Yes, the Dedman letters certainly shed light on Enid's perception of herself as a writer.
A few quotations stood out to me:
Enid Blyton wrote:They [i.e. Enid's stories] give children a feeling of security as well as pleasure – they know that they will never find anything wrong, hideous or vulgar in my books, although there is plenty of excitement, mystery and fun - & the children are always real live characters, exactly like the readers... I'm not out only to tell stories, much as I love this – I am out to create decent thinking, loyalty, honesty, kindliness, & all the things that children should be taught.
Taken with the remark cited by Julie, about the dream of raising up "just one generation of first-rate children", it's clear that Enid Blyton viewed herself as a woman with a mission – a storyteller, yes, but ultimately more than that.
Enid Blyton wrote:... one librarian said in my hearing one day, "This tiresome Enid Blyton craze! I'm fed up with having her books asked for hundreds of times a week & having to keep a rota of children who want them. She causes more trouble than anyone else!"
It sounds as though the constant demand for Blyton books was simply too much for some librarians to cope with, and that they resented Enid Blyton for causing them more work rather than for anything to do with the quality of her writing!
Enid Blyton wrote:I agree heartily with you that if there were more of your sex in the profession [i.e. more male librarians] it would be an excellent thing. So often women can't see the wood from the trees, but men don't have that defect – or very seldom! I was brought up with brothers & have always been more at home with men's minds than with women's.
Enid!! It would be interesting to know exactly what Stanley Dedman said to inspire that response, but the irony is that Enid Blyton herself appears to have been very much on the ball and probably one step ahead of most people around her, males included!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
Anita's post above reminds me of a quote by Doris Cox in Journal 2. Doris Cox was Enid's housekeeper at the time of her death in 1968 and had been employed by the family since 1946.
"Sometimes Dr. and Mrs. Waters gave dinner parties. Doctors from the hospital used to come, and sometimes publishers. Only men came. Mrs. Waters was usually the only woman. She used to wear a red velvet dress with rubies and emeralds. There were red candles on the table and the curtains were red too. She loved red."
When she was young Enid was reputedly a bit of a tomboy (George!) and it seems that when she was more mature she still preferred to be 'one of the boys'. It perhaps goes some of the way to explaining the criticism of her books being labelled as 'sexist'.
Like Doris Cox, George Greenfield in his book Enid Blyton talks of Enid being surrounded by men at meetings/lunches:
Enid and Kenneth came to know Clifford Gibbs... who had played rugby football for England. He had a brother working in a City stockbroking firm, whose senior partner was Eric W. Rogers. The latter was introduced to the famous author and her husband, and he and Kenneth became close friends and soon he was appointed their broker and financial adviser. Enid and Kenneth were both to die happy in his friendship and knew nothing of his machinations, some of which are revealed in Chapter 5.
He advised them to set up a limited liability company, to which all Enid's existing and future copyrights would be assigned. The company was formed in 1950 under the name of Darrell Waters Limited - Kenneth was already asserting his masculine domination...
... The other directors of the newly formed company were Arnold Thirlby, Enid's solicitor, and John Basden, an independent accountant whose other clients included Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson. They used to meet about once a month at the corner table in the Savoy Restaurant, which 'Wing Commander' Rogers (he had not dropped his wartime title) occupied every day, presumably at the company's expense. He would arrive at the River Entrance in his Bentley with the personalised number-plate EWR 1. Enid attended the lunches on most occasions and, when she invited me to become her literary agent in 1953, I was also a regular guest. Champagne would be drunk, a notable claret would accompany the main course and cigars and brandy provided for the men afterwards. They would talk across Enid and in a sense down to her, treating her almost like a favourite niece who was still feeling her way in a man's world. Without the largesse arising from her mighty labours, none of them would have been living off the fat of the land in this manner.
In another book, A Smattering of Monsters, George Greenfield elaborates on that:
In Kenneth's company, especially if Eric Rogers was also present, when it came to discussing business matters, Enid used to play the role of the silly schoolgirl, vintage 1920. 'You men,' she would simper, 'always talking business. That's right over my head. You'll have to go more slowly if you want me to understand.'
It was fascinating to watch. Her quick mind was a long way ahead of them and she knew much, much more than they ever would about book rights and publishers... But after all, business was a man's prerogative; a woman should not worry her pretty little head over it... Each week or so, the court would assemble [at the Savoy, for lunch]... The men would talk across and, in their assumption, over Enid's head. She gallantly played her part - the schoolgirl niece allowed out to lunch with her favourite uncles...
