Peter H.'s squeamish members


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Posted by andy bolger on June 10, 1999 at 01:27:02 from ncproxy1-gui.server.dtn.ntl.com:

In Reply to: Re: Eek! not Ian, I meant Peter! posted by Eek! A plea from Peter on May 21, 1999 at 09:45:20:

Was Peter Hyland's Midland member who wanted 'to get away from this sort of thing' the same person who 'didn't think he was joining the Venture Scouts'? (see Peter's survey in Signals) If you are not interested in getting your feet wet, or in debates on Ransome in his own time and what we make of his works in our own, there doesn't seem a lot of point in joining TARS.
I think the jury is still out, however, on whether Ransome can properly be called a 'feminist'. Anne and her supporters have shown that the strength of the women's movement in the late 19C and early 20C means that it is not entirely anachronistic to give him this title, but is there any evidence apart from the books to suggest that AR consciously supported such a view?
I was going to say that the books are free of the kind of stereotyping by gender, race and class that one might expect from the 1920's. But of course, they aren't. Dot, for example, is clear that it is her responsibility to keep house and models herself on Susan. And you can hardly say that a series of books chronicling the re-enactment of the age of exploration, is free of imperialism. What AR did, somehow, is to treat his subjects with great and respectful seriousness, so that their 'play' is always 'real. This allows the children to explore the roles rather than be trapped in them or exploited by them. Dot cooking the rabbit is learning domesticity from her cookery book. But she is also being a 'real' Pict and her stew was given due appreciation.
I am sure that the comment that only boys think that feminism has won its arguement and can we talk about something else.? is accurate. To me, TARBOARD seems a very suitable place to discuss these themes because if AR hadn't allowed his characters, male and female, the freedom he did, I wouldn't be a TAR.


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