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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
The magic of secret passageways and fabulous feasts!, 24 May 2002
By A Customer
Though I borrowed a few Noddy books from the junior library - and am to this day a
member of the Noddy Club courtesy of a couple of Ricicles box tops - I was never a
great Enid Blyton fan. I recall trying one Famous Five book, and began collecting
The Secret Seven series, but then I discovered Malcolm Saville's Lone Pine books and that drove away any enthusiasm I may have had for Blyton's efforts. David Rudd's book, though, caught my attention while browsing in my local library.
The title, with its reference to 'the mystery of children's literature' stopped me in my
tracks - for all Malcolm Saville fans are immobilised by any book with the word
'mystery' in the title. My next instinct was to check the book's index for passing
references to 'Saville, Malcolm', but there was none. By then, though, David Rudd's
book had intrigued me enough to want to borrow it. I found Enid Blyton and the Mystery of Children's Literature a compelling read, and
there is much that will resonate with Saville fans. The first Famous Five book appeared in 1942. Blyton produced 21 Famous Five adventures between 1942 and 1963. In the process she was creating not great literature by
anybody's standards but stories which children devoured, which gave them a sense of
belonging and a sense of mastery over their own problems. David Rudd is a Senior Lecturer in Communication and Research Skills at Bolton
Institute, and has written widely on children's literature, (his previous books include
an enthusiast's guide to The Famous Five). Enid Blyton and the Mystery of
Children's Literature achieves that rare feat: an academically respectable text which
explores its subject in a comprehensive and intellectually rigorous fashion whilst, at
the same time, being an entertaining and compelling read. It examines Blyton from
three angles using, in the author's words, "whatever tools Cultural Studies can
muster". There is a textual analysis of the Noddy, Famous Five and Malory Towers
series. There is an analysis of what Blyton meant to her readers, both past and present
and an examination of Blyton as a cultural icon. A crucial point that David Rudd develops is that it is unhelpful to judge these books
in terms of what adults consider as good or worthwhile literature. They are uniquely
for children and are not 'developmental', but are about being rather than becoming.
Moreover, it is misguided to view each book as an artistic work in itself since its
value lies in its being part of a series and its readers being part of the club (whether
this be metaphorical, through the reader's imaginative identification or literal, as in
membership of the readers' clubs and correspondence with the author). David Rudd considers the accusations levelled against Blyton - accusations of low
literary merit, sexism, racism, 'old-fashionedness' and the idealisation of Lost
England, and uses research methods to provide a balanced view which seems
ultimately on the side of Blyton and her fans - children past and present. He also explores the significance of secret passageways, school holidays, torches, codes and
fabulous feasts! This book is a fabulous feast in itself, for Blyton fans, social commentators and all those nostalgic for the mystery of children's literature.
Reviewer: Tony Gillam.
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(2 customer reviews)
