Great Book, Stupid Author. What to Do?
Enid Blyton (1897 – 1968) is one of the most successful children’s authors of all time. There are more than 600, 000, 000 copies of her books in print, she is the fifth most translated author in the world, she wrote 800 books in her lifetime and STILL sells 10,000,000 copies a year. If you’re wondering, those numbers eclipse J.K Rowling and Stephanie Meyers numbers combined…by a large margin.
Growing up in Nigeria, I (and all my friends) loved her books to distraction. The Secret Seven, The Famous Five, Noddy, Malory Towers, St. Clare’s; we devoured them whole and roared for more. We abandoned soccer, toys, TV and sometimes school for these books, traded them faster than the NYSE traded stocks, borrowed and stole them from each other. For every kid getting jacked for his Jordans in the bronx, ten kids were jacked for their Enid Blyton books on my street.
So you can imagine my consternation when I recently found out that Enid Blyton books were frequently racist and sexist. The versions I read as a kid were edited to remove phrases such as “black as a nigger with soot” and characters like the little black doll who wanted to be pink in The Little Black Doll, were “adjusted” for political correctness. Admittedly, they were written and published in a darker period in world history, I’m just shocked that a woman who provided copious amounts of childhood joy believed that utter rot.
This whole kerfuffle got me wondering, can we ever truly separate authors from their work?
As a writer, I believe that there are some occasions when it is helpful for writers to think of themselves as completely separate from their work. When reading negative reviews for example, writers must ascribe any negative opinions to the story alone and not to themselves or risk severe drops in their self esteem.
But I am also a firm believer in writers’s infusing their work with the experiences and quirks that make them who they are. When writers do this, it affects their choice of words, sentences, metaphors, imagery, structure and scene, in a good way. The writer’s work takes on a special uniqueness and richness essential to great storytelling.
As a reader though, I would rather not have known that Enid Blyton was a moron.
I’m not sure what the answer is here, or if there is one that can be grasped so easily. Do you think readers can/should separate an author’s offensive views from the author’s work? What about the reverse scenario where the author’s work contains offensive ideas but the author seems rather nice?
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I believe Jane over at Dead White Guys mentioned a similar topic. I think there are cases where you can and should separate the book from the author, lest you miss out on a wonderful piece of work. On the other hand, it’s also your feelings and if you’re so disgusted by the author’s personal opinions the books are probably tainted for you already.
Alley,
I usually have thick skin when it comes to people’s views but I guess this hit close to home because she is a children’s author and I was one of many who loved her books. What about the scenarios where those personal views leach into the work itself and are not distinct like in Enid’s case?
Btw are you talking about Jane’s How to Read The Classics II post? The one where she mentioned looking up literary greats on “the google” to gain some context before reading?
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I’m blanking on literary works where I disagree with the author’s personal views but enjoy their novels but I can think of an artist and a band. I love Michelangelo’s artwork, but he sure seems to hate the ladies. His female works (with some exceptions such as his Pieta) all look like muscular men with boobs bolted on. His biographer Condivi suggests that this wasn’t because he couldn’t get female models but because he didn’t see the point. And overall he seems like an arrogant paint-in-the-ass jerk. Yet he’s one of my favorite artists and I can get pasts the negatives to see the genius in his work.
Five Iron Frenzy is a Christian ska band that I used to like until I heard one of their songs that was pretty much gay bashing through the whole thing. Now, even songs that have nothing to do with religion or homosexuality or anything I can’t listen to because I know their own personal feelings. For the most part their views are not a constant part of their songs but just knowing their view makes it difficult for me to listen to any of their stuff, even songs I previously enjoyed.
I was actually thinking of Jane’s post Death to Book Snobbery http://deadwhiteguyslit.blogspot.com/2010/07/death-to-bookish-snobbery.html where she asks a similar question: if you think the author is a jackass, should you read what they have to say?
Alley,
I can’t think of any literary novels like that either. Non fiction (especially philosophy) does have a lot of these scenarios where you have to constantly filter out offensive ideas for the sake of understanding or knowledge. Like if one was to read the work of Gentile (facist philospher under Mussolini) for example.
Your Michelangelo example is bloody fascinating. I know zip about art and I hadn’t noticed or heard about it anywhere. Give Iron Frenzy is also new to me (shoot, I think Christian ska is new to me lol). I appreciate the skooling and I have much to google.
