Find-Outers Readathon

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 29 Mar 2007, 10:20

I quite like the German names, Katinka, except Dicki which doesn't have quite the right ring about it for Fatty. As far as the English names are concerned, I've never considered Buster a particularly good name for a little Scottie. To me, it sounds more suitable for a bigger dog.

Early on in Hidden House Fatty boasts about his prowess at boxing, saying that he learns it at school. I was surprised to read that but a spot of Googling informed me that boxing was on the curriculum in some boys' schools in the 1940s and 50s. However, it was banned in 1962 because so many parents complained and wrote notes to Headteachers asking for their sons to be excused boxing.

Anita

Moonraker · Post by **Moonraker** » 29 Mar 2007, 11:50

Anita Bensoussane wrote:I've never considered Buster a particularly good name for a little Scottie. To me, it sounds more suitable for a bigger dog.

What about Timothy, then? I remember thinking that that was a stupid name for a big dog. When I was about 7, I had a tortoise called Timothy! Much more fitting!

Ming · Post by **Ming** » 29 Mar 2007, 11:53

I think Bingo sounds like a little dog. Quite mad and mischievous!

Moonraker · Post by **Moonraker** » 29 Mar 2007, 11:54

Anita Bensoussane wrote: I was surprised to read that but a spot of Googling informed me that boxing was on the curriculum in some boys' schools in the 1940s and 50s.

We boxed at my secondary school, and that was in 1963. My best mate and I always fought each other; that way we could fake the punches and not get hurt.

Moose · Post by **Moose** » 29 Mar 2007, 12:23

Boxing was definitely on the curriculum of public schools at the turn of the century but I didn't realise it was still going in the forties. I was surprised too that Fatty should prove so good at it - other than the fact that he's good at everything

- as he's not what I would call physically fit.

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 29 Mar 2007, 12:58

[Nigel:] What about Timothy, then? I remember thinking that that was a stupid name for a big dog. When I was about 7, I had a tortoise called Timothy! Much more fitting!

I don't think Timothy sounds right for a large dog, either. That name always makes me think of the comic character Timothy Lumsden in Sorry!, played by Ronnie Corbett!

On the whole, though, Enid's animal characters had great names - Crackers, Loony, Bundle, Punch, Miranda, Hurly and Burly, Pongo, Kiki, Thunder, Lordly-One, Boodi, Bobbo and many more.

Anita

Moose · Post by **Moose** » 29 Mar 2007, 13:01

Though perhaps not Nigger and Darkie

Lucky Star · Post by **Lucky Star** » 29 Mar 2007, 16:20

Moose wrote:Though perhaps not Nigger and Darkie

No, probably not these days.

I think just about everything has been said about Hidden House now, I was away for a few days and missed the meat of the discussion. Did anyone else feel that the moving floor thingy was a bit James Bondish? It certainly reminded me of one of the Bond movies even though it was twenty or so years ahead of the movies. I almost expected Mr Holland to be sitting in an underground control room stroking a white cat.

Ern is the star of the book in my opinion. He moves from "an oaf, a clod, a lump, not a brain in his head.." to being a really likeable hero. I think the character probably grew on Enid as she was writing causing her to reevaluate his original role perhaps.

This is also the first book to devote significant time to characters other than the Find-outers; ie. to Ern and Goon. It is all the better for this as the story becomes more rounded. Goon shows himself a rather complicated person here as he moves through compassion for the cow, cruelty and deceit in his dealings with Ern to finally arrive at a point where we can empathise with his worry over his nephew and the happy reunion at the end.

It was news to me that EB intended this to be last in the series. Strange Bundle actually seemed to me to be more of an "ending" book. But more of that later I guess.

tkurbjuhn · Post by **tkurbjuhn** » 29 Mar 2007, 18:54

As I mentioned in another thread, I don´t like the german translation because the stories become a bit childish at least in my feeling. The translator of the new german edition, a Miss Johanna Ellsworth, has tried to give the stories some "british feeling" by renaming the find-outers. The find-outers themselves stay the " Spürnasen"( track-noses?) but now are called " Dicky( instead of Dicki), Betti( Bets) becomes Betsy(!) and Larry and Daisy and Pip now have the same name as in the english editon.
But it is no use, the new translation doesn´t create the feeling of children acting in a somehow grown-up way, thus representing creativity in a world
of not-interested grown-ups caught in their long-trained habits. I think it is the difference of the language itself that causes the effect. In German, you have to express " grown-up thoughts" in a " high -and mighty style", otherwise your words have the effect of being simple or childish. This might be the reason for german scientists not being able to explain their thoughts to an audience of non-scientists in opposite to the english scientists who are successful in writing for the normal people. And I think you have almost no chance translating these books without loosing the metaphorically packed contrast between the creative kids and the dull grown-ups.

Moonraker · Post by **Moonraker** » 30 Mar 2007, 11:44

lucky Star wrote: Ern is the star of the book in my opinion. He moves from "an oaf, a clod, a lump, not a brain in his head.." to being a really likeable hero. I think the character probably grew on Enid as she was writing causing her to reevaluate his original role perhaps.

I cannot help but draw a comparison with Richard Kent, here. Although Kent was not at all like Ern in disposition, he was the silly, immature boy who came good in the end.

Kent's trip in Perton's boot to aid escape was much akin to Ern's staying on at Harry's Folly.

However, unlike Ernest Goon, I never felt Richard Kent was a particularly likeable character.

Talking of Ern' intellectual level, an anagram of his name is not so green

Pretty apt, eh?

lizarfau · Post by **lizarfau** » 30 Mar 2007, 13:52

Anita Bensoussane wrote:I quite like the German names, Katinka, except Dicki which doesn't have quite the right ring about it for Fatty.

Doesn't Dick mean fat in German? Or maybe it's spelt Dich - can't remember. I do remember laughing about the word 'dick/dich' meaning fat in German lessons at school, though.

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 30 Mar 2007, 14:54

[Lizarfu:] Doesn't Dick mean fat in German? Or maybe it's spelt Dich - can't remember.

I've never learnt German but, if that's the case, it does indeed seem apt. But when Katinka first mentioned it it just made me think of dicky-birds!

Anita

Lucky Star · Post by **Lucky Star** » 30 Mar 2007, 17:50

lizarfau wrote: Doesn't Dick mean fat in German? Or maybe it's spelt Dich - can't remember. I do remember laughing about the word 'dick/dich' meaning fat in German lessons at school, though.

"Dicke" does mean fat in German so the name is quite appropriate. "Dich" is a form of the word for "You".

A major problem for translators of this series has to be the quintessential Englishness of it. I cant quite conceive of a French, German or Indian equivalent for the likes of Goon, Ern, miss Tremble etc, can you?

Ming · Post by **Ming** » 30 Mar 2007, 17:53

I can think of an Indian/Bangla for Fatty. Motu!

Yeah, doesn't sound very Blytonian.

Susie · Post by **Susie** » 01 Apr 2007, 01:14

lizarfau wrote:
Anita Bensoussane wrote:I quite like the German names, Katinka, except Dicki which doesn't have quite the right ring about it for Fatty.
Doesn't Dick mean fat in German? Or maybe it's spelt Dich - can't remember. I do remember laughing about the word 'dick/dich' meaning fat in German lessons at school, though.

I think it was intended as he was always eating.