Posted by Peter Hyland on March 30, 2007 at 09:41:29 from 81.153.238.42 user Peter_H.
In Reply to: Re: New Pictures in Yahoo Tarboard posted by Andy Clayton on March 29, 2007 at 15:39:17:
Maybe the one Pauline played in wasn't the same one that the Altounyans used
I spoke to Pauline Marshall on numerous occasions about the Mavis/Amazon problem, and the clip for which Ian kindly put up a link reminded me of her arguments. It was a classic example of a clash between the 'strictly literal' attitude (ie Pauline's), and the looser 'author's discretion' approach as instanced by Peter Truelove's sensible comments in the clip.
I have advocated the second, non-literal, approach myself on TarBoard and elsewhere, as being the only one which really makes any sense in the long run. I have had some stick for this, and people have replied that if a detailed search for the precise actual boat/location/whatever gives people pleasure, then what harm?
Well, the harm can be, for example, the years and years of annoyance and frustration felt by Pauline, and the rather hard time she gave the Steamboat Museum. The 'politics' of the affair also affected the Altounyans. All this unhappiness and wrangling can be avoided if we agree that Ransome borrowed real-life objects and places and moulded them to his requirements. All identifications should be 'generic' - ie Mavis was the sort of boat AR had in mind with Amazon, Coniston/Windermere was the sort of lake AR had in mind, and Peel Island was the sort of island AR had in mind, etc etc.
Now Pauline has gone, I do hope the whole Mavis/Amazon dispute can be consigned to history. I am happy to accept the boat now in the care of the Steamboat Museum as the nearest we have to the Amazon of 'Swallows and Amazons', and worthy of the name she now has - Amazon.