Enid's portrayal of fathers

[Anita Bensoussane]

He probably relies on cooks, housekeepers and tutors for help!

[Fatty]

I wonder how the widower, Professor Hayling, copes with juggling raising a son and a monkey, and being a scatty scientist.

Perhaps he doesn't need to cope much. In Demon's Rocks it is suggested that he retires to his soundproof workroom and lets his housekeeper take care of the household. I could be mistaken, but I seem to recall an occasion where the professor says (about son Tinker and monkey Mischief) that he sometimes can't tell which is which.

[Spitfire]

I think that one of Enid Blyton's best depictions of fatherhood is Darrell River's father in the first Malory Towers book. It's been a long while since I've read the book (and I don't have a copy to check my memory) but didn't he take her onto his knee to comfort her when she was worrying herself sick that she'd caused Sally's illness through her bad temper? It's the only instance I can think of when one of Blyton's fathers gives a cuddle or a hug.

[Lenoir]

Yes, you are right about that scene and Darrell's father, Spitfire.

There is also a nice Father-Daughter scene in “Five on Kirrin Island Again” when George finds her father in the passage and he entrusts her with his precious papers and gives her a hug. This was supposed to be the last book in the series when it was written and maybe Enid wanted to include a scene like this to show there was a strong relationship after all between the absent minded scientist, who always seemed to put his work first, and his difficult daughter.

[Wayne Pyer]

I think Bills relationship with Lucy-Ann has some very touching fatherly moments.

[Anita Bensoussane]

In The Family at Red-Roofs, Mr. Jackson takes Shirley on his knee and wipes her eyes with his handkerchief when she's upset at the news that he's to go away to America for six months.

[Yak]

I like Uncle Quentin, despite his bad temper and general all over scattiness. He seems like a decent sort and there are many examples, including the one mentioned, that show that he DOES love George, even though she might be difficult and he aloof.

Yes, Bill is a great step dad too. I always wondered if he and Allie went on to have children of their own - she can't have been more than her late thirties when they married.

[70s-child]

Not unlikely. It would probably have driven them bonkers though.

Talking of fathers, I remember a short story where a girl from a poor household exchanges places with a princess, because she thinks she has absolutely nothing, whereas the princess has everything. But a day later she realizes that the love that her father gives her is worth more than all the riches the princess has. I can't remember the name of the story or the book. It was definitely Enid Blyton though. The book was a small hard back with beautiful colored illustrations.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I wonder whether you might be thinking of 'The Princess and the Cottage-Girl', 70s-child, which has appeared in a number of collections including The Runaway Cows and Other Stories:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book ... er+stories" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That particular book has illustrations (some full-colour and some black-and-white) by Val Biro, who has often come to the Enid Blyton Day. In that story, the princess says to the cottage-girl: "Anna, your father is so nice too. He gave me the top of his egg at teatime. My father never did that." Anna replies that her father always does that. She and her siblings take it in turns to have the top of his egg.

I think there are other stories that are similar though.

[70s-child]

Yessss!! That's the one. Anita, thank you! This is like connecting with a long lost friend. I vaguely remember the story of the money box - something about saving for a rainy day. The princess and the cottage girl made a great impression on me when I read it. I wish I could remember the other stories, but it was a very long time ago. I am off to scour the internet to see if I can find this book somewhere. Again, thanks so much!!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Hope you're able to find a copy, 70s-child. There are eight volumes of Enid Blyton short stories in the Hamlyn Bumblebee series and I've got four of them.

[Red Tower]

At the beginning of "FHAWT", Fanny is talking to George, just after Quentin has left the dining table:
""You're a pair!" said her mother, remembering the slammed doors and other things. "You're both a perfect nuisance at times, but I couldn't bear to do without you!...""
It makes you think that Fanny must see a nicer side of Quentin that is usually hidden. George , of course, we all know about...

As has been mentioned previously Richard Lynton does not come across as a good father at all. At the beginning of the "The Ragamuffin Mystery", Diana says something along the lines of "Isn't it a shame that Daddy isn't coming on holiday with us? He is such fun on holidays." That line just does not ring true. Richard Lynton and fun and children do not go together in the same sentence.

O/T Incidentally, is Snubby's surname "Lynton" as well? We know that his first name is Peter, but I can't ever remember reading his full name anywhere.

[Anita Bensoussane]

At the beginning of the "The Ragamuffin Mystery", Diana says something along the lines of "Isn't it a shame that Daddy isn't coming on holiday with us? He is such fun on holidays." That line just does not ring true. Richard Lynton and fun and children do not go together in the same sentence.

I'm not at all convinced by Diana's statement either!

The idea of a father who was always there, contributing emotionally as well as financially to the home, was something that obviously appealed to Enid Blyton but which proved elusive in real life. That the role of a father was a preoccupation with Enid is not surprising. Her own father walked out when she was not quite thirteen and, following her divorce from Hugh Pollock, she made sure that her daughters never saw their father again. Blyton's behaviour towards Hugh is difficult to understand. Did she never feel troubled by what she had done? In the Barney/"R" Mysteries, she indulges in wish-fulfilment and gives Barney an "ideal" father. As several people have pointed out, Mr. Martin is very different from the remote and formal Mr. Lynton. The Rat-a-Tat Mystery opens with Mr. Lynton asking: "How LONG do these Christmas holidays last?" He is impatient and grumpy, like a fractious child, and cannot wait for Roger and the others to return to school. His wife soothes him as if he were a little boy: "...you don't really mean that, dear...You'll be back at the office soon." When Roger and Diana knock on their father's study door he assumes that they have come to pester him for pocket-money, perhaps a natural reaction for a man who appears to regard his role in the family to be that of breadwinner — and nothing more. Compare his manner with that of Mr. Martin, who speaks less formally ("Hallo, kids!", "Hop in!") and is far more willing to accommodate the children. When the car gets stuck in the snow on the way to Rat-a-Tat House, Mr. Martin takes it all in his stride, unlike Mr. Lynton who would certainly be fuming! There's a wicked little imp in me who wonders whether Mrs. Lynton ever got to know Mr. Martin well, and whether it ever occurred to her that he was rather more fun than Mr. Lynton!

Regarding Snubby's background, I have a feeling he's related to Mrs. Lynton but I can't recall where we're told that. I don't think his surname is mentioned.

[Daisy]

Regarding Snubby's relationship with his cousins - I think he's a child of someone on Mrs Lynton's side too. Doesn't he sometimes stay with Auntie Pat, the same aunt who is mentioned when Mrs Lynton has to rush off to help her sister Pat after an accident, leaving the children on holiday in a caravan?

[70s-child]

One of the clearest indications that Snubby is related to Roger and Diana on their mother's side is there in the Rilloby Fair Mystery. Great-uncle Robert, who is a Lynton, is not a relation of Snubby's; and when he is discussing the uncle with Roger and Diana, Snubby refers to him as "your great-uncle", i.e. not his. So it doesn't look like Snubby is a Lynton.

PS: Anita, I managed to locate a copy of the "Runaway Cows"! Thanks again.