Posted by Peter H on March 21, 2006 at 13:43:24 from 213.122.63.243 user Peter_H.
In Reply to: Fathers and Sons (was: A favourite chapter?) posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on March 20, 2006 at 22:28:03:
I've thought for a long time that there is space for a "serious essay" on "The Absent Father In The Novels of Arthur Ransome".
There is serious space for an essay on 'Absent Parents in British Children's Fiction Altogether'! This is a consistent theme, from the 'The Children of the New Forest' through to 'The Railway Children' and beyond (via Ransome). The point is, I suppose, that the absence of parents, or one parent, forces the children to deal with life's crises themselves, and also gives them a chance to develop their fledgling characters without adult interference. Come to think of it, I think someone has written about this - if I can find it, I'll report back.