Loved by children and derided by the high minded: understanding Enid Blyton and her appeal

Abstract

The life and writings of Enid Blyton (1897-1968) will be examined through a psychoanalytical lens to illuminate the complexity of Blyton’s childlike and childish personality and her authorial drive. Blyton’s biographers describe her variously as being spiteful, selfish and given to tantrums. Most certainly her professed love of children was not echoed in the treatment of her daughters. But by entering into the world of the child she charmed her readers. This was not unusual for children’s authors; for example, Lewis Carroll, A. A. Milne and Beatrix Potter exhibited the same facility and had elements of the childlike in their personalities. However, unlike the critical approval received by Carroll, Milne and Potter, Blyton has been disparaged by the critics and her stories regarded at as banal, badly written and mediocre. She has been criticised for sexism, racism, xenophobia, class prejudice and snobbery. As an author it is the understanding Blyton has of the child’s desire for pared-down, simple tales of tension and resolution that allows her stories to be adored by children and makes their gladdened appreciation impervious to the high-minded disapproval and petulant foot stamping of the literary critics.

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ORCID for Jennifer Byrne: orcid.org/0000-0002-6969-5539

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