Posted by Robert Dilley on May 18, 2004 at 17:57:22 from 65.39.13.79 user rdilley.
In Reply to: Re: Narrator in the first person posted by alan truelove on May 18, 2004 at 16:17:48:
One of my reasons for liking AR's writings is that he rarely obtrudes himself as author. Jeremy's example is notable for its very unusualness. While I seem to remember one example (can't place it exactly) AR almost never deliberately foreshadows events. We find out things when the characters find them out: there's almost none of that "if only he knew how important that was to be." We don't learn that the gold was really copper until the SADs do. We don't get confirmation who is setting boats adrift until the trap is sprung.
And AR doesn't act the "critical uncle" by pointing out things the children do that they shouldn't. It is left to others in the book to explain that sailing on the lake at night is foolhardy or that involving the postman in "fool-the GA" is unfair. While I enjoy the stories of E Nesbit, she does tend to overdo the "now we know that isn't right" a bit too much.
It's almost as if, after that one intrusion in SA, he decided that wasn't his style and avoided it in future.
Can anyone place where he does foreshadow events? I'm sure there was at least one occasion.