Posted by Fred Boynton on March 15, 2006 at 19:37:39 from 63.21.111.128 user Voyager.
From 21008: "The likely nature of 'things that do not appear in the stories' is important in understanding the things that are." From 21034: "When detail was necessary in his stories, AR could supply it, in his own economically worded and clear way. He chose not to supply his readers with details..., presumably because it would not have advanced or enhanced his plot in any way."
The reverse is also worth considering...why does AR supply details that don't advance the storyline? For example, in spite of his avoidance of sexuality issues, in SD he creates an excuse for John to run around naked in the dark: Godine p244, "Then John remembered the guy-ropes, wriggled out of his sleeping bag and nightclothes and slipped, a naked savage, into the rain." '"What are you doing?' asked the mate." '"Loosening the guy-ropes,' said the savage...," as he falls to the ground with a bump. '"You'll get your pyjamas wet."' '"No I won't,' said John."
Three ingredients are at work: 1) a situation which provides, 2) a plausible excuse to be naked, enhanced by, 3) an element of danger. The situation was the rain, and it's arguable that AR "prepared" for this moment as far back as Roger not catching any fish, which leads to old Mr. Swainson explaining that that was a sign of rain coming, so that night AR can have it rain. The excuse was the need to loosen the guy-ropes and to keep his pyjamas dry. The element of danger is in conversing with Susan who could have looked out of her tent to see what he was doing, especially when he trips over a guy-rope and also says his pyjamas won't get wet, almost a challenge to her to look. Now, if Nancy had been there...!
This incident does nothing to advance the storyline. Besides, it was already raining lightly when they went to bed, and AR could have had Susan see to it that their slickers were with them in their tents, so that John needn't have been a naked savage. Or he could have written that the other three were already asleep, eliminating the danger element. The reader will have to decide AR's intent.
What is implied by the term "naked savage?" What difference would using "nude" instead of "naked" make? If they had all been nudists, think of all the situations in the books where they could have been unselfconsciously nude together, like on the beach in Horseshoe Cove where they changed into bathing suits after Swallow's accident (Godine p.82). Or the coroborree in SW?