltiness and thereby becomes no good for anything.

Actually, a study of the nationalistic aspects of Enid Blyton's works could be very interesting (one example I can think of is in Five Go to Billycock Hill, where George says that Jeff seems "so very British" and she can't think of a higher compliment to pay someone than that - this has been edited out of more recent versions). However, I don't think her books are that much more nationalistic than the Biggles series or other children's (or adult) books of the post-war period. So I rather think that Enid Blyton's nationalism was as much a product of her times as it was of the woman herself. But certainly, it is present in at least some of her books, and I am sure I am not alone here in recognising that fact.

[Lucky Star]

Blyton lived and wrote through the second world war and nationalistic feelings ran high during the war. That comes out in books like The Adventurous Four at the end of which Mary cries to hear the sound of guns and her father tells her "but dry your eyes - we are on the right side and that is something to be proud of".

I complain frequently about the PC changes to the books because I am a history fan and do not like it when people mess about with what has gone before. As Rowan said the books are a snapshot of a now largely vanished era and to change the language used in them is to attempt to deny the attitudes and social mores which existed in that era. Or so it seems to me anyway. Further the changes ofter make little sense in that they change one thing but not another and many of the changes seem to be dictated by a desire not to offend certain sections of the population who sometimes seem to take offence just because they can. Certain words do no longer fit in with todays world and should be removed from modern editions but, for example, the rows about golliwogs being racist is just a case of hysteria. (Incidentally I saw lots of Gollys on sale down in Cornwall and nobody was objecting in the least).

As regards Duncan Mclaren's book my interest has, I think, been sufficiently piqued that I shall now probably buy a copy and see for myself. That is really the only way to be sure after all.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Well put Lucky Star. I too disagree with all this PC changes to books, that were written in their time. They should be read as the author wrote them. They don't change Dickens and Shakespeare!!

I'm also reading Duncan's book, as I like to make my own judgement on issues.

[tkurbjuhn]

The question is: are the european countries still " on the right side"- my answer is no.And the second question is: who has brainwashed even the blyton fans to discuss away the moderate nationalism and racism presented in the books as the basis of a society without too much stress, quarrels and at the end breakdown of the community spirit?
My guess: only very few rich people make profit from the borderless countries we have now.The media are paid by them and the " normal" people are captured between fear to be excluded from the " society of the good people", as constructed by the media, and the hope to be a part of the world of the rich and beautiful people.People who keep their own mind on this development of the european states either have to keep quiet or have some chance to go to jail.
Of course the books of Mrs. Blyton are not the source of my nationalism( or perhaps they are?), but when developing in this direction some years ago I saw that the basic line of a moderate nationalism is to be found in her books.

[Lucky Star]

I dont quite know what you mean by "are we still on the right side"? I would say Yes we are. Perhaps you mean that we in Europe are moving in the wrong direction? If so then Yes I would agree that the powers of the EU have gone beyond what most ordinary Europeans want them to be. I am not in favour of the open borders arrangement, witness the Madeleine McCann tragedy which could have possibly been prevented if her abductors had had to cross a proper border. And the PC mania has gone too far when we now have courts that often seem to favour the criminal rather than the victim.

As regards your statement about "brainwashing" I am not in any way "brainwashed". I have never noticed that racism is presented in Blyton's books. Certainly there are words and phrases in there which are NOW considered racist but if you are suggesting that she is somehow condoning racism then I think you are wrong. Enid Blyton's books do recall a time which looks a lot easier and safer than our current world, a time when you could rely on certain things which we now cannot, jobs for life etc. But I do not believe that she ever intended to be Nationalistic in her writings, she was simply writing things as they were in her time. Her base starting points of honesty, kindness, criminals getting their comeuppance and the "good guys" always winning are, I suppose, themes which are mostly championed by the right wing political parties but I dont think Blyton herself ever imagined that a time would come when these values were not always taken for granted.

But this is all very heavy stuff for a forum devoted to a childrens author. When I sit back with one of her books its time for a complete rest from the stresful modern world that we live in. They take me back and the magic is still there, thats why I am still a fan. But I am afraid that the past can never be actually brought back. Apart from the basic mores of honesty and good manners trying to take the attitudes espoused in 50/60 year old books and apply them to the present day is as useless as taking the language and attitudes of today and trying to insert them in 50/60 year old books. Well i know what I mean anyway even if this is a bit muddled.

[Kate Mary]

Well said, Lucky Star. I know exactly what you mean. I think you put it in a nutshell. Enid Blyton was a product of her time (as are we all to some extent). I'm beginning to think that the books are being altered so that children do not absorb the "right-wing" values of her time... or am I just paranoid?

Kate.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I agree with the points made by Rowan.

When you state that "moderate nationalism and racism" are presented in Blyton's books "as the basis of a society", tkurbjuhn, I don't agree that the main emphasis is upon those things. Rather, the focus is upon character. A "good" society or community in Blyton's world consists of people who help one another, do their bit and shoulder their responsibilites, regardless of nationality. Naturally they sometimes make mistakes or give in to weaknesses but the important thing then is to own up to wrongdoing, face the consequences and do what they can to make up for their actions, rather than trying to excuse their behaviour or lay the blame on someone else. An idealistic presentation, but something to aspire to.

Surely qualities such as honesty, kindness and justice are things to be valued whatever one's political persusasion? I wouldn't label them "right-wing" and certainly not "old-fashioned."

As Rowan said, readers on these Forums and elsewhere are critical of some of the attitudes to be found in Blyton's books but of course there is so much more to the stories than the odd nationalistic comment. To bring the discussion back to Lucy Mangan's article on Looking for Enid, I don't think Lucy Mangan was attacking all adults who read children's books (especially ones written in bygone eras), but only those who read such books without a critical eye and an awareness of context.

Anita