Certain ‘stories’ are seen as perennial, like fairy tales, simply being reworked for different audiences and societies. Aside from these anonymous tales, literary authors have also managed to create evergreen figures or scenarios: Peter Pan, Alice, Winnie-the-Pooh, Pinocchio, and others come to mind, which live on in many different versions. I consider Enid Blyton and her oeuvre in this light, for she, almost more than any other author, exhibits change and renewal at a number of levels. Despite numerous claims over the years that, if ignored, she’d fade away, she has been a hardy perennial. But, looked at more closely, it can be seen that this perennial appeal rests on a number of changes to the ‘Blyton phenomenon’. This is partly due to Blyton’s own reconstruction of herself, partly thanks to her readership, but mostly, thanks to the high profile given to her by the critical establishment. There are, in fact, a number of ‘Blytons’ out in the world, just as there are several Noddies, Plods, Big-Ears, Famous Fives, Secret Sevens, and so on.

This paper considers four different constructions of Blyton over the last 80 years: from educationalist to respected fictional writer; thence to a hack and a poisoner of children’s minds, till the current view, which sees her as a fairly benign cultural icon. The different incarnations of a number of her characters, and versions of her stories, are also considered. It is shown that the original texts have frequently been left far behind, with cultural commentary being based on a mythical ur-Blyton, whose works have often been reconstructed by others. Relatedly, it is shown how attempts to counter criticisms of racism, sexism, nationalism, and a middle-class bias, frequently backfire, resulting in less successful texts. Not only this, but the very stereotype of the ‘Blytonesque’ that these revisions seek to excise, is frequently reinstated and re-entrenched.

Drawing on children’s readings, a far more complex relation of text to reader is suggested. Though renewal is seen to be necessary for any writer’s continued cultural presence, it will be argued that the changes made to Blyton’s works are in danger of diluting, or eventually removing, some of the writer’s fundamental appeal.

Back to: IRSCL Conference Programme