Why Enid Blyton?!

[lizzie farrel]

Hi Sixret
Same here. The Five Find-Outers were directly responsible for engendering my love of mysteries and i too enjoy all the Golden Age detective novels, as well as a few contemporary ones.

I fell in love with Blyton at the age of 8 when i read Naughty Amelia Jane. But i didn't turn into a hard core fan until just a few years ago when i re-discovered her books and realised that yes, adults too can enjoy Blyton.

His books are for grown ups, they are very long and exceedingly tedious. They are on the syllabus for English A level (age 16+) and are in part one of the reasons I gave up reading for pleasure at age 18.

LOL. Thanks Viv, you've said exactly what i always felt but didn't dare say out loud. We had 'Far From the Madding Crowd' in college (high school for you i think) and i could have cheerfully shot all of the characters.

Welcom to the forum sixret. Its nice that Im not the rare Asian around anymore.. glad to have some geographical neighbours.

Hi Prabhu, I'm just across the border from you, though we haven't exactly been the best of neighbours in the past...

Here in Brtitain we aren't very good about recognising a popular female genius!

Oh no? What about Dame Christie and J.K...i'd say you do all right.

Thanks Moonraker for the tip about Peter Robinson, i'll keep my eyes open for his books. Any recommendation from a fellow Christie fan is worth checking out.

cheers
Shagufta (from Karachi)

[katherinef]

As a child I loved Blyton books - as an adult I actually appreciate her writing more. She could inject humour in the middle of danger and teach morality without prudishness. I think any child can learn from reading Blyton - she is probably one of the most gifted writers (and under-rated) I've ever read

[Moose]

I daresay I'll get flambeed but I think that some of the changes were necessary. There was some racial stereotyping in the books which just isn't a good thing for children to be absorbing these days. In general I don't like changes - and especially changes in things like money and clothing - but I don't mind the omission of the racial stuff.

[Jools]

Three cheers Moose. Heartily agree with your sentiments. And no flambeeing. *spelling*

[maddy]

Like sixret, i'm also Malaysian, and an adult Blyton fan. (i have been a Blyton reader since i was 8, and i still am.. ) And like many of you, i'm also upset with all the changes in the text and stuff. Well, i can understand the ommission of racial/offensive stuff.. but i don't really understand why they need to change perfectly harmless words like "glass" to "mirror", and "eiderdowns" to "quilts" (in Malory Towers, for example..) sigh...

[Katie]

" because of Enid Blyton, i love to read."

I echo your statement, it is indeed because of Enid Blyton, I love to read.

As a child I lived each and every adventure I could get my hands on and today I love them all just as much.

1) When ave you 'fallen in love' with anything Blytons' ?

I can not tell you the age but it was very young with my mum reading to me, then more and more as I grew older and read on , as an adult I continue to love everything about her writing's.

2) When ave you decided to be a Blyton's fan or maniac?

I don't ever think I decided it just evolved as time went on.

3) Why ave you chosen Enid Blyton as your favourite author? I know we ave been destined to but please elaborate your experience with Blyton.

Because her stories have always held something for me, be it adventure, escapism, a moral, or just space out time.

Enid Blyton gave me permission to be anything, anywhere, anytime with her stories.

Her stories feed my imagination, they made me laugh, feel sad, be excited, be scared and most of all made my childhood special, and to quote you once again "it is because of Enid Blyton I love to read !!!!

Many Smiles
Katie

[vonhugh-Gabrielle]

[b]1) When ave you 'fallen in love' with anything Blytons' ?[/b]
[i]I started reading her books (The Secret Mountain) when I was in the first form, due to the Reading Period in the school timetable.[/i]

[b]2) When ave you decided to be a Blyton's fan or maniac?[/b]
[i]I started to collect Enid Blyton's books since I was 13 years old, but stopped collecting them when I collected Five Find-Outers, The Secret series, Mallory Towers series and St Clares series. Then I started to collect her books when I saw how cheap they are sold in secondhand bookstores. I had collected 100+++ books in near 2 years' time, and am still collecting them.[/i]

[b]
3) Why ave you chosen Enid Blyton as your favourite author? I know we ave been destined to but please elaborate your experience with Blyton. [/b]
[i]Actually, initially, I didn't like her books at all when I was in primary school.
I was forced to read her books just to improve my English.
But then, since I read The Secret Mountain, somehow I couldn't stop myself from reading as well as re-reading her other books.
I always visit secondhand bookshops just to buy her books, and also to bookstores to see whether there are books that I want but couldn't be found in secondhand bookshops.