... the band of advisors often failed to appreciate that the past, present and future of Darrell Waters Limited depended entirely on Enid's creative flair. It was after one of those stuffy lunches that I realised why she had invited me to become her agent. She was fully capable of looking after her own affairs, apart from handling tax returns, as she had proved again and again over the previous quarter of a century. I was her one act of rebellion, someone who knew the trade from the inside and whom she could talk to straight, with no need to bolster the audience's confidence by putting on the simpering little-girl role.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
Anita, you've quoted and commented on all the excerpts from Enid's letters to Stanley Dedman that I was just planning to quote and comment on!
Can't add much to what you've said, but I was quite fascinated to hear Enid's thoughts on male vs female librarians - I would have assumed female librarians would be more appreciative of her books! It's especially interesting to learn more about how Enid herself navigated her way as an astute businesswoman in what was still very much a man's world in her time. To me, it's always seemed a pity that the attitude of her most famous tomboy, George, is along the lines of "I don't want to be a girl because it's boys who are brave, strong, adventurous etc." rather than "Girls can do these things too!" - which is a much better message for girl readers to absorb. But it's more understandable in light of the prevailing attitudes in Enid's day.
Society Member
It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
Thanks for all the comments on my article. I enjoyed searching for similarities and contrasts...always interesting to speculate about things like this. Courtenay - I really do hope I havent put you off reading 'The Family At Red Roofs' - as Anita says, its a skilfully constructed family saga, and well worth reading. It is also one of my favourite of Enid's Family stories, despite the fact I find the ending a bit disappointing. As Poppy says, the audience the book is aimed at might not see the ending as a disappointment...although I must admit I did, even aged 9 or 10. The children had found their independence and seemed to be coping well, and this idea of being treated like an adult is very attractive to most children, so to me, even then, it seemed a shame and an injustice, that they had to relinquish it again!
Havent read much of the Journal yet...except the bits written by Enid, which are always my first port of call. I only received my Journal on Wednesday...so I have the pleasure of a good read still to come!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
I also count The Family at Redroofs as one of my favourites. I first read it as a child and my reaction to things coming right in the end was relief that they were able to resume their life as they had hoped - that Molly and Peter were able to pursue their chosen careers after all. Michael would be able to relax and learn how to be an even better engineer in the future and Shirley had matured enough to be respected by the others and had no wish to return to her more childish ways. Jenny Wren's thoughts were a reasonable summing up, and maybe a little rubbing in to the readers, of the lessons learned. I can never choose between this book and The House at the Corner. I love them both.
'Tis loving and giving that makes life worth living.
At the time that these 'Family' books were written, Lutterworth Press had owners with strong religious beliefs and Enid was commissioned to write a 'series' of books which had firm moral messages in them. I read somewhere that she didn't enjoy writing these books as much as her mystery and adventure books as she felt constricted by her brief and couldn't let the books flow in quite the manner that she would have liked.
Enid Blyton talks about one of those briefs in a letter to psychologist Peter McKellar, written in February 1953:
I have been asked to write a book , which will deal with a scout or scouts, with kindness to animals and with a definite religious thread running through it.
She says she doesn't need to think consciously about the book and plan it out:
All I have done is say firmly to myself - there must be a scout or scouts - animals - and ethics - and I leave it at that and don't think another word about it. But those conscious directions penetrate down into the imagination, and when, on Monday, I sit down to begin the book, it will already be complete in my imagination - characters (a scout or scouts will be there), setting, animals, everything. No thought or planning will have gone into the book - it will well up spontaneously and rhythmically, suited for the particular age of child, and will be the right length.
Although the book isn't named (indeed, it wouldn't yet have had a title!) it seems likely that Enid Blyton is talking about The Children at Green Meadows, published by Lutterworth in 1954.
I must say I think Enid Blyton's writing style flows as naturally as ever in the Lutterworth books, and The Six Bad Boys and The Family at Red-Roofs are two of my favourite Blytons. Perhaps that's because she let the guidelines simmer in her mind for a while as described in the letter to Peter McKellar, allowing her imagination time to play with them and accept them and make them her own. Incidentally, Lutterworth Press had previously been the Religious Tract Society, which published overtly religious books.
Courtenay wrote:Anita, you've quoted and commented on all the excerpts from Enid's letters to Stanley Dedman that I was just planning to quote and comment on!
