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Cucumber sandwiches and ginger beer. Castles, caves and caravans. Sticky macaroons. An enchanted forest. And a dog called Timmy.
I wanted them all.
When I was seven, I grew up on a rubber plantation in the southern state of Johor, Peninsular Malaysia, and Enid Blyton’s books The Famous Five and The Five Find-Outers were pure escape. They made me a voracious reader, introducing me to people, places and things that weren’t from my corner of the world but nonetheless ignited my imagination.
But Blyton’s works have not always succeeded, especially when it comes to minorities.
The plaque on Blyton’s old house will remain; English Heritage is only updating its online entries on blue plate recipients
“Racist, xenophobic and without literary value”
On Thursday, English Heritage, a cultural foundation that commemorates famous British figures by affixing blue plaques to buildings to mark their homes or workspaces, updated its online information associated with the Blyton plaque.
“Blyton’s work was criticized during his lifetime and after for its racism, xenophobia and lack of literary merit,” the foundation’s website says, citing a 1996 Guardian report that explored Blyton’s book The Little One. black doll, where Sambo’s character is accepted once his “ugly black face” is washed “clean” by the rain.
While claiming that “her work has always played a vital role in encouraging a generation of children to read,” the website said the review aims “to provide a more complete picture of each person’s life, including aspects that people may find disturbing.
Reassess the legacy of past authors
The entry from jungle book author Rudyard Kipling now also mentions his “racist and imperialist feelings”.
However, the plates of the two authors will not be withdrawn.
The move is part of English Heritage’s efforts following last year’s Black Lives Matter movement to better reflect “the values or perspectives of people today.”
English Heritage wants to better reflect “the values or perspectives of people today”
To cancel or not to cancel
Unsurprisingly, Blyton’s name was trending on Twitter as many weighed in on the news.
This book by Enid Blyton is considered offensive today
Some shared the cover of one of his books, The Three Golliwogs, to highlight his xenophobia. In the original edition, two of the three had names that were racial slurs.
Later editions, of which I have a copy, renamed all three to Wiggie, Waggie and Wollie.
Today, it can be argued that the seemingly hilarious misadventures caused by their identical appearances belies a lazy and superficial stereotype of ethnic groups.
Acknowledging that parts of Blyton’s writing would today be considered fanatic, New Zealand-born journalist and broadcaster Dan Wooton commented in the Mail Online: “As far as Blyton was concerned, it was particularly telling that English Heritage referred contemptuously to a “lack of literary merit”. in his job. Who matters most? The snobbish literary types or the hundreds of millions of people who have lovingly consumed his work with no idea of Blyton’s questionable personal opinions? “
Meanwhile, James Wong, an ethnobotanist who presents the BBC’s Grow Your Own Drugs program, asked on Twitter if “it’s the fury that counts and not the real problems?”
“I can absolutely understand how uncomfortable the change can be for some. I can even understand how pointing out inequality can be interpreted by some people as an attack on their identity,” but he also asks why people are suddenly so angry about it today. “like it’s hot in the press?” after all, as he points out, the discussion around racist elements in Blyton’s works has been going on for at least three decades.
Do books with racist content need to be revised? “The Little Witch” (1957)
This classic of children’s literature, by Otfried Preussler, was adapted into a film that was released in 2018. In a 2013 book review, children dressing as blacks described using the N word or a ” Zigeuner “(gypsy) simply chose other costumes. The publisher’s decision to change some words sparked heated debate in Germany.
Do books with racist content need to be revised? “The Little Ghost” (1966)
The Thienemann Publishing House also decided to review Preussler’s other classic German children’s literature books, including the books “The Robber Hotzenplotz” and “The Little Ghost” (made into a movie in 2013). They reformulated, for example, the reaction of the friendly ghost when it turns black. Such revisions shock the purists: should we change the books? And where should we draw the line?
