Thoughts after re-reading A Childhood at Green Hedges

[sixret]

It's a wonder people will enter into a discussion without reading the main sources first.

Please rectify it by reading:

1) Enid Blyton, A Biography by Barbara Stoney
2) Enid Blyton by George Greenfield
3) A Childhood at Green Hedges by Imogen Smallwood.

Some of us badly wanted to paint their favourite author's life as picture perfect just like their perfect books. Illusion versus reality. I could never make a strong point about "perfect" illusion versus reality better than this blogger. Do read them and the readers' comments at the bottom of the page as well.

http://margotkinberg.wordpress.com/2014 ... should-be/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sixret]

You keep using the words 'bad mother' with regard to Imogen,

No. Like I said earlier, "bad mother" is my opinion because Imogen has certainly implied so. But she has not used that words as far as I remember.

Going back to the issue of Hugh flirting or otherwise, Imogen says in her introduction that Barbara Stoney's biography leave 'many tactful gaps'. So even her book doesn't include absolutely everything it might have done. I have no reason to suppose that Hugh's flirting is one of those gaps, personally I'd have thought she would have included it in order to show Enid in a better light, but it's a possibility that Barbara did hear that tale but omitted it.

But Barbara certainly had not failed to mention about all the unattached men living in Enid's neighbourhood.

Extract from A Biography:

There were still several unattached men living in the neighbourhood and it pleased her(Enid) that one or two in particular appeared to seek out her company. Although she was used by this time to a certain amount of adulation over her work, it was a boost to her morale, with Hugh away, to have members of the opposite sex paying court to her and she did not discourage their attentions.

Nor did she failed to mention these as well.

There is a little doubt that the attraction between them(Enid and Kenneth Darrell) was immediate and mutual. Enid was flattered and excited by the obvious attentions of the tanned, good-looking doctor(Kenneth) sitting opposite her at the bridge table. They arranged to meet the following day and the rest of the holiday was spent in each other's company.

Within a few weeks of returning home, they [Enid and Kenneth] were meeting regularly at a London flat which Enid had rented under Dorothy's name, and Kenneth became a frequent visitor to Green Hedges in Hugh's absence.

[Courtenay]

Sixret, if you read my posts, I make clear that I haven't read any of those books (and don't currently have time to). Others here have read them, and yet not all of them agree with the (to be frank) very negative, judgmental and opinionated comments you keep on and on making.

She always painted all the incidence in her life as rosy. She abhorred all the unpleasantness(like visiting Hugh in Dorking when he was ill for quite some times, Bob's death) that happened in her life.

She hated persons(they can be her own daughters making noise, or her dear, supportive friend, Dorothy bringing her family to her own house) who disturbed her writing routine.

Writing was her passion, her books were her children.

She was also a very business- minded person with little regards to family attachments(animosity towards her own mother despite whatever reasons, her own brother or even her own daughters).

She was also a vindictive person( did not allow her daughters to visit Hugh or did not permit Hugh to visit his own daughters, change their daughters' surname, using her power as popular writer by making sure Hugh did not have a place in any publishing companies after the war and their divorce- Hugh worked in publishing companies before the war).

In the nutshell, I found that Enid was an awful person (but a very talented children author) who you didn’t want to mess in real life and could wear a different persona depending on the person and situation. She was a career driven woman.

Again, the answers to why she acted as we're told she did are discussed and explained in Enid Blyton by George Greenfield, Enid Blyton, A Biography by Barbara Stoney and A Childhood at Green Hedges by Imogen Smallwood.

And again, we didn't write that for nothing because the reasons are all inside those 3 books.

These comments don't explain everything about Enid and her life - they're just very negative judgments. Why was she more career-minded than family-oriented? What might have made her vindictive and unpleasant in some instances? Are there other views from people who knew her that might balance the picture out a bit, or at least give us more of an idea of where some of her personal flaws came from? Did her parents' divorce, for example, leave her with insecurities that later rubbed off on her own family relationships? Did she find that absorbing herself in her writing career was a way of avoiding things in her life that she found it hard to cope with?