Thank you for the link to Jane’s post. It is pretty much spot on the money as far as this topic goes. I don’t mind any freaky, hooligan, offensive, whatever behaviors in author’s personal lives. I just don’t want them spreading those ideas. Perhaps that is too fine a line to draw.
What an interesting conundrum. After some thought, I believe that you cannot separate a writer from his/her beliefs as these beliefs are part of our moral core as human beings. This is not to say that you should not read authors who have views that are different and/or offensive as long as we understand that what we are reading is tainted by the author’s beliefs – we learn a lot by being informed readers, (know thy enemy – and all that stuff, right), and reading with a critical eye. I use this arguement when teaching a novel with racist overtones, or one where the author has a reputation for misogyny or what have you – we must understand that these folks exist and they exist no only as the monsters we like to think of them as, but as folks who appear to be exactly like ourselves in so many way. If we understand them, understand the sublties then we can recognize and combat whatever form of hatred they are spreading.
Excellent thoughts, T.
I sure am glad that we have teachers like you around. How do we find and fight these ideas when the books are read in a non academic, non group setting? My reading appetite as a kid were large enough that my folks couldn’t read everything I read.
I wrote a post a while back about the kind of subliminal messages romance novels sent to readers about life and love and while those ideas are certainley not offensive, their method of delivery is quite ingenous. That makes me think an adult with less varied experiences could be just as susceptible to offensive, but well disguised ideas. Scary.
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What an interesting question. I tend to agree with T. I’m not even sure I can think of anything to add to the position that she has presented. I have read author’s whose beliefs I certainly do not share and even find repugnant, so that I know who they are and what they are sharing with their audience. Whether I agree with an author or not, the written word can carry great influence. I’m sorry you had to learn that such a much-loved part of your childhood was tainted with hate.
Thanks Trina,
You are so right about how much influence the written word wields over readers. Enid Blyton sold 600, 000, 000 and I don’t know how many of those were the edited copies. Even if only ten percent affected readers negatively, that’s still a large number.
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Good question. I have to admit that I don’t many biographies of authors I really like for this exact reason. Just because I like the books someone writes doesn’t mean I’ll like them. If that writer is racist or sexist I really don’t want to know.
That was my first thought too Lovelyn. After reading T’s excellent comment, I’m not so sure though. How can we stop these ideas if we never find out about them? Maybe it all depends on if the author is putting those ideas in their novels.
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What you don’t know hurts you. First want to way: Argh, those Enid Blyton books, how touching to read about your experience about them! You beat me in this =) My sister and I ate these books listening to Boney M and still this day I get chills thinking of how much we lived in their world. We were a part of Famous Five! My childhood was brought up in her family…
SUCH a nice post to be reminded about these books!
This is a good point too I guess, there is so much love coming from reading her books and this feeling cannot be denied. If I would have known that it was racist knowing what I know as an adult, I would probably still read them… But I would be so disappointed on the person behind it. But despite her racism she had so much good to spread. And kids don’t know what racism is, I wonder why she put it in, if she did it on purpose, or she just ventiLated her weakness?
OOps just made a mistake on the writing here, I write from my iPAD and it too had weaknesses (why i have a sentence below which i can’t see?).
Wanted to say too that everyday I have to wonder about the process which made me what I am today. And I get so upset thinking about the things and people who affected my life and made it very unpleasant. Likewise I am still surprised about where I fine myself today, on many levels. This is not what I believed when I was a kid! And certainly not what I thought in my imaginary world of Famous Five.What a disPpointment it is to see some people turning into adults.
And accepting, no wrong word, I don’t accepting it but see it, that we all have good and bad. This pathetic phrase is actually true. Humans can be so good and kind, and when the moon is full they turning into warewolfs, or something….
I think I can do many good things but unfortunately I am not proud of some otherwise things I did. Though I know the limit and the reason to my reactions, which I justify at some point…
I know also how to come back to good old rational Kat, and I like her better.
And I comfort myself with the fact that I have good sides when I do good.
Do you never feel that you have some unlucky/bad influence in/around you which interrupts your usual well -known you? It seems not, and that would be great to hear because I hope not. =)
I am sorry for this long comment…
I am everyday reminded
What a wonderful comment, Katarina
Racism is a terrible thing and spreading that filth to children is worse. Even after all that though, your point makes so much sense to me. There are contradictions and dualities in every one and no one should judge another. We do things we should not have and fail to do that which we should.
