Posted by Adam Quinan on October 23, 2005 at 14:57:39 from 72.136.51.111 user Adam.
In Reply to: PM day by day posted by Jock reposting Ed Kiser on October 23, 2005 at 13:21:44:
Ed's list of days and attempt to link them to real dates highlights one interesting aspect of Ransome's writing. He totally ignores the concept of weekends and the associated activity of church-going.
For example Day 5 in Ed's chronology would be a Sunday. The Amazons are not available in the morning. A perfect excuse would be having to attend Mattins (at 11 o'clock) with the GA. Instead the postman shows up with a letter. I don't believe, even in those days of a more perfect Royal Mail, that there were Sunday deliveries, though I am open to correction. Also the boatbuilders are also busy at work and prepared to det Scarab off their hands.
However, that church-going never occurs throughout any of the books. The Swallows, Amazons and Ds remain resolutely unchurched. There is never an indication that Sunday is in any way different from any other day. While you could perhaps make an exception for those on holiday away from home, the Amazons are at home and we know the GA comments on the vicar in SD. It strikes me that in this case at least, Ransome is reflecting his own life not a more typical middle class lifestyle of the 1930s.