Did Enid go to boarding school?

[karin]

Hello everyone!

I've always wondered if Enid Blyton's portrayal of boarding school life was drawn from her own experience, or if it was all entirely imagined...just hoping someone here might know!

Karin.

[Tony Summerfield]

Hello Karin,

Welcome to the Forums and let me add my apologies to you for being exterminated first time round! No, is the answer to your question, Enid went to St. Christopher's, a day school. Her daughters, Gillian and Imogen, were both sent to boarding school, so whilst St. Clare's came straight out of Enid's imagination (I'm sure she had also read some of the many books about boarding schools that were around at the time), she would undoubtedly have been influenced when writing Malory Towers and many people having pointed out marked differences between the two school series.

Enjoy the website to the full, more is becoming available every day and you will be able to follow Enid's school career in the Chronology section when that becomes available.

Best wishes
Tony

[karin]

Hello Tony,

Thanks for your letter, and for your welcome - I know I'm going to enjoy this forum to the full!

it's interesting to hear of the observed differences between St. Clares and Malory Towers, in terms of the boarding school settings - I'll have to re-read the two series (yet again!!!) and see the difference between the "imagined" school and the school drawn from her daughters' experiences.

I'm sure the reality of post-war boarding schools was something quite different to Enid Blyton's delicious-sounding atmospheres, though...my father went to a boarding school in Melbourne in the 1940s, and it was a horribly harsh experience he'd much rather have forgotten. But maybe boys had it tougher...

I wonder if Enid Blyton's daughters were happy at their boarding school - and it makes you wonder if any of her schoolgirl characters were modelled on her own daughters (I've heard a theory that Darrell Rivers was based on EB herself...)

Karin

[Anna Moss]

welcome, karin Darell Rivers was based on EB?!! Are some of the characters
in st.clare's based on real children that went to st. clare's? I wonder though,
if Darell was supposed to be based on Enid, I thought she named the character
Darell after her huband or did she not?

[manzanita]

welcome, karin Darell Rivers was based on EB?!! Are some of the characters
in st.clare's based on real children that went to st. clare's? I wonder though,
if Darell was supposed to be based on Enid, I thought she named the character
Darell after her huband or did she not?

I have heard both, that Darrell was based on her husband's name but certain aspects of Darrell Rivers' personality and achievements were based on Enid herself.

So, perhaps a Mary Sue character to some degree, but I don't mean that in a derogatory sense!

Manzy

[Anita Bensoussane]

Barbara Stoney tells us that Enid's brother Hanly was sent away to boarding-school. It's likely that her other brother Carey went too when he was old enough. They would have attended a boys' boarding-school of course, but perhaps Enid Blyton was remembering things her own brothers had told her when she wrote about Alicia's brothers in the Malory Towers books.

Anita

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

Last week I met a young man called DARREN Rivers, so I asked him if his mum had read Malory Towers. He didn't know but said that he would her!

Viv

[Anna Moss]

I have terrible news. My mum said she is going to send me to boarding school Though I am 99.9% sure this will not happen as my dad does not agree to it. ( My mum said she wanted to get rid of me )
I hope if I do go it will be identical to Malory Towers !!!!!!!!

[manzanita]

Anna,

*hugs* I hope your mum didn't mean that literally? I'm sure many of us will be here to support you if you need us.

Manzy

[Julie2owlsdene]

Don't worry too much Anna, I'm sure you'll Dad will win this arguement, and I don't think you're Mum really means that at all. Keep smiling.

[Ming]

Don't worry, hopefully it'll be okay. We'll still help you though.

[Anita Bensoussane]

It's always a worry when decisions are still being made, Anna, and you don't know what the future holds. But I'm sure your mum and your dad have your best interests at heart even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes.

Anita

[Anna Moss]

oops! I found out recently that my mum had just said it because she was angry at me! Pheewww!

[Moonraker]

Parents!

[Ming]

And today is supposed to be Mother's Day...