I feel that it is the magic within her text that makes her my favourite author.[/i]

[Lucky Star]

There is a readers letter in The Daily mail newspaper (UK) today which puts Enid Blytons case very simply, its not online so I'll type it out here;

Blyton's a wizard read

I must correct Ephraim Hardcastle's claim that the Famous Five books were looked down on as "common" by grand families. It was quite the reverse.

Those were the Harry Potter books of our era, read avidly by us all and it angered us that Enid Blyton was critiscised by a small number of intellectual snobs. The rest of us just appreciated a great storyteller.

The letter is signed by a Lady Oswald. I do think that her last sentance really sums up the answers to the Why Enid Blyton? question.

[Ming]

I agree with that. Blyton was a great story teller, and she told them simply and straightforwardly, which is what appeals to us, I think. Who the heck would like to keep a dictionary in hand while reading a storybook?!! Certainly not me! Don't we have enough of dictionaries and difficult words while we're studying?

1) When ave you 'fallen in love' with anything Blytons' ?
When I picked up The Mystery of the Strange Messages in the school library.

2) When ave you decided to be a Blyton's fan or maniac?
Don't rightly remember. I believe a friend of mine started collecting the Mystery books, and I started borrowing them from her. Then I lost it and started collecting on my own - that would be in 2005.


3) Why ave you chosen Enid Blyton as your favourite author? I know we ave been destined to but please elaborate your experience with Blyton.
I don't know why. Blyton just gripped me in a way no other author did, and by the time I got interested in, say, Agatha Christie and Roald Dahl, Blyton was already my firm favourite.


Gosh, it took me over ten minutes to pot this message. My tying is horrendously slow today - who the heck can type as fast as they usually do when they're on a laptop after being so used and comfortable with a computer??

Yes, a virus again!!

[Kitty]

1) When ave you 'fallen in love' with anything Blytons' ?

I think - think! - the first Blytons I read were the Secret (not 7) books, when I was tiny. The first things I can remember reading, knowing that they were EB, were the Naughtiest Girl and Barney. A little later I read MT and the FF-Os.

2) When ave you decided to be a Blyton's fan or maniac?

Finding Fatty, Alicia, Gwen and Bets! What great characters, I loved them, believed in them, and they made me laugh. And I think Enid's unjustly maligned and I enjoy sticking up for people. Finally, I collect a lot of authors, so I decided to add her to the list, even though I don't read all of them - am am probably guilty of reading my favourite favourites far too often!

3) Why ave you chosen Enid Blyton as your favourite author? I know we ave been destined to but please elaborate your experience with Blyton

I have to confess, she isn't my favourite author, though I do genuinely love and admire her work. I guess I'd better hide now!

[manzanita]

1) When ave you 'fallen in love' with anything Blytons' ?

That was when I was much younger. My mum loved "The Rockingdown Mystery" as a child and gave a copy to me and I carried on reading them! I got back into them earlier this year when I left my job due to stress and needed some escapism. There were some Blyton's in my local charity shop and they did the trick!

2) When ave you decided to be a Blyton's fan or maniac?

There was no actual moment, the books just happened to be there in the shop when I needed them!

3) Why ave you chosen Enid Blyton as your favourite author? I know we ave been destined to but please elaborate your experience with Blyton.

She shares the place of favourite author along with Katherine Applegate, Point Horror and Thomas Hardy, but she's there for stories that remind me of childhood and as an adult, I see many points that I didn't as a child. She reminds me of simpler times and no cares in the world and just being children.

Manzy

[Anna Moss]

That last sentence, Anita - I can't say it makes me feel as a child- I am one! But it really does make you forget sadness and stress. Enid's books make me feel I have been sucked into another world a beautiful and adventurous world with wonderful characters, full of excitement! Whenever something goes wrong in the story, all books make you feel the excitement but Blyton's books especially.

