Publisher Clarion who has heavily edited the Enid Blyton books has reported that they have sold 7.5 million copies of her books in the past year as interest in her novels has increased. Evidently Blyton was heavily edited in the 80's, 90's and 00's because the PC Brigade were offended by girls only washing up and thievery only being acceptable by foreigners (like the scots).
I wonder why they edited the books? Could you imagine Jane Austen being edited because women were forced to make 'advantageous marriages' in her books?! I mean,come on!
PS Johnriley1uk - do you still have your original Famous Five books? It would be good to read them again at some point and it seems like I may soon have a good reason too!
Trouble-makers were golliwogs or foreigners
Boys led, girls followed and were often excluded from more active roles
In The Little Black Doll (1937), a doll wants a pink face
Two out of those three I can see not going down so well. I know not all apply specifically to the Famous Five books, but don't forget there was more sensitivity over this, especially after the Brixton riots. With the whole boy/girl thing, kids are likely aware that women work these days anyway, as their parents have to give them to childminders from the age of one so they can work to pay the bills: surely they have the sense to see the books as products of their time?
The Famous Five are great - just pure kids' adventures. The problem is that the kids are middle class, Aunt Fanny has a housekeeper/cook ("Joan from the village") and Uncle Quentin is a Famous Scientist (of course) and they own an Island! Wow! Well wouldn't we all want those Typically English Middle Class Values?
The villains were easily identifyable as they were foreign (of course) and had narrow eyes and mean little mouths. Mix in a few travelling circuses, unsuitable friends to cause tension and perhaps a loud mouthed American or two and you have the mix.
Oh yes, and don't forget that poor George didn't mind being only a girl. (An only child as well, reclusive and jealous of newcomers).
There are some spine-chillingly non-PC lines in the books that I won't post here because I'll have to look them up. But yes, the original Hardback books are here, all 21 of them. I suspect that interesting as they may be as period-pieces we might find them quite difficult to read now. However, reading one would not take long as they are not epic novels.
