Find-Outer Matters

[tix]

The 'Find-Outer' series supplies its readers with many hours of entertainment.

Right from "Burnt Cottage" that deals with the burning down of a workroom belonging to one Mr. Hick, we're taken through a collection of mysteries that occur (very conveniently during the school holidays) for a group of children (plus dog) residing in the town of Peterswood.

The assortment gives Enid Blyton an excellent opportunity to exercise her talent for drawing the reader into any setting - especially if it's a quarrel or difference of opinion. Example below is taken from "Burnt Cottage."

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A storm of anger broke over poor Bets when Mr. Goon had gone.

"Idiot!" said Pip. "Going and blabbing everything out to old Hiccup!"

"Honestly, you've ruined everything, Bets," said Daisy.

"This is the end of the Find-Outers," said Larry gloomily. "That's what comes of having a baby in it like Bets. Everything's spoilt."

Bets sobbed loudly. Fatty was sorry for her. He actually put his arm round her and spoke kindly, though he felt as impatient as the others at the break-up of their plans and hopes.

"Don't cry, Bets. We all do silly things. It was clever of you and Buster to track those prints, I must say. And wouldn't I like to know which of those two, Peeks or Smellie, wore those shoes!"

Pip's mother appeared again, looking stern. "I hope you are feeling ashamed of yourselves," she said. "I want you all to go down and apologize to Mr. Hick for interfering in his concerns. He is naturally very annoyed to think that you have been messing about each day in his garden."

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Another example taken from "Vanished Prince" also records the putting down of a member ..... a regular situation in the EB world and one that also occurs in the "Secret Seven" series:

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Pip couldn't be bothered to explain. He lay and thought of all the mysteries he and Bets, Larry and Daisy, Fatty (and Buster, of course) had solved. There was the Burning Cottage - and the Disappearing Cat - and the Hidden House - gosh, there were a fine lot!

He suddenly felt hungry for another mystery. He sat up and looked at Bets. Let's get the morning paper and see if there's anything thrilling in it, he said. Anything that has happened near us. We could tell Fatty as soon as he comes then, and he might get us all on to it.

Bets was thrilled. She went to get the paper. She brought it out to Pip and they both studied it carefully. But there didn't seem to be anything happening at all.

"Nothing but pictures of frightful women and their clothes, and horses racing and what hot weather it is, and ..."

"Cricket scores, and...," went on Bets, in a voice as disgusted as Pip's.

"Oh well - cricket scores are interesting," said Pip, at once. "Look here - see this bowling analysis?"

Bets wasn't in the least interested in cricket. She turned the page.

"Just like a girl," said Pip, in an even more disgusted voice. "The only thing of real importance in the paper is the cricket - and you don't even look at it!"

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These scenarios take place frequently in the Enid Blyton books and can add to the attraction because of their family settings to which most of us can relate.

There are fifteen in the 'Find-Outer' assemblage and they're all great novels.

[Barnard]

Pip thought that cricket scores were so interesting that he never mentioned them again.

[Lenoir]

The 'Find-Outer' series supplies its readers with many hours of entertainment.

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"This is the end of the Find-Outers," said Larry gloomily. "That's what comes of having a baby in it like Bets. Everything's spoilt."

I agree. When I re-read the books, these little scenes remain entertaining even if the mystery itself is no longer such a mystery to me anymore.

I didn't realise what a pessimist Larry was!

[Boodi 2]

Yes, it is those very scenes that make the books so memorable and enjoyable. Another one that springs to mind is Mrs. Hilton's dry comment when Fatty forgets to remove his earrings after disguising himself as a gypsy woman!!!

[Barnard]

I love the chats that Fatty has with Bets.
Lovely.

[Susie9598]

The Find Outers are my favourite (jointly with the famous five) series precisely because of the mix of mystery/adventure action and lovely domestic and familial detail.

[GloomyGraham]

The main thing wrong in the FFO (in my opinion) is that it's so often 'little Bets' discovers the clue (etc). It would be nice if - even if just a couple of books - Daisy could have been the champion.

[Debbie]

"Little Bets" doesn't normally realise that she's discovered it though. It's often a mixture of innocence and chatting that gives Fatty the answer from her.

It would have been nice to see more individual stuff from the other three in some ways, but Fatty is the brains of the group-it would be a little like having Watson solving the mystery with Sherlock Holmes looking on.
It might have been nice if Daisy had had a bit like when Pip discovered the Secret Room though. I don't think she ever does anything alone.

I think the big thing about the Find Outers is the friendship. They go away for boarding school (except Bets) and come back and slot back into their group again, without too much thought of their schools. Do Larry and Pip go to the same school, for example? If they do, are they the same form? They've got an easy friendship, where they can correct each other, and laugh at their mistakes without it being taken personally.