[pete9012S]

hi there,

To spice up the forum, let us all make a confession.

1) When ave you 'fallen in love' with anything Blytons' ?

2) When ave you decided to be a Blyton's fan or maniac?

3) Why ave you chosen Enid Blyton as your favourite author? I know we ave been destined to but please elaborate your experience with Blyton.

Before I go further, let me introduce myself for the sake of courtesy and shud i say curiousity to some of the forumners.

I am 27 yo and lives in Malaysia.

Literally I love to read especially in mystery/thriller/crime/police procedural/action/horror genre. But i can accept other genre.

I remember, when i was young around 8-12 yo, i used to read Blytons' books in Bahasa Melayu(Malay Language) mostly her mystery books. I can say, her books and Alfred Hitchcock,Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys are the inspirations for me to indulge myself into adult mystery books.I asked my mum about enid blyton,and she told me she had read enid blyton when she was young(1950+) and now she is 68yo!!!

Then, at teen age, i satisfied myself(and still do) very much in reading Agatha Christies', Ngaio Marshs', Dorothy Sayers', Sidneys' and from Malaysian authors-as you can see, i love cosy mstery.though i also read teen romance like sweet dreams series, silhoutte and freshman series but this genre never lasting.

and now i ave added some other authors into my collections namely Colin Dexter, Ellery Queen,Sue Grafton,P.D James,Michael Palmer,Phillip Margolin,Peter Lovesey,John Grisham,Scott Turow, Laurie R King,Emily Brightwell,Conan Doyle .Dean Koontz, Edgar Allan Poe and the list keeps going.

and Blyton books also make me to collect other children' books.Harry Potter,Chronicles of Narnia,Anne of green Gables, Richmal Cromptons' and all those famous Classic Fairy Tales.

at one point in my life, i decided to collect Blytons' book in English. the reason why i wanted to have her books in english is because i assumed that the books in english will be in complete texts.later, i found that even in english-some of the ludicrous publishers of certain period of time(mostly current edition)published abridged edition due to their expertise in messing with Blytons' works. i dunno what's their motive is but i believe it must have to do with the profitable business-though i fail to prove my accusation-hence the originality of blytons' works are questionable and at stake. we, as buyers(not an expertise) are likely to buy *their* version of Blytons without knowing it.really really makes me hot and angry.

i remember at one point when i was young i had formed one gorup of five-just like five-find outers to investigate things ie criminal and trying our best to find one but none occured!!!hehe

because of Enid Blyton, i love to read.

and now, i rejoice myself in collecting blytons books though it's hard for me to get the first edition coz my financial does not allow it- i try to find as old version as possible.

book listing in this website is very-very-very good ie great plus excellent though u can make it even greater or excellenter(if it has such a word) to list down the title of the short story in one books and chapters.i ave tried to find the chapters in wishing chairs but none appeared- i wanted to compare it with my book edition whether it has all the chapters or not compared to original work.

I am now collecting all the blytons' work.though it's hard for me to find and buy the first editions due to the financial reason, I try to collect them as old version as possible.

Back to the questions unanswered

I ave fallen in love with blytons' works at young age without me realise it until I write this.

I ave decided to be blyton's maniac just recently due to nostalgic reason but it becomes uncontrollable.

Why enid blyton?! It still remain an enigma but I guess it's because I can find a comfort I need by reading them. I always relate blytons' with comfort and pleasant. When I am ill and lying on bed, I know where to find a comfort I need by reading hers.(not that I cant accept unpleasant thing.)In addition,her books instill good behaviour/manners and whatsnot.

Nuff said-my fingers are going numb by typing this.

So long!!!-quoted from blytons' works.frequent kind of greeting used by her.

This is a good post with some interesting questions. I'm going to think over them whilst at work today and answer them later.

[Boatbuilder]

This is a good post with some interesting questions. I'm going to think over them whilst at work today and answer them later.

Sounds as though there won’t be much work done today, Pete.

[sixret]

I feel so ashamed when reading my ancient post! You're so good at digging, Pete!