Posted by Prue Eckett on March 21, 2006 at 22:55:31 from 222.153.151.193 user PrueEckett.
In Reply to: Re: Fathers and Sons (was: A favourite chapter?) posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on March 21, 2006 at 14:24:53:
Fathers in early/middle 20thC fiction, unless evil, tended to be the nice responsible ones everyone would like to have, which would rather stifle the adventures or indeed plot of a book. Most writers therefore deleted the father figure, but instead AR substituted an uncle.
Rather less responsible, possibly because an uncle is a step back from fatherhood, Uncle Jim could be Captain Flint with his houseboat, cannon and adventurous past.
Ted Walker had the adventurous present albeit clothed in Naval uniform, but his role as a parent provided far too much framework (see the beginning of WD where 'everything' is planned)for unexpected adventures to happen.