I don’t know if Enid Blyton thought that way until she died or if she had a change of heart. Maybe I should have titled my post Great Book, Author’s Stupid WorldView? This would at least separate my disdain for racism from my disdain for her. I don’t mean to judge but to express some of the shock and consternation I felt and perhaps start off a wonderful discussion such as this one.
Weren’t her books so bloody great? Even so many years later, I remember much of their magic and wonder. I cannot say now that I wish I never read them, only that I wish I did not find out her personal views.
There is danger in our line of thinking, though. We must not fail to call a spade a spade, to find and fight these ideas, no matter the source.
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Ah, sorry that bad English it turned out to be, it is the iPAD spelling tool and the small keyboard =)
I think the only thing to do about Enid is to try and take it with a grain of salt. She is a preduct of the times in which she was raised and was writing – that’s the explanation. She wasn’t a moron in the normal sense, although it is hard to understand how people can hold views like what hers seem to be. But those were the times and now all we can do is everything we can to change those attitudes. Don’t hate Enid, be disappointed in society and hope for a better one
Becky,
You make very valid points. It was a dark period in history (no pun intended lol) and many otherwise good people probably believed such things because it was what they knew. I certainly don’t hate Ms. Blyton but I do think she deserves plenty of flack for those views (as we all do when we go astray). I don’t want to judge her entire life (with its many facets) based on this just like I wouldnt want anyone to judge my entire life on the (many) moronic things I have said and done lol.
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I read your post and I can kind of relate. In University I read Stephen Leacock’s Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town and loved it. Most of the class did. Then our professor told us he was a racist and sexist and asked if that changed our opinion of the book. He was opposed to women’s rights and argued against women getting the vote. He was also against non-anglo-saxon immigration into Canada. Though it was many years ago, I’m still not sure how I feel. It was a great book and a look back at the past, but will I ever read it again? Probably not. Will I ever read another of his books? Not likely. I found it difficult to reconcile the man with the novel.
Loni,
You capture the sort of contradictory consternation I feel about this whole shebang. There’s no denying the books were great and one tries not to judge the author so personally and harshly. But…
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I really don’t like to buy books by authors who I find distasteful, simply because I don’t like to give them my money or support them in any way. If they have been dead for a hundred years, that’s a different story, but if there is any way that me reading one of their books could benefit them, I try not to, no mater what I’m missing out on. Even if I don’t buy it, reading it and giving it a favorable review might convince other people to buy it, and that would be just as bad. There are plenty of other great authors that deserve my money and my time. if it is a case of an author that has been dead for a long time, I am very careful to put an advisory in my review stating what the author did and that I think it is wrong. I wouldn’t want to give anyone the impression that being racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic, homophobic, etc, is in any way ok.
Well said, Emily.
I am on board with fighting those offensive messages as intensely as we can. I just know that I can be (and have been) a moron in so many other ways and I’d like a little room for redemption for us all. It’s a fine line to walk, to be honest.
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Hi Mayowa!
I had no idea about E. Blyton’s personal views – I grew up on the same books as well. Malory Towers, Five Find-outers, et al. I do recall being frustrated that the only two female characters in Famous Five were the quiet submissive over-protected girl, and the outspoken, sporty one who “wanted to be a boy”. But that was the extent of my frustration; I had no idea that she was so racist! I really don’t want to let that trash my childhood though I am sure being brown was probably criminal in her mind :(
Hey Deepali,
That’s kinda where I ended up too…saddened by her views but still cherishing the pleasure I got from her books as a child.
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Hi Mayowa,
I grew up in the Caribbean and we too devoured these books! Especially the famous five! In my early teenage years (during the 1990′s) I remember hearing that the whole golliwog thing was unacceptable – and of course had never thought about it. When I came to the US, I learned about “black face” for the first time, and it made sense! I’m still trying to find my way through this whole post-colonial nightmare…
Hey Birdy,
Oh I didn’t know these were popular in the Caribbean, gotta love the ability of books to generate a shared experience (even in this dubious scenario).
I somehow missed out on the whole controversy until right before I wrote this post. I’d been in the US for almost eight years and it didn’t even occur to me to associate sweet enid blytoon’s golliwog with blackface…oh well.
Glad you enjoyed the post and thank you for stopping by.