Journal 73

[Judith Crabb]

'A Psychologist's Reflections on Some Aspects of the Life of Enid Blyton' by Neville Barlow is a refreshing reappraisal of Enid's frame of mind as she took on the world, from the moment her beloved father walked out on his family when she was 12 to her defense and championing of the Enid Blyton brand in her mature years. Neville Barlow sees her mission as self-imposed, seeking 'to become active in remedying something that was experienced passively as a child - rejection, harshness, inconsistency and so on...'. In line with his profession he sees this as largely unconscious. From this view the stories become 'psychological artefacts', the characters in them aspects of Blyton's own personality, the plots vehicles for the 'good' characters to demonstrate resilience until equilibrium can be re-established. Through her books she achieved for herself the seemingly contradictory - distance from the world and engagement with it, relating 'in a specific way'.
Enid emerges from this respectful article as no emotional cripple but as the extraordinary and highly-functioning woman which she was. In pop-psychology terms (which I will use since my understanding of Freud is minimal) Enid Blyton was 'into' comfort writing and in doing so became the greatest provider of 'comfort' reading for children the world had ever known.
How delighted Tony must have been to be able to publish an article of such excellence.

[Courtenay]

I really enjoyed and appreciated Neville Barlow's article too — thanks to Neville for writing it and of course to Tony for sharing it with us!

[Anita Bensoussane]

It's fascinating reading people's posts about the Journal and seeing which features individuals were drawn to.

'The Island of Adventure' and the rest of that series were with me from the start. David Martins's 'Appreciation' brought back not just memories of the book but memories of myself. I'd just discovered the Famous Five. At my aunt's I was sitting on a sofa and I'd picked up 'Five go down to the Sea'. My cousin lent it to me. As soon as I'd saved up some pocket money I asked my mother to buy 'Five on a Treasure Island' when next she went into town. She came home apologetic. The shop was out of that title but Mrs Dow, the bookseller, assured her that I'd love 'The Island of Adventure'. I still recall my disgruntled and ungrateful reaction, slouching off with the book, muttering that she should have bought another 'Five'.
In no time I was back in the kitchen, bursting with enthusiasm. It was the best book I had ever read!
It certainly fuelled my fantasies for years to come.

Interesting recollections, Judith. I discovered the Adventure books in 1979 and read the whole lot that spring and summer, aged nine. Like you, I was completely blown away by them and felt I'd never read anything so incredibly engaging (despite being an avid reader and having read many books by Enid Blyton and other authors). The characters, settings and hair-raising happenings appealed immensely, and Stuart Tresilian's illustrations were just perfect. I started with The Valley of Adventure and can still remember that whole day in detail - choosing the book from the library (a Macmillan hardback), reading it out in the garden and being so absorbed by the story that I was annoyed to be called in for a meal. I also recall reading The Castle of Adventure on the West Shore beach in Llandudno. Once again, the entire day remains vivid in my mind because everything I did was coloured by my reading of Castle.

[Aussie Sue]

'A Psychologist's Reflections on Some Aspects of the Life of Enid Blyton' by Neville Barlow is a refreshing reappraisal of Enid's frame of mind as she took on the world, from the moment her beloved father walked out on his family when she was 12 to her defense and championing of the Enid Blyton brand in her mature years. Neville Barlow sees her mission as self-imposed, seeking 'to become active in remedying something that was experienced passively as a child - rejection, harshness, inconsistency and so on...'. In line with his profession he sees this as largely unconscious. From this view the stories become 'psychological artefacts', the characters in them aspects of Blyton's own personality, the plots vehicles for the 'good' characters to demonstrate resilience until equilibrium can be re-established. Through her books she achieved for herself the seemingly contradictory - distance from the world and engagement with it, relating 'in a specific way'.
Enid emerges from this respectful article as no emotional cripple but as the extraordinary and highly-functioning woman which she was. In pop-psychology terms (which I will use since my understanding of Freud is minimal) Enid Blyton was 'into' comfort writing and in doing so became the greatest provider of 'comfort' reading for children the world had ever known.
How delighted Tony must have been to be able to publish an article of such excellence.

Judith,
Thank you for this assessment of Neville Barlow's article, I also found it a refreshing appraisal and I agree with every word of your assessment of his article.

Sue

[Chrissie777]

Interesting recollections, Judith. I discovered the Adventure books in 1979 and read the whole lot that spring and summer, aged nine. Like you, I was completely blown away by them and felt I'd never read anything so incredibly engaging (despite being an avid reader and having read many books by Enid Blyton and other authors). The characters, settings and hair-raising happenings appealed immensely, and Stuart Tresilian's illustrations were just perfect. I started with The Valley of Adventure and can still remember that whole day in detail - choosing the book from the library (a Macmillan hardback), reading it out in the garden and being so absorbed by the story that I was annoyed to be called in for a meal. I also recall reading The Castle of Adventure on the West Shore beach in Llandudno. Once again, the entire day remains vivid in my mind because everything I did was coloured by my reading of Castle.

