sexist, racist, middle class .... but... (Enid Blyton in general)

Member Name: freud

Product:	Enid Blyton in general
Date:	29/07/09 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: captures children's imagination, easy to read & become involved

Disadvantages: not best quality writing etc

I'm certain that everyone must have heard Enid Blyton as apparently her book sales have been in excess of 400 million copies worldwide. She was a prolific children's author & I'm sure there are many, like me, who wouldn't have experienced the joy of reading if she hadn't written when she did.

Her works can broadly be popped into 3 categories I guess -

- fantasy - including elves, goblins & pixies - eg The Faraway Tree & Wishing Chair stories
- boarding school tales such as Malory Towers, St Clares & The Naughtiest Girl novels
- those involving 'ordinary' kids in extraordinary situations such as solving mysteries, crimes & generally having exciting adventures.

There was, of course, Noddy - what you can you really say about him & Big Ears et al?

Having been born in the early 1950s EB was great reading for me from an early age, my parents even treated me a 'Sunny Story' magazine subscription & I remember being a member of her fan club (how embarrassing to admit this now lol!).

I read her new short stories & novels as soon as I was able to get my mitts on them & devoured them eagerly.

My daughters both loved her stories as well &, although I can't blame their success in English studies purely on EB, I can't help thinking that her easy-to-read & imaginative books helped stimulate their love of reading.

Looking back on them now I see only middle class, right wing, often racist & sexist works but that's me in old age with my cynicism & life experiences so many years on....

A few years ago I watched a documentary about the author which included her daughter & it was revealed how poor a mother she was - I can't wait to see the movie that is due for release later this year. If any of the neighbours' children interrupted her writing they were immediately made into 'wicked imps' in her stories - so I'd better watch out.

Enid Blyton also wrote some bible stories & her stories do, I have to say, often reflect moral values & a good old British sense of justice to some degree but seems very dated now & children are defintitely more sophisticated in their reading matter these days.
Her work has been criticised for many different reasons mainly because of her writing style but, on reflection, I have to say that these have to still be an essential part of children's reading material as they help stimulate that sense of adventure & intrigue that we all need when we're young.

Summary: a MUST for all young readers