Sorry to have got in first!
Good to see you posting, Robert!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
Anita Bensoussane wrote:Poppy, you make some perceptive points in your comparison of the three leaders and, like you, I regard Fatty as the most likeable of the trio. A great idea for an article.
Thanks, Anita!
I have today enjoyed both Enid's stories in this issue: The Little Miner and The Boy Who Said Shan't. Both had an excellent, memorable moral. I love how Enid doesn't openly display the fact that it is a moral she has just told the reader, but instead she cleverly disguises it in the enjoyment of the story. Both great tales.
"Beware of young men with long hair - that's what dad says, isn't it?"
Pat, Holiday House
Lots of great comments on this journal. I am almost finished it so will add a few of my own now.
It was all wonderful as always. One of the first articles I read was Terry Gustafson's Pot-Pourri. It was a very interesting melange of Blyton themes. I loved the early comparisons of violence in children's books. The numerous references to people being eaten by giants etc are quite bloodcurdling really yet we accepted them so readily as children. I doubt most of these passages are still in print these days. This theme is evident also in the story The Little Miner by Enid herself as the mice are living in perpetual fear of being devoured by the rat; until that is, the rat is himself eaten by the weasel. Terry's analysis of The Princess and the Goblin is excellent too and the Eileen Soper illustrations are always a joy to behold. I was surprised though to see that the Stella Polaris ship only sank in 2006! That is pretty old for a cruise ship.
Poppy's article comparing Fatty, Julian and Peter was most entertaining. The only thing was that she stated that Fatty was not boastful; actually I think he never stopped boasting. Every time he came home from school he would tell the others how wonderful he had been that term. But otherwise a wonderful piece of writing as we would expect from Poppy.
Angela Canning's article on The Three Golliwogs was fascinating too. It really did go a long way to show that Blyton never intended these toy characters to be in any way derogatory or racist, such a pity they will never make it into print again.
I visited Belgrade a very long time ago so was engrossed by William Ferguson's article. Unfortunately I missed all of the Blytonian secret ways etc when I was there but it is great to see that the Serbian children are discovering Enid in such an interesting and practical way. Well done William for bringing that knowledge and pleasure to a land that was so recently plagued by conflict.
I always enjoy John Lester's articles. He has a knack of choosing subjects which are either very close to my heart or which I find immensely interesting. His exploration of Barney this time round was no exception and oh how he struck the nail on the head when he said that the loss of Barney's wanderer status was the main reason why the last two books in the series feel rather flat.
It's always a pleasure to read new (to me) material from the lady herself and the various letters throughout the journal were fascinating. I loved the story The Boy who said Shan't. The theme is a very familiar one in Blytonland. The naughty/rude child who is naughty/rude to the wrong person and is dreadfully punished until he/she sees the error of their ways. However these early stories show us how Enid polished and built her craft; the stories would become more sophisticated as time went on but the underlying morals were there always.
I still have Rob Houghton and Anita's articles to savour and shall hopefully do so tonight and comment later. In the meantime thank you Tony as always for yet another superb issue. My only sadness was the editorial mentioning that numbers of subscribers are still falling. For such a wonderful publication that is amazing to me. Fingers crossed that there will be a reversal of this trend soon.
"What a lot of trouble one avoids if one refuses to have anything to do with the common herd. To have no job, to devote ones life to literature, is the most wonderful thing in the world. - Cicero
Anita Bensoussane wrote:I hope you had a lovely holiday, Floragord!
Brilliant, thanks Anita! We were over in Brittany which is always heaven, sunshine gilded the lily too, and just before the school hols set in so nobody about
Like others, I enjoyed 'The Boy Who Said "Shan't"' and 'The Little Miner'. The illustrations for 'The Boy Who Said "Shan't"' are lovely, though the brownies seem to get bigger and more human-like as the story goes on. I remember reading the story '"I Shan't"' as a child, from A Book of Naughty Children, in which a girl named Joy suffers a similar fate to Peter. I always liked Enid Blyton's comment that "She made people unhappy, so she ought to have been called Sorrow, not Joy!" '"I Don't Want To!"' from Storytime Book was another tale along the same lines, about a spoilt little girl called Fanny. I used to find the temperamental fairy folk who put wayward children right deliciously frightening.