Most human beings are far too complex to be simply written off with a string of damning criticisms. There must have been actual reasons why Enid thought and behaved as she did - deeper ones, I hope, than just being an "awful person".

Oh dear, I've just seen that you've added several more posts to this thread, all along the same lines, while I've been writing this one. Sixret, honestly - is there a particular reason why you seem to want to turn this discussion into a "Why Everyone Should Be Disgusted With Enid Blyton" campaign? (And how many people here have even attempted to argue that Enid was, or should have been, perfect in the first place?)

[sixret]

Sixret, if you read my posts, I make clear that I haven't read any of those books (and don't currently have time to). Others here have read them, and yet not all of them agree with the (to be frank) very negative, judgmental and opinionated comments you keep on and on making.

It's ok to disagree. I don't mind at all. This is a healthy, matured discussion.

Katharine can write her opinion. I can write my opinion. And everyone can write their opinion. We may not agree on all ocassions but we are ok with that. It's called respect.

She always painted all the incidence in her life as rosy. She abhorred all the unpleasantness(like visiting Hugh in Dorking when he was ill for quite some times, Bob's death) that happened in her life.

She hated persons(they can be her own daughters making noise, or her dear, supportive friend, Dorothy bringing her family to her own house) who disturbed her writing routine.

Writing was her passion, her books were her children.

She was also a very business- minded person with little regards to family attachments(animosity towards her own mother despite whatever reasons, her own brother or even her own daughters).

She was also a vindictive person( did not allow her daughters to visit Hugh or did not permit Hugh to visit his own daughters, change their daughters' surname, using her power as popular writer by making sure Hugh did not have a place in any publishing companies after the war and their divorce- Hugh worked in publishing companies before the war).

In the nutshell, I found that Enid was an awful person (but a very talented children author) who you didn’t want to mess in real life and could wear a different persona depending on the person and situation. She was a career driven woman.

Again, the answers to why she acted as we're told she did are discussed and explained in Enid Blyton by George Greenfield, Enid Blyton, A Biography by Barbara Stoney and A Childhood at Green Hedges by Imogen Smallwood.

And again, we didn't write that for nothing because the reasons are all inside those 3 books.

These comments don't explain everything about Enid and her life - they're just very negative judgments. Why was she more career-minded than family-oriented? What might have made her vindictive and unpleasant in some instances? Are there other views from people who knew her that might balance the picture out a bit, or at least give us more of an idea of where some of her personal flaws came from? Did her parents' divorce, for example, leave her with insecurities that later rubbed off on her own family relationships? Did she find that absorbing herself in her writing career was a way of avoiding things in her life that she found it hard to cope with?

Most human beings are far too complex to be simply written off with a string of damning criticisms. There must have been actual reasons why Enid thought and behaved as she did - deeper ones, I hope, than just being an "awful person".

Oh dear, I've just seen that you've added several more posts to this thread, all along the same lines, while I've been writing this one. Sixret, honestly - is there a particular reason why you seem to want to turn this discussion into a "Why Everyone Should Be Disgusted With Enid Blyton" campaign? (And how many people here have even attempted to claim that Enid was, or should have been, perfect?)

But, it's still a wonder if you keep asking why even if I say that the answers are all inside the 3 books. I see that you are interested in knowing the reasons, I suggest you to read them as soon as possible and I would like to know your opinion after you read them even if you disagree with me. Because disagreement is a natural thing in human's life but please read them first.

[Katharine]

Courtenay, I know you said you don't have time at the moment, but I hope you will get time to read as many of these biographies as you can, as I think you'll find the answer to many of your questions in them. Reading accounts of her childhood I feel explains a lot of her personality as an adult, whether that excuses her or not, is probably a personal opinion.

I think there's been a discussion in the past along the lines that if Enid had been a 'nice' mother, and not 'messed up' by her childhood, then she probably wouldn't have been the brilliant author that she was. Unfortunately her wonderful talent seems to have been at the expense of at least one of her children. Personally, rather than think she was a bad mother, I feel sorry for all those involved.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this book, so I can see if my feelings change at all.

