For many among us, the Famous Five and Secret Seven books by Enid Blyton were the first introductions to adventure, childhood, and friendship. But with the change in social fabric, these lovely classics are being scrutinized for their relevance to the contemporary generation. A parent like this has recently narrated his story, how his own brother refrained from including Blytons on the reading list for his children.
He wrote, “My brother’s greatest problem with the tales by Blyton is that they are only creating and endorsing the antiquated class structure.” “He also notes the obvious weaknesses like the issues of sexism, the issues of racism, but does acknowledge the good there too.” Not even for a second did he take into consideration the use of Blyton’s books to help his children develop their reading skills. “Absolutely not,” stated this father.
Teaching Moments or Outdated Values?
Enid Blyton published her books sometime between the 1930s and 1960s, and such works are often inspired by the trends that existed during those decades. As one critic of this subject has remarked, “Blyton’s stories have a pronounced middle-class viewpoint: their heroes and heroines come from well-to-do families, whereas the lower-class people occupy a more subordinate position.” These images are problematic for some parents: what kind of values will children learn from them?
The original poster talked about how his brother especially objects to the class representations in the storybooks. Blyton creates a picture where schools and houses belonging to the middle class are always tidy while the working class is always rendered simple or as helping hands, very sad.
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inAskUKAnother point of contention concerns the gender roles represented in the book. The Famous Five has George, a tomboy girl who sees herself as too ‘normal’ to act like a typical girl, and Anne, who is more of a housewife. One literary critic remarked, “It’s the feminist cover of the 1950s, but it still has its limitations… men do this and women do that.”
Can The Context Bring Back The Classics?
Parents, however, still see these older stories appropriate for their children’s books so long as the books are used in an educational context. As one of the readers remarked- “Use it as a way to talk about how the world has changed. There was a time when these books were in vogue and children will realize how progressive it is not to be stuck in those ages.”
This in particular makes sense to a section of parents who do not mind explaining to their kids the obsolete perceptions of the books.
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byu/NicholasFelix from discussion
inAskUK“We discuss certain aspects that may be considered inconsistent with the values of the present. My children read them,” stated one of the parents. “It is an excellent approach to provide them the light that past eras had distinct mindsets with respect to what was deemed acceptable.”
That is not, however, how the majority feel. All parents see it from the same perspective, “It is one thing to learn about the past, it is quite another to look at young children and blame them for cultivating these ideas, or instilling them without exposing them to the background behind those concepts,” said a children’s literature scholar. The fact remains that, “Not every kid is prepared to interpret what the text that they are reading is trying to convey and how the image forms in their mind.”
Is It Time to Move Beyond the Classics?
Those parents make a different suggestion and say that new fiction for children should be preferred, promoting more modern representations of the ideals of diversity and inclusion. “Children’s literature has indeed changed tremendously since the days of Blyton,” Wright, who is still a children’s librarian, said. “Let children have more books that feature diverse stories and experiences instead of limiting them. There are so many today.”
Some have taken this to mean saving children’s books that emphasize themes of empathy, inclusion, and diversity. As one parent put it, “It’s not that I want to get rid of the classics, it’s just that there are lots of other books that are out there that teach children to have an open mind.”
Why not start with those? Yet, for some other people, it’s the works of Blyton that evoke their childhood memories, although not entirely with the present day’s perspectives. As the original poster stated, “I’m upset that I would not be able to expose my niece or nephew to what I consider good children’s literature,” but such is the case. First of all, those are his kids and, second, he may just be right.
An Argument That Risks Going Off The Rail And Embarrasses The Individual
The debate over Enid Blyton’s books, in particular, is an example of such a phenomenon in relation to the rest of the populace. With each new wave of concepts and ideas, society is trying to erase certain concepts in works of art. It will not come as a surprise if some publishers had to randomize ‘the curse’ from that work.
However, the question many are left with is: can a classic book be viewed as a history and also as a useful and voracious read for the generation of today’s kids? Or merely the stories that would enable the children to grow up with values we would want to be instilled in them be our emphasis?
For some like Raj, who is also a parent, “I do feel somewhat melancholy about the knowledge that the books I learned to read with have ceased to be. But I guess that’s just about growing up – knowing that some things are from another time.”
Last Updated on by Icy Tales Team