As it says in the introduction, 'The Little Miner' is similar to the stories in Hedgerow Tales, being more realistic than the fanciful nature tales in The Adventures of Pip. I have Hedgerow Tales as published by Award in three volumes, containing not quite all the original stories, and some of them are rather sad and distressing, with Enid portraying the cruelty of the natural world as well as the more appealing aspects.
The poem 'The True Story of Tom, the Piper's Son' has a pleasing rhythm but strikes me as quite a bizarre take on the traditional nursery rhyme.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
I had an enjoyable afternoon on Tuesday, in the summerhouse, reading the latest Journal. I was pleased to read in the Editorial, an invitation for members to post comments on this thread of the forums. I do hope that this offer is taken up - it has always surprised me that more Society members don't comment here. The forum boards are clearly labelled, so one doesn't have to have an interest in non-Blyton topics to take part in Blyton related conversations. I echo the Editor's sentiment in expressing that it would be great to hear from some of our many readers. I love the off-topic conversations, but also revel in reading -if not always contributing - to the Blyton threads.
Rob's Railway Children article was very interesting. I was surprised at the connection at the start, but soon came to realise the significance. I never found any disappointment at Enid's ending, but thanks to Rob can now see it could be much improved. I've not read Red Roofs for years, a re-read is on the cards - but I don't know when that will be!
Enid's A Letter from Laddie was so like Bobs' letters. A Siamese cat, a dog and a mistress. Only the names had changed. Bimbo is a poor name for such a regal cat; I much prefer Patabang.
I have little knowledge of the short stories, never really have read many as I prefer full-length stories. Therefore, any I now read are first-time reads for me. I loved The Little Miner - as always, a moral in the tale.
Anita's The Adventures of Pip was interesting as I am unfamiliar with the books. Wonderful covers, but I am not the greatest fan of pixies and goblin stories. However, I really should read the books. I too was surprised at the size of Pip being shorter than a daisy. It makes one wonder at the size of the Wishing Chair. Maybe pixies come in different sizes! You would think that as Anita uses the word anthropomorphic quite often, I wouldn't still have to look it up! A fascinating article, again making me put more titles on my reading list!
A great article from Poppy. I must say, I quite like a shorter article sandwiched in between lengthy tomes. A very interesting comparison of three characters from three of Enid's major series. I even felt respect for Tony cleverly reversing Julian's image under the heading to make a symmetrical picture! I agree with Poppy that Fatty is the most likeable leader, although I wouldn't agree that he doesn't become big headed! As for careers of the three, I would see Peter as a pompous bureaucratic jobsworth of a civil servant!
The Boy Who Said "Shan't" was another fascinating story. I must start using the word, as it seems to have been replaced by "won't" these days. I loved the little house the Brownies had behind the secret door.
Angela Canning's The Mischievous Golliwogs was an incredibly interesting article. However, I differ from views posted in that I felt quite uncomfortable reading it. I know most (if not all) of you will disagree, but I well remember how people thought all black people looked alike, back in my childhood, and couldn't help making a comparison. I have never seen the Golly as a caricature of a black person, but in adulthood I can see how many see that he is. The fact that all three Gollies looked alike smacked of this early prejudice. I also cringed at the frequent use of the words, Woggie and Nigger. I know this should be read in historical context, but I thought a mention should have been made that this is not acceptable language today. Angela makes a comment towards the end of the article that we should remember that "they were not associated with people as we would have been lucky to have set eyes on a coloured (ouch!) person", the fact remains that they are today (rightly or wrongly) by many people. For that reason, I felt this article added fuel to the racist-claims fire. I only hope Society members weren't put off, as I find Enid gets enough criticism over her use of gollies - especially when you consider they didn't feature in that many of her stories. I know this paragraph will get quoted and I know all the objections you will make to my views. However, it is just my view, but a view shared by many people in multi-cultural Britain in 2014. And this is from me, a lover of the much maligned golliwog!
I am certain that John Lester's artile on Barney was fascinating, but I stopped reading it when I realise it contained plot-spoilers (such as Mr King) as I plan to start a re-read of the Barney mysteries soon.
Journal 54 is up there with the very best of the Society Journals. It again shows the inexhaustible talents of all of the contributors (I believe Anita has contributed to every Journal), and of course, the tremendous work our esteemed Editor puts into the task of this quarterly production - especially the quality of the cover and other colour pictures/illustrations.
I did have some doubt that the signature, Society Member might make us look the elite part of the forums - a view I don't hold, by the way. With the incredible quality of the Journal, I feel proud to contribute to this production.