Very lovely memories, Anita.

I've read the first Famous Five books in the fall and winter of 1965 thanks to my best friend Kati who's brothers owned the old Bluechert Verlag hardcover copies. I was 10 years old.
All I remember is that we still lived near Prinzenpark in downtown Braunschweig, before my parents bought their house in the suburbs (that was in December 1966).
As the German translations had no numbers, I couldn't read the FF sequels in chronological order, but remember how happy I was when I finally read FOATI and recognized the CFF movie from 1957 which I had watched on German TV one or two years prior to reading the FF series.
When I watched FOATI, the author Enid Blyton was still unknown to me.

It was probably one year later around 1966 that I discovered the Adventure series. Again I read it out of order, depending on which book Kati did lend to me. "Valley" was my favorite one, followed by "Castle".

My next EB attempt was "Hanni und Nanni", it was very popular in my class at high school, but in those stories I didn't like the whole concept of going to a boarding school and missed the suspenseful adventures from the FF series and Adventure series. After the first "Hanni und Nanni" I gave up.

A few years later my mother allowed me to pick a book in her book club (Bertelsmann) and that's how I discovered the R series. I was probably 13 or 14 at the time.
Then there was a long break during which I read hundreds of other authors until I found the FFO & Dog series in my early twenties at a small public library in the suburbs of Braunschweig. I do like some of the FFO sequels, but for me they'll never come close to FF, Adventure and R series. They are different, but very charming.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Great stuff, Chrissie!

[Chrissie777]

[Moonraker]

Another splendid Journal, and I have enjoyed reading the various comments - all of us seem to be very happy with the contents. Seventy-three editions is a huge achievement - more so for a (relatively) small organisation with one employee/manager/chief executive/dogsbody. Well done, Tony, old friend, a remarkable achievement.

A fabulous cover - really putting me in the festive mood. Proper children of the era and a wonderful snowman to boot! I always enjoy reading Tony's editorial and this gets me in the best frame of mind to further peruse.

John Lester's article was a fascinating insight into one of my favourite Five's. I must say, Hike is another favourite and one that stands up well to many re-reads. I love the atmosphere of Mystery Moor - I remember, as a child, being quite alarmed at the speed and severity of those sea-mists that appeared. I loved the thought of the gypsies trundling off in semi-secrecy and can imagine the local folk being very wary of crossing them. I loved the long-abandoned locomotive and historical background of the Bartles. To me, the main irritation of the book was the George/Henry saga. If ever two children needed their heads banging together, this pair must surely be top of the list. Much of the atmosphere is strongly assisted by Soper's fabulous illustrations. The surly gypsy (Sniffer's father) is a classic example of Soper's 'baddie' gyspy-type.

I was never a huge fan of the Secret series. The Secret Island was, to me, a stand-alone story and bore little resemblance to the rest of the series. I found trying to pronounce Pilescu extremely frustrating (I still have no idea how it is pronounced - Pile-skew, Pill-escoo) and find Prince Paul arrogant and spoilt. As for The Secret Island - all right, it was an enjoyable read, but I found the whole plot to be far-fetched and predictable, but maybe I read it first when I was over twelve! My favourites are Moon Castle and I read The Secret Mountain a few months ago. Another quality article from John Henstock nonetheless.

Angela Canning had me visiting ebay (sic) to hunt down The Secret Seven Short Story Collection. I found the 1997 Hodder paperback, so quickly snapped it up! A fascinating article which I had to re-read after finishing the book.

I recall reading Ruby and Necklace for the first time as an adult, and enjoyed the stories - although they did lack substance. I agree with Julie that it was nice to have Swanage and Corfe Castle described. No need to fantasise on locations with this one!

I always enjoy reading Tim Venning's Southern Television FF series. It is always interesting to read his anecdotes and location details.

The two quaint poems in the centrefold spread made me smile. Who likes to blow their nose?! However, I could certainly gel with many of the likes and dislikes viewed as a child. I remember we had a third-cousin who lived in a manor house just outside Salisbury. She was certainly a lady of the 18th century and lived with two spinsters. Best behaviour was the order of the day. I did think of this lovely lady when I read "I don't like going out to tea, because I can't behave." I can assure you that "not behaving" was not an option!

John Pickup made some great observations in his SS article. As with Lucky Star, I never picked up on his points regarding Fun for the Secret Seven, and missed the fact that Susie was AWOL (as in Secret of OldMill) in this book. Sadly, it seems Enid did a Banshee Towers with this book, too. I always felt Pam and Barbara were rather superfluous in the whole series, maybe seven plus a dog is two too many.

Anita's Malory Towers piece was so good. I too read this as a schoolboy and like another forummer, remember feeling slightly guilty at reading and enjoying a girls' book! Was it John (LS) who queried Anita's pronunciation of tiens? Of course, it is pronounced as Tyan - Anita - as with many of us - pronounced it tee - ens, in my case. A splendid article, as usual.