And Ern's joining in is very well written. It goes from the hostile, suspicious feeling that almost any established group, adult or child, would have of an outsider trying to join in. To him being tolerated, but still the outsider. Through to him being thoroughly accepted, indignant at Goon's poor treatment of him, and very much one of the gang.
But at the same time Ern has the later joiner's gratitude that this group has accepted him. He saw a group that he wanted to be part of and they finally let him join in and accept him. I think he still feels a bit of an outsider, even when they don't see him as an outsider.
I wonder whether at home Ern has a friendship group. Or whether he's never really fitted in. Maybe he spends too long talking about his "high and mighty friends" and they think he's stuck up. Or does he never refer to them back home, as he never refers to home friends to the Find Outers.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Although Fatty and the others welcome Ern's company as time goes on, and he's included in the mystery-solving whenever he comes to Peterswood, he's never officially made a 'Find-Outer' so I feel that he remains something of an outsider. Fatty is horribly condescending to Ern in The Mystery of Banshee Towers, but I tend to put that down to the fact that Enid Blyton wrote that book when her mind was no longer sharp. The relationship between Ern and the Find-Outers feels very warm and natural in Tally-Ho Cottage and Strange Messages.

Larry is older than Pip so they wouldn't be in the same form even if they did attend the same school.

[Yak]

I always felt that Ern, though he was welcomed by the Five, was nonetheless looked down on because of social class (I remember his cousins saying, when Ern said who his friends were, something like 'oh, aren't we la-di-da?'. Also when Ern ran away from his uncle, Fatty put him up in the shed - I wonder if he would have done that to Larry or Pip, or would have invited them into the house (without his parents' seeing).

[TheAngryPixie]

I never liked Pip. He always seemed a bit of a dick.

[db105]

when Ern ran away from his uncle, Fatty put him up in the shed - I wonder if he would have done that to Larry or Pip, or would have invited them into the house (without his parents' seeing).

I think some of this distance can be attributed not so much to the children themselves, but to the social reality. Fatty's friendship with Ern is not socially accepted at the time in the same way as his friendship with Larry or Pip, at least not as 100% social equals. OK, maybe Fatty could have invited Ern into the house without his parents' seeing instead of putting him up in the shed, but if they had been discovered it would have caused more trouble and have been met with a different response if it's Ern than if it's Larry or Pip. That creates a certain distance that both sides assume.

I'm not sure, but I suspect there would probably be differences in life experiences and the quality of the education they receive that also work to prevent a total integration as one more of the group.

Then, there's also the fact that in each of Enid Blyton's series, the core group of children tends to be maintained throughout the series. Even when a character who is not part of the group becomes a recurring character in the series, he or she is not really 100% part of the core group, social equal or not. The Five Find-Outers may be friendly with Ern, but they remain five, just like the Famous Five remain five, or the Secret Seven remain seven.

[db105]

I never liked Pip. He always seemed a bit of a dick.

Well, we don't see that much of him. Fatty always gets all the spotlight in those books, with Bets having her moments, but the others are not given that much to do other than being there.

It's true that Pip is a bit short with his little sister, but I attribute that to normal big sibling/little sibling bickering.

[MJE]

I always felt that Ern, though he was welcomed by the Five, was nonetheless looked down on because of social class

     Yes, I think you can definitely see signs of this in the first book where Ern appears especially, but I think it weakened rather as the series progresses and they get to know Ern better.

Also when Ern ran away from his uncle, Fatty put him up in the shed - I wonder if he would have done that to Larry or Pip, or would have invited them into the house (without his parents' seeing).

     Well, as I think has already been noted, there was a reason for that: namely, that his presence had to be kept secret, and I think the chances of his presence remaining secret would be close to zero if they brought him into the house - no matter how carefully they tried to sneak him in and out at moments when no-one would see.
     I think it's also worth noting that, although Fatty's shed is called a shed, it seems to be described in terms that make it seem so cosy, clean, and comfortable that it seems almost like an extension of the house - but, most importantly, an extension that Fatty has sole access to. So putting Ern up in the shed is in this case not nearly so bad as "putting someone up in the shed" would normally be.

Regards, Michael.

[MJE]

Then, there's also the fact that in each of Enid Blyton's series, the core group of children tends to be maintained throughout the series. Even when a character who is not part of the group becomes a recurring character in the series, he or she is not really 100% part of the core group, social equal or not. The Five Find-Outers may be friendly with Ern, but they remain five, just like the Famous Five remain five, or the Secret Seven remain seven.

     There is one important exception to this: Prince Paul. He does not appear at all in the first book of the Secret series, and is merely the victim of the kidnapping which the second book is about, but as the Arnold children (which includes Jack by now) rescue and hide him, they become friendly, but it is not really uintil the third book - the sadly withdrawn "The Secret Mountain" (what a lot of nonsense around that) - that Prince Paul is really part of the group, but once he is, he remains there for the rest of the series.
     He is not the leader, though, despite being a prince and probably thinking he is, or should be, the leader. Jack remains the leader, and the others don't hesitate to put Paul in his place when he gets some hare-brained idea or other, which is not too infrequent, as he seems to be the sort of person who acts first and then thinks, optionally, afterward. (Not suggesting he's stupid - but a combination of immature due to younger age and impetuous.)

     Belatedly, I suppose Barney in the R Mysteries could be seen as another exception - that is, a character who joins the group later. In terms of the characters knowing each other, all of them other than Barney know each other years before Barney comes on the scene. But since they do meet and befriend Barney fairly early in the first book, certainly before the mystery gets under way, this might count as only a slight example of a character who joins the main group comparatively late, but then becomes a coreo part of the group.
     What is interesting about Prince Paul and Barney is that they are both strikingly different characters from the others, and so play perhaps the most prominent role in their respective series, largely because they are different, and thus interesting.

Regards, Michael.