Posted by Peter Ceresole on August 25, 2003 at 12:07:44 from 80.177.22.49 user PeterC.
In Reply to: Formality or mistake? was Re: Question for the Scientists. posted by Quinan on August 25, 2003 at 10:33:05:
In the more formal times of fifty and more years ago, Arthur Ransome would probably have addressed many of, even his fairly close, friends by their surnames only.
Certainly. When I was at school in the '50s, it was surnames all the way, even between close friends. That only changed for specially close friends as we got older and higher up the school- and my school was in London and very untraditional.
In AR's time, two men could know each other extremely well, for a lifetime, maybe even share life-changing events, and still call each other other by their surnames. It implied no lack of familiarity or even of affection; it was just a social convention.