Posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on June 23, 2003 at 19:05:59 from 195.93.32.8 user ACB.
In Reply to: Re: Aging Characters: Harry Potter - Swallows and Amazons posted by Duncan on June 23, 2003 at 17:07:59:
I think Paxman had, at the back of his mind (he is the right age) a comment made by Jilly Cooper in 1976 or so about "those dreadful, sexless, Swallows and Amazons" - a comment which may well have helped to spark the entire Ransome revival, it annoyed so many people!
It is quite plain that the characters do grow up with the books. I don't think Rowling agreed with Paxman - she is known to be a Ransome supporter - I have seen her quoted as being particularly happy that, when the first of her books was published, she found it, in a bookshop which filed alphabetically by author, next to Ransome.
This is probably doing Ransome readership no harm at all!