| June 29, 2010 – Amisha says: A common theme I've noticed in parenting in Blyton's books is that all fathers seem to be the exact same in every series, with the exception of Uncle Quentin, who was a bit more absent minded than the rest. All the fathers seem to be "curt," speak "drily," and make unfunny, sarcastic comments. And all seem to be very busy, usually making an appearance only in the mornings at breakfast, where they tell off the kids. Mr Lynton, Mr Trotteville, Mr Hilton, etc - all seem to be the same person, only differences are the names! Did Enid have a strained relationship with her dad or what?? |
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Fatty says: There is a thread over on the Society Forums, Amisha, which will be of interest to you. Click here to view! |
| July 7, 2010 – Padré says: An exception to this is Peter and Janet's father in the Secret Seven books. He is always supportive of the Seven and even sometimes suggests things that they could do. And in a number of books they call him in to help at the end. |
| July 9, 2010 – Amisha says: Yeah, he's an exception but the only one! Fatty's father, especially seems to be really curt and even rude. |
| July 15, 2010 – Nigel Rowe says: Au contraire! I always though Pa Trotteville was a pretty good dad. He usually supported Fatty and gave Goon the respect he deserved! |
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Fatty says: Thanks, Nigel. Modesty forbade me commenting on Amisha's post, but you are right, he was a great dad! :-) |
| July 17, 2010 – Sally says: As far as fathers go, I agree with Nigel that Fatty's pa was a good one - he trusted his son (see Holly Lane and the Buster chasing sheep incident) and was not over-controlling, although it was clear he would step in if needed. Richard Lynton was the worst in my opinion and more like a Victorian father who did not want to see his children if he could help it (the only time he displayed any redeeming features was in Rilloby Fair when introduced to Barney whom he liked on sight - "Any friend of Roger's is a friend of mine" - which suggested he would be there for his children when push came to shove). If we then look at step-fathers, Bill has to be the best - he provided such excellent fatherly support to his four adopted children - and I tried to bring this out in my fan fic story. |
| July 19, 2010 – Amy Elizabeth says: I've never read the Barney mysteries, but from the reviews it seems the Lyntons aren't very fond of spending time with their children much. I wonder what I'd think of Barney's father -- he seems to have abandoned his son. Jo's father is terrible -- poor Jo! She ended up being expelled for her horrible behaviour; and her father had encouraged her to act like that. One would think he did not care for her (at least I would) despite all the gifts and money. Matter of fact, Enid had a better relationship with her father than her mother -- so it's strange she portrays fathers as rather cold and distant, when, if you read Anita's biography of Enid on the EBS website, Enid was quite close to her father. |
| July 19, 2010 – Sally says: Amy Elizabeth - Just to clarify that Barney's father never abandoned him. Barney's parents parted before he was born, and he only learned that his father was probably still alive just before his mother's death when he was 14. She urged her son to look for him. His father had no knowledge of his existance until he was traced and from then on it seems he was an ideal father. This is one of EB's best series in my opinion and well worth reading - but one to read in order as Barney finds his father in the Rubadub Mystery. |
| September 11, 2010 – Maxine says: I agree with Amisha. Normally the Fathers are very strict and curt, but some are very sensible as some Mothers might be a bit silly, (Gwendoline's Mother, Mrs. Lacey). In one of the Secret Seven series, Peter was told by his hard-hearted Father to chop the wood every Sunday, while his Mother was worried his fingers might be chopped off if he did so. |
| September 13, 2010 – rogoz says: Doesn't seem Blyton chopped much wood then - it's your feet you worry about, not your fingers. I think Peter is lucky someone actually taught him - it's a useful skill to have. |
| September 14, 2010 – Maxine says: Hmm. I think Peter would've been old enough to cut wood. Though he himself didn't like it. 'Father is hard-hearted and wants me to cut wood everyday. But Mother is worried I might chop of my fingers, so he just lets me do it on Sunday's. '. |
| September 25, 2010 – Amy Elizabeth says: I see, Sally. Thank you for explaining. |
| June 8, 2011 – jcktrent64 says: My favorite amongst the Dads is Mr. Rivers, who seem to make sense than the others and also maybe Mr. Quentin because he even though get angry, he can also be really cheerful after his temper(like George's). |
| June 28, 2011 – Yumaki Kayuno says: Yes, father's are shown as strict in EB's books. I feel that the children respect them a lot. I think that Peter and Janet's father is quite nice, as the kids trust him with the end of their mysteries quite often. What I mean to say is that, they believe he'll be able to help when they can do nothing more about a mystery or an adventure. They know he won't laugh at them or turn them away, but believe them and try to help. And he does too! |
| October 10, 2016 – Paul says: Whatever flaws Enid's depiction of fathers may have had, it pales in comparison to modern fiction and television where fathers are often depicted as gormless buffoons in order to boost up the girls and women in the storyline. |
| August 3, 2017 – Avan N. Cooverji says: I have come across only some Fathers in Enid Blyton, ( as I read only limited series of Enid Bltyon) but amongst them, the best father to me seems Mr. Algernon Trotteville, Fatty's father. He is not controlling, gives Fatty his independence and own space and yet is there for him should he be needed as an adult presence for his young son. Coming to Mr. Hilton, I would not like to have him as a father as he is too formal and seems to lack even a bit of humour. Mr. Quentin is of course in a world of his own, and does not seem to even know that he has a child, which seems to suit George well. Mr. Daykins , Larry and Daisy's father is hardly mentioned but he seems to be somewhere mid -between Mr. Trotteville and Mr. Hilton. Another sensible father is Daryll's, Mr. Rivers, ( as surgeons are addressed as'Misters' and not ' Doctors' in England I think). Nothing remarkable about any of them but having said that, they are all good and caring about their children and as the children seem to think the world of them , they surely must be good at parenting. |
| January 9, 2019 – Paul says: Just an observation, but, if we aim today for equal parenting, why do we still say that some things with the female child must remain reserved for the female parent only? |
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Fatty says: Can you give some examples to back up your post? |
| January 17, 2019 – Joanna says: Paul if you had a daughter how comfortable would you be talking about all things female. I would have been too shy at 13 to talk to Dad about THAT! My Mum was my best source of information. |
| January 18, 2019 – Paul says: Joanna, I never had a romance, never married or had children. I'm classified as special needs because of my (high functioning) autism and mild CP. |
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