The characters in later life - professions etc.

[Nair Snehalatha]

I feel sad to think of Enid Blyton's characters when they grow up into young men and women-- I like to think of them as they are-- they dont grow up but remain firm friends forever-- Time stands still for them.I would like to think of the supporting characters too that way-- Mrs. Tickle in Rat -a-tat., Gladys , Hilary of Norton house , Luke, miss trimble and a whole host of others-- even fat Mr. Goon-- he livens things up considerably .

[John Pickup]

GEORGE-- will be a ferryman and ferry people to Kirrin Island and back

Still shocked to read this - please expand!

Well, she can't be a ferryMAN. And I can't see her ferrying TRIPPERS to Kirrin Island. I'm as shocked as you, Pete.

[pete9012S]

Perhaps someone hacked Nair's account - the grammar seems different and lacks the usual punctuationings..
Could be a job for TK MAX?

[Fiona1986]

I'm surprised I've not posted in here before.

In my headcanon:

Julian goes to university, then joins the SIS after national service in the RAF
Dick does his national service in the RAF too - before Julian as he goes straight into it from school. He then remains in the RAF reaching Group Captain last I saw.
Anne marries an RAF buddy of Dick's and lives on various air bases.
George falls out of contact with her cousins for a long time as she feels abandoned as they all married and had children but she reunites with them later. I haven't decided on a career for her, possibly she chops and changes as the mood takes her.

Sally Hope goes to university with Darrell and not only marries Julian but becomes an archive librarian for the SIS
Darrell Rivers becomes a journalist, working for various London papers and goes on to write novels - starting with 21 adventures about her friend Julian and his relatives...

[IceMaiden]

They never grow up. I don't understand why some want them to, there is nothing enjoyable about growing up and even less in growing old. The beauty of the books is that they are an escape from that and if the characters grow up it would ruin them.

[Fiona1986]

I suppose we should all just end our lives at 16 then! Anything above that must be pointless and miserable.

[Wolfgang]

A society described like in "Logan's run"? Admittedly they're allowed to live a bit longer.

[Nair Snehalatha]

Wherever they are they.will always be the same-- holding honesty.in.high.integrity--.also hard work, unsefishness, loyalty, true friendship. Nothing more.beyond these great.qualities.--- In a way , we.too have imbibed.these qualities in us.after knowing Blyton and her.characters so well --.and as they are all so dear to us

[pete9012S]

Sid the paperboy.
Frozen in a Kirrin worshipping, blancmange loving, amber-like haze for all eternity.

[Lucky Star]

I suppose we should all just end our lives at 16 then! Anything above that must be pointless and miserable.

No. In real life anything is possible. But fictional characters really don't have a life outside the page. Left alone they provide an escape for us mere mortals into which we can retreat in order to refresh ourselves and forget the trials and tribulations of adulthood. I can't think of anything worse than reading about how Fatty maybe got into terrible debt or George got cancer or whatever.

[Fiona1986]

Well, no, I'd not fancy reading those sort of things either. But that doesn't mean to say that every fan fiction about the characters as adults would be depressing. Even if some bad things did happen, there's quite often joy to be found seeing them come out of the other side of it.

I mean, there are thousands of grown-up books about grown-ups and they're not all depressing. Loads are funny and/or uplifting and provide a refreshing escape from real life - as they're fiction they don't have to represent the admittedly often boring and tedious aspects of being an adult.

[Moonraker]

there is nothing enjoyable about growing up and even less in growing old.

Blimey, that's depressing. I still manage to enjoy myself!

Well, she can't be a ferryMAN. And I can't see her ferrying TRIPPERS to Kirrin Island. I'm as shocked as you, Pete.

Surely she's huMAN and a woMAN?

[Katharine]

Well they say you learn something every day, and I've just found out what 'SIS' stands for - never heard of it before, although I had heard of MI6.

I agree that I wouldn't want to read about the FF etc getting into debt or having serious illnesses, but of course being Enid Blyton characters, nothing like that would happen to them. In my mind, if I were to think of the characters in later life, then nothing really dreadful would happen to them, they might have a few adventures along the way, but true to Enid's style, it would all work out ok in the end.

I'm not sure I can see Julian in the Secret Service, I picture him as something fairly routine like an accountant, Dick would be more likely to have a glamorous job like working under cover. Anne could well marry a friend of her brothers, although not sure she'd like the constant moving about involved in being the wife of a serviceman. I could see her married to someone 'in the city', living somewhere like Old Thatch.

Definitely agree about George having a number of different careers, maybe working for somewhere like the National Trust in conservation, or running a riding school, doggy creche or similar.

[Katharine]

I think perhaps if I was going to write a book about the FF in later years, I'd perhaps have them in the background and focus on them having adventurous children. I've a feeling something like that has been attempted?

Anne and Julian would probably have two children each, and Dick would be too busy travelling the world as a test pilot or secret agent to have settled down. George would just have one child, and be a single mother. She'd be widowed, although in 'real life' I can't see George having a successful marriage, but of course this is Enid Blyton world so people don't divorce.

I'd skip the intervening years of the FF, the nearest I'd want to get to their romances would be something along the lines of Bill and Allie, so much better to have the FF as middle aged and settled. They would just be on hand to offer a bit of a last minute helping hand once their offspring had solved whatever mystery was on hand.

Ideally I'd like Anne to have at least 3 children, I can see her very much in an earth mother role - maybe she could, but there would be a big age gap, so the youngest would be a mere baby so too young to join in any adventures, or perhaps Dick could have one and Julian's be much older so off at university etc. Four or five children is probably enough for an adventure story. I guess there had better be a dog involved too, a descendant of Timmy, only this one wouldn't jump up at everyone, and definitely wouldn't cover hands, knees and (shudder) faces with lots of wet licks.

[pete9012S]

Wherever they are they.will always be the same--

The lovable and cuddly P.C. Goon. Eternally whacking young Ern's hands and backside since 1948.