Re: Do Bohemians play tennis? At least they skated, nordic or otherwise


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Posted by Peter H on August 15, 2007 at 13:25:50 from 86.151.94.112 user Peter_H.

In Reply to: Do Bohemians play tennis? posted by andyb on August 15, 2007 at 10:39:38:

sub-text . . . speculations . . about the Turner/Blackett family, its history and the characters of its members.

Hmm, I'm a bit nervous of that. There is a danger of letting the sociological tail wag the Ransome dog. An example of this, a while ago, was the claim that Mrs Blackett's memory of figure-skating on the ice (WH, p. 87) involved the ordering of the 'servants' to remain in the house. The text gives no indication of this, either way, but to me the 'feel' of the family, as portrayed and exemplified by Ransome, indicates that things were done in a fair, reasonable, free-thinking way (unless the G.A. was in charge). A little while after that discussion, I came across an old photo of a whole household on Windermere in the great freeze of 1895, ie including servants. I think we should accept the text as it is, and the 'spirit' of the text which is clearly detectable.

But I do agree with Andy that '[AR] doesn’t present the family as being particularly wealthy, nor as struggling in reduced circumstances.' Disused tennis courts? In my youth I recall seeing plenty of these, glimpsed over garden walls. I suggest that the reason is that both hard and grassed courts need constant maintenance to be properly playable and people hadn't the time or inclination to bother with this, nor was labour available. Anyway, can you see Nancy playing tennis? After three games (with no doubt plenty of service aces from her), she would be bored stiff and planning Something Else . . .



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