Posted by Peter H on August 29, 2007 at 18:30:49 from 86.130.120.106 user Peter_H.
In Reply to: Re: The 'Miss Nancy' enigma posted by andyb on August 28, 2007 at 19:48:22:
Yup, I'm happy to buy Andy's analysis - it steers a sensible path between neo-Dickensian theories of impoverished tenants under the Blackett yoke on the one hand, and impractically idealistic notions of a classless community on the other.
However (and on TarBoard there is always a 'however'), although we have been concentrating on the 'class' issue, I think there is another and more important issue we should look at - sex/gender and the Great Aunt. The G.A. is undoubtedly mean-spirited, rigid and old-fashioned, and imposes her will on others etc etc. AR made her 'Miss Turner', which means that she must have been a spinster. At that time, if she had ever married, she would have continued to use her married name and be 'Mrs'. Is this not a regrettable stereotype, perpetuating the myth that spinsters tend to be bitter and crabby and ungenerous? OK, the plot requires that the G.A. has no children herself, but she could have been married with no children, or widowed before she had children. I wonder if AR reached for the old hand-me-down image of the unhappy and sour spinster?
What prompted these thoughts was a leader in the Guardian (of all papers) last week which used the term 'maiden aunt' to indicate someone who was out-of-touch and easily shocked. Again, a lazy journalist's stereotype. I suppose the irony is that the Guardian (then the Manchester Guardian) was Ransome's old paper.
Any views, Andy? And in particular have female TarBoarders (sadly rare in recent weeks) any views?