The Enid Blyton Society

I'm currently reading The Rockingdown Mystery which I always remember as being a rather sad, depressing book, and yet there was a random bit that made me laugh out loud! It's just after Barney said if people knew how clever Miranda was, they would offer him a thousand pounds for her, and he wouldn't take it...

They all gazed at Miranda with respect. A thousand pounds! "Why, that's more than I'm worth!" said Snubby.

"I should think so! About nine hundred and ninety-nine pounds, nineteen shillings and eleven pence three farthings more," said Roger at once. "Work that out, Snubby."

A great line, Stephen. Much better than saying "you're only worth a farthing"!

Yes - that's a great line - and there are so many genuinely funny lines in the Barney books! Probably the most comical books Enid ever wrote.

The funniest scene in the Barney books for me is Snubby being tricked into chewing plasticine and nearly hitting some woman when he spits it out in disgust . The image this scene conjures up is marvellous, you can almost see Snubby's desperation to get rid of it .

I've always liked the part where Mr Linton asks 'Don't they teach you manners at school?' and Roger says 'No they think we learn them at home!' It always strikes me as a very modern exchange, and not typical Blyton.

I forget the exact quote, but there's one FF book where Anne asks what VIP means and Julian tells her then says, "What did you think it means? Violet Indigo Purple? Those are the colours Uncle Quentin would go if the thought anyone was messing with his experiments!"

Rob Houghton wrote:I've always liked the part where Mr Linton asks 'Don't they teach you manners at school?' and Roger says 'No they think we learn them at home!' It always strikes me as a very modern exchange, and not typical Blyton.

Take it from a teacher: Times have changed there quite a bit. These days, I wouldn't expect too much in the line of manners from pupils. Hardly surprising considering how many people live by a greedy maxim that usually blames the others for anything that goes wrong.

Back to the topic, though. Going off-topic isn't good manners either.
I have always liked the scene at the tea table in Rat-A-Tat house where Diana is sitting behind the big brown tea pot feeling grown-up and Snubby is teasing her about it. It may be for the fact I own and during times of cold use a big brown tea pot myself, not sure whether that makes me feel more grown-up, but certainly less thirsty.

Mr. Goon saying "Ableedy Ableedy " in front of the mirror

The whole ventriloquism bits in Strange Bundle are laugh out loud funny!

Also in Rilloughby Fair when Old Ma calls Snubby "Looney" and vice versa - a very funny section!

As I've often said before, I feel Rilloby Fair is the funniest book in the Barney series. there are so many great bits, scenes, one-liners etc that are amusing. That's where the lines comes from about 'they think you teach us manners at home' and its also got those Snubby/Loony comments in it, as stated above, plus the fun surrounding Great Uncle Robert and his dry-as-dust papers, and how Diana has to pretend to enjoy them, and the bragging from Snubby when he tells his tales about all the creatures staring at him in the wood. Great stuff!

josepmcb wrote:Mr. Goon saying "Ableedy Ableedy " in front of the mirror

I was just thinking about the other day I loved the way that he later talked to Fatty and had to stop himself saying it out loud again!

Sounds as though Goon was swearing! I think it was "Abbledy, abbledy" (prob incorrect spelling).

This slightly surreal vision from 'The Wishing Chair Again' made me unashamedly laugh out loud this morning!

"Do you mean to say old Witch Wendle lent you her wand?" said Chinky disbelievingly. "Why, it was only last week you told me you put her chimney pot upside down so that her smoke blew down into her kitchen. I don't believe you!"

There's bit in one of the Find Outer books where Pip is in such a hurry to catch up with someone (Goon I think) that he 'crams his ice cream down his throat so fast he almost froze himself' . It never fails to make me laugh, it conjures up such a funny mental image, which gets even funnier when you imagine him trying in vain to ignore and get rid of the brain-freeze that he'd have almost inevitably got from gulping down a wodge of ice cream as quick as possible .

From The Enchanted Wood - The House Of The Three Bears.


Father Bear - ...(Goldilocks) likes the baby bear's bed best, because it's so soft and warm.

Fanny - She did in the story.

Mother Bear - What story?

Fanny - Well - the story of the three bears.

The Three Bears (together) - Never heard of it.