[sixret]

Oh dear, I've just seen that you've added several more posts to this thread, all along the same lines, while I've been writing this one.

It's because you keep asking the why without reading the books. In addition, this is a public forum. Everyone can contribute their opinion within the context of the discussion and follow the rules of the forum.

Sixret, honestly - is there a particular reason why you seem to want to turn this discussion into a "Why Everyone Should Be Disgusted With Enid Blyton" campaign? (And how many people here have even attempted to argue that Enid was, or should have been, perfect in the first place?)

Your words not mind. We are just discussing what are being written in those 3 books. I repeat all inside the books. The facts and biases are theirs(Barbara, George and Imogen) but the opinions are ours(I,Katharine, Anita, Ilsa, Poppy, Belly, you and the rest).

[Courtenay]

Sixret, biographers have opinions (and biases) as well as facts too. It comes with being human.

[sixret]

Very true.

But it's as close as we can get to know dead people.

[pete9012S]

I think if you want to know more about Enid Blyton and then form your own opinions one book should most definitely be read first.

Barbara Stoney's Enid Blyton: The Biography

There are currently 23 customer reviews of people who have bought and read the book on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Enid-Blyton-Bio ... 0752440306" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Courtenay]

That does sound like a good one, especially going by the reviews.

Interesting that Gillian and Imogen seem to have had rather differing opinions of their mother's parenting abilities (or lack thereof) - am I right there?

This is all I was trying to get at earlier - even among people who actually knew a famous person and have written or contributed to biographies, there can be quite different opinions and assessments of that individual's character, actions and motives. It doesn't seem fair to suggest that there can only be one conclusion about her.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I suspect the biggest criticism of Enid's behaviour is that she appears to have fallen rather short of the ideal mother figure that she so often wrote about.

Yes, that does seem to be the biggest criticism. In A Childhood at Green Hedges we see that Enid spent time with Imogen when she was in hospital and defended her when she was in serious trouble at school, but she wasn't around much for day to day ups and downs, or general conversation and companionship and affection. It's obvious from her book that Imogen felt that deeply. As I once said in another thread, the loneliness of Imogen's early childhood comes through in her book. She may have had an hour or so a day of "quality time" with her mother but she had very little of the ordinary, everyday "quantity time" that is part and parcel of life in a close and loving family - time spent just being in one another's presence and feeling secure and loved. Nannies and other staff were responsible for the care of Gillian and Imogen, but they came and went and didn't provide the security, continuity and feeling of belonging that Imogen appears to have needed.

Interesting that Gillian and Imogen seem to have had rather differing opinions of their mother's parenting abilities (or lack thereof) - am I right there?

When Gillian spoke in interviews of her mother having plenty of time to play with her and take her for walks, I think she was mainly recalling her early childhood at Old Thatch. At that time Imogen was either not yet born, or only an infant. Enid Blyton wasn't as busy with her writing in those days and she and Hugh were still happy together (as far as we know), so she probably did spend more time with the family. I remember seeing Gillian revisiting Old Thatch on a TV programme (the Bookmark - Sunny Stories programme I think, made in 1992). Gillian remarked that Old Thatch was "my enchanted place." It was clearly very special to her.

I don't know how much the average 6 year old would remember, Imogen seems to have had some pretty vivid memories of parts of her childhood.

At the start of the book Imogen gives thanks for "hypnosis and support". It's not clear what is meant by that, but maybe she underwent regression.

'An awful person' as implied by Sixret could not, in my opinion, have written the heart-warming, wise and morally good stories that she did. Would we all be here, talking about the influence her books have had on our outlooks, the widening of our knowledge in subjects such as nature, the inspiration to read that has been the case for so many, if she was so awful? I think not.
In her writing she gave of her best and noblest ideals. That her personal life fell short of that is not really so surprising, and she may well have disliked herself for her failings but in her writings was able to rise above it.
We will never know the whole truth or see the complete picture but that her good influence lives on can hardly be disputed.