David Martin's Appreciation of Island of Adventure kept the standard of this Journal high. I can't say I ever found a telephone line being that strange. I am sure isolated houses were still able to be connected to the Post Office Telephones' network - even if electricity wasn't always available at that time. I don't think I ever located Craggy Tops in my mind - maybe Pendeen, or somewhere west of St Ives on the north coast.

I have spent far too long composing this post, so will wrap it up by thanking all contributors and our revered editor-in-chief for putting it all together. I can't wax lyrical about every page, but rest assured, there wasn't one article I skipped through - all made for enjoyable reading.

[Anita Bensoussane]

As for The Secret Island - all right, it was an enjoyable read, but I found the whole plot to be far-fetched and predictable, but maybe I read it first when I was over twelve!

I was a few years younger than that when I came across The Secret Island. I found it perfectly plausible at the time and was convinced that my sister and I would fare just as well if we had to live in the wild by ourselves. After all, we'd watched Robinson Crusoe (and read it in a children's edition) as well as The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, so we knew all about surviving in remote areas and living off the land! I still find The Secret Island a wonderfully inspiring, restful and joyful read.

The two quaint poems in the centrefold spread made me smile. Who likes to blow their nose?! However, I could certainly gel with many of the likes and dislikes viewed as a child. I remember we had a third-cousin who lived in a manor house just outside Salisbury. She was certainly a lady of the 18th century and lived with two spinsters. Best behaviour was the order of the day. I did think of this lovely lady when I read "I don't like going out to tea, because I can't behave." I can assure you that "not behaving" was not an option!

Very interesting, Nigel!

I always felt Pam and Barbara were rather superfluous in the whole series [the Secret Seven], maybe seven plus a dog is two too many.

I feel the same - that there are too many children considering the mysteries are not very complex (though still enjoyably puzzling at times and full of atmosphere).

Thanks for the further comments on my Malory Towers article!

[John Pickup]

Another splendid journal!
Good news about the increased membership and I've no complaints about the higher subscriptions. The journal is well worth it.
I haven't read Mystery Moor for years, I like the story but not the petty bickering between George and Henry. John Lester gives us a very enlightening look at this book.
The Secret series doesn't seem to attract the attention that falls on to the other major series and John Henstock writes lovingly about the characters and the absence of pets. I'd never noticed that before.
I have a nostalgic feel for the Secret Seven and I really enjoyed Angela Canning's article about the short stories. I have three of them in the Magazine Annuals but I've yet to read Secret Of the Old Mill.
The two books Julie writes about are both ones I've read and Adventure of the Strange Ruby was the first stand alone novel of Enid's that I borrowed from the library. I have both books in hardback and I agree with Julie, Secret Necklace also reminds me of The Treasure Hunters.
Tim Venning's article is another cracking read combined with some wonderful location photographs.
Anita never fails to write an article about a book that doesn't want me to immediately sit down and read it. I have five of the six books as I am collecting the ones with wrappers by Lilian Buchanan. I've always maintained that I wouldn't start the series until I had them all but I may succumb now. I have always argued against the false claims that Enid had a limited vocabulary and I'm pleased that Anita shares this view and gives good examples of words she uses.
The Island of Adventure, for some reason, has never been high up in my favourites list of this series. David Martins writes his observations and questions where Jo Jo figured in the gang hierarchy. I always used to think he was the leader, certainly of the men underground on the island.
Neville Barlow delves into the life of Enid and comes up with some interesting points. Reading this article makes me wish I could have met Enid and sat down with her and analysed her reaction to my own questions. Quite impossible of course!
Although the articles make up a significant part of the journal, the little extras make it so noteworthy. I refer to the Shopping for Barney segment where we can see first hand how she scribbled her notes about this new series on a shopping list! I can imagine Enid having a brainstorm and grabbing the first available piece of paper to hand so she could jot down her ideas.
Once again, thanks to all our wonderful contributors and praise to Tony for compiling another gem.

[Lenoir]

Great news, smashing in fact. My copy of Journal 71 arrived today (postmarked 11th March), and Journal 73 as well!
2 Journals in time for Christmas! (That saying about London buses comes to mind!)
I am up to date again, or will be when I've read them.

[Daisy]

That's great news Lenoir. Journal 71 must have been in hiding to avoid the virus!

[Lucky Star]

Excellent news Lenoir. Happy reading.

[Moonraker]

I remember we had a third-cousin who lived in a manor house just outside Salisbury. She was certainly a lady of the 18th century and lived with two spinsters.

Of course, I meant to say the 19th century.

[Moonraker]

Another splendid journal!
John Henstock writes lovingly about ... the absence of pets.

Good to see that there is something in its favour!

The Island of Adventure, for some reason, has never been high up in my favourites list of this series.

No, me neither. It is the same as Mystery of the Burnt Cottage for me. Both series only seem to take of from book 2.