Fatty & Ern

[tix]

I've always looked upon Enid Blyton's poetical efforts as more entertainingly written than Shakespeare's - seeing his verse is so difficult to follow and doesn't seem to rhyme all that much.

Here's a sample of Blytonia that was dutifully memorised:

Oh how I love thee, Uncle dear
Although thine eyes like frogs' appear,
Thy body is so fat and round,
Thy heavy footsteps shake the ground.
Thy temper is so sweet and mild
T'would frighten e'en the smallest child,
And when thou speakest, people say,
"Now did we hear a donkey bray?"

An excellent ditty and I can agree with Daisy's opinion on it. Untold years ago when first reading the book, Fatty's decision not to let on about its origin was considered right and proper.

'Now was the time for Fatty to confess he'd played a trick on him and written the poem in Ern's own handwriting; but looking at the lad's proud face, Fatty simply hadn't the heart to tell him. Ern would have been bitterly disappointed. Let him think it was his own poem seeing he was so proud of it.'

For those who are new to Blyton, the poem is in one of her 'Mystery/Find-Outer' books.

[pete9012S]

Smashing tix!

I submitted this 'pome' as my own homework to a temporary teacher when I was in the junior school.
I was expecting top marks like Fatty, but she was scathing and said it was too verbose and affected! Grrrr!

[tix]

Too 'verbose' and 'affected!'

Can't really understand that.

Verbose: 'Using or containing more words than are necessary.'

How can Fatty's poem contain more words than are necessary?

Affected: 'Artificial and not sincere.'

How can it be classed as "Too affected" when the subject matter and purpose are analysed? Surely the artificiality and exaggerated sincerity are an essential part of the inherent drollness.

The whole point of Fatty's composition is to relay amusement with the use of overly descriptive prose that can be interpreted as mocking (ever so slightly) the style adopted by many acknowledged poets of old.

Possibly the teacher in question was not all that familiar with Blyton's sense of humour; in fact I wonder if she knew Fatty's verse had been written by the educational establishment's mortal enemy (as EB was round the time). There existed a period when the author's work was banned from schools and libraries, which meant that teachers never ceased to condemn Blyton material.

********************

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
............ (E. Browning)

To me, Fatty's poem is more understandable than the above.

********************

"Ask away," said Fatty, "but don't be too verbose — I've got plenty to do."
Goon wondered what "verbose" meant — something rude, he'd be bound! He determined to look it up in the dictionary when he got back. Verbose!
(Hidden House)

That's where I learnt the meaning of 'verbose.'

[pete9012S]

Well tix, I was only eight years old and the teacher was a new teacher in training, standing for our normal teacher.
Perhaps unlike Ern Goon, she was not able to spot Fatty's genius when she saw it!!

(That's what I told myself at the time anyway!)