Do books with racist content need to be revised? ‘Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver’ (1960)
Experts regard Michael Ende’s popular children’s novel as an allegory against Nazi ideology. During his lifetime, the author updated his book, turning references to China into a fictional country called Mandala. However, the latest version retains the only use of the N word to describe the black boy in the tale. The latest film adaptation of the work was recently released in theaters (photo).
Do books with racist content need to be revised? The ‘Pippi Longstocking’ series
The N word was already deleted or replaced from the English version of Astrid Lindgren’s popular books in the 1950s. The German version had been reworked in the 1990s; however, he kept the term with a footnote stating that it was obsolete. In 2009, all references to Pippi’s father were replaced by the “South Sea King”.
Do books with racist content need to be revised? ‘The Story of Doctor Dolittle’ (1920)
The Hugh Lofting classic has been reworked for its 1988 edition; instead of coming from the “Land of the Whites”, Dr Dolittle is from the “Land of the Europeans”. Likewise, references to the King of Jolliginki avoid mentioning the color of his skin. Despite efforts to make the race invisible, the colonial ideologies of the time are still reflected in the plot and portrayals of the characters.
Do books with racist content need to be revised? “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (1964)
In the original version of Roald Dahl’s book, the little Oompa-Loompas humans working in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory are described as African Pygmies. The author brought them from a fictional country called Loompaland in a revised version of 1973. In the 1971 film (pictured) they were played by actors with dwarfism and portrayed as surreal creatures with orange skin and green haired.
Do books with racist content need to be revised? “And then there was none” (1939)
The original title of Agatha Christie’s masterpiece was “Ten Little N * gg * rs”, based on the British blackface song that guides the plot of the detective novel. The title of the US edition, released a month after the UK edition in 1939, instead used the last five words of the song. However, he also had the problematic title “Ten Little Indians”, which refers to an American rhyming song.
Do books with racist content need to be revised? “Tintin in the Congo” (1946)
Originally published as a serialized weekly in the 1930s, Belgian cartoonist Hergé then produced a colorful version of the work and edited a violent big game hunting scene in 1976. The volume was heavily criticized for its content. racist at the end of the 20th century. There have been attempts to ban the book; in English, it is sold with an additional explanation of the historical context.
Do books with racist content need to be revised? ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ (1884)
Mark Twain’s iconic classic is considered anti-racist satire. It is also one of the first American works to use vernacular English and the vulgar language. The word “n * gg * r”, a common racial insult in the mid-19th century, is used over 200 times in the book. A revised 2011 version replaces the N word with “slave”. Critics believe it is wrong to whitewash the historical context of such books.
Imagination and escape
Blyton fans, however, shared how the stories she wrote sparked curiosity and the imagination.
Aseem Chhabra, who is the author of the biographies of Indian actors Irrfan Khan and Priyanka Chopra, wrote: “I refuse to accept any criticism of Enid Blyton. I refuse to undo the way my childhood was shaped, with exciting adventures, mysteries. India, I loved imagining the taste of jam pies, buttered scones with strawberries and cream. “
Former CNN presenter Monita Rajpal also tweeted about her close connection to books: “My love of reading began when I was captivated by Enid Blyton’s Famous Five adventures. didn’t shape my view of the world, but they took an often lonely little girl in different places. They planted a seed of curiosity. ”
The first book in the ‘The Famous Five’ series, which has been popular among children for years
Others suggest temperance in dealing with works written at a time when “positive portrayal” and “inclusiveness” were not yet part of the vernacular, and to communicate to today’s young readers how some Blyton’s worldviews do not reflect today’s social mores. .
Questioning the definition of “gypsy” as a child
I have to admit that even back then I was wondering if I would be considered a gypsy for being brown. “Brown like gypsies” was a description she used for white children sunbathing in the summer sun.
Today, I know that one of these words is considered pejorative, while the other is a skin color that is still insufficiently represented.
But that does not negate the escape that his books gave me, and which first made me love reading and writing.
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