I think you've summed things up very well indeed, Daisy.

[Katharine]

Anita, I noticed the bit about hypnosis as well, I thought perhaps Imogen had undergone some kind of treatment to help her find closure to her unhappiness, but the regression idea is certainly an interesting one.

I think you've summed up very well what I've been trying to say somewhat clumsily, about Imogen being given short amounts of 'quality time' rather than the ordinary every day kind of mother she wanted. I know that's something I appreciate about my own mother, that she was always there if we wanted to tell her about our day etc., we didn't have to wait for a set time to get her attention. Most of the time we probably didn't take up that much of her time, but it was that comforting feeling of knowing that she was there if we wanted her.

[Courtenay]

At the start of the book Imogen gives thanks for "hypnosis and support". It's not clear what is meant by that, but maybe she underwent regression.

Now that does make me wonder. Without casting any aspersions on Imogen personally (I know many of you know her), people under hypnosis can be induced to "remember" things from their past that didn't actually happen, or that didn't happen in exactly the way that the subject recalls. Especially when strong emotions and family ties are involved, the human mind can be very susceptible to the power of suggestion (accidental or intentional) to invent or re-write memories. I'm not suggesting for a moment that Imogen was intentionally making things up or exaggerating, or that she couldn't possibly have had a painful and difficult childhood. But frankly, I would be very wary of completely trusting any person's recollections of childhood that were gained through hypnosis.

'An awful person' as implied by Sixret could not, in my opinion, have written the heart-warming, wise and morally good stories that she did. Would we all be here, talking about the influence her books have had on our outlooks, the widening of our knowledge in subjects such as nature, the inspiration to read that has been the case for so many, if she was so awful? I think not.
In her writing she gave of her best and noblest ideals. That her personal life fell short of that is not really so surprising, and she may well have disliked herself for her failings but in her writings was able to rise above it.
We will never know the whole truth or see the complete picture but that her good influence lives on can hardly be disputed.

I completely agree with this too, Daisy. Probably most famous people in their private lives have in some way fallen short of the high ideals they championed. That doesn't automatically make them hypocrites or monsters - just human.

[Moonraker]

But it's as close as we can get to know dead people.

Hmm, can you get to know a dead person?

Sixret, I wonder if you can you try to post a comment without such long quotes? It is best, if you feel the need to quote, to just use the relevant part, rather than the whole post. I often read posts on my phone, and believe me, it is a nightmare trying to scroll through loads and loads of quotes that one has read before, anyway.

This is only my view, and one not necessarily shared by admin!

[Katharine]

I agree Nigel, I find it very difficult to pick out the relevant bits.

I've now read the first six chapters of the book, and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm actually reading the same story as Sixret. So far I haven't found anything to say that Enid Blyton was an 'awful' mother. I'm just reading the life of a sensitive child, who found childhood difficult. Imogen says she found it difficult to mix at school, well I know lots of people who came had 'non-awful' mothers who didn't particularly enjoy school.

Imogen talks about how Enid was 'sensible' to the fact that she was left-handed and therefore found things like needlework difficult, and 'she always defended my bad writing and sewing'. Imogen talks about the first Christmas present she bought Enid herself, it was 'a bottle of the cheapest violet scent, and she thanked me as if it was the best present she had ever had'. Surely an 'awful' mother wouldn't have received it so graciously?

Once again I'm picking up questions about Hugh. Imogen says that family never visited at Christmas, well I know Enid was estranged from her own family, but what about the Pollock'? Did they never send the girls Christmas or birthday presents or cards? Maybe Enid didn't like them and discouraged them, but surely Hugh wouldn't have just stood by and let that happen if he had felt strongly about his family? I know that if I tried to keep my in-laws out of our life I'd soon be overruled by my husband.

I hope I'm not coming across as criticising Imogen, because that's not my intention at all, and I fully respect that she is telling her childhood as she remembers it. I'm just not picking up the same feelings as some others seem to have done. In fact most of the book to me seems to be about a perfectly normal childhood.