Posted by Ed Kiser on September 15, 2007 at 15:53:13 from 64.12.116.198 user Kisered.
In Reply to: Re: Where IS everybody? posted by Joy on September 14, 2007 at 14:57:22:
The concept of "Missee Lee," which I have always felt was one of the "made up" stories, like "Peter Duck," seems to have its origins on that "dark and stormy night" which was their last night on Wild Cat Island in "Swallows and Amazons" as the storm tore down the Swallows' tents and they retreated to the more sturdy tent of the Amazons. Here they pretended to be shipwrecked, using the SWALLOW and the AMAZON as life boats. This same theme was used in "Missee Lee." This just reinforces the idea of ML being a made up, as "we were there" when they started the idea in that tent in the storm on WCI.
ML is not a good book to try to read aloud to young ones. Too much Latin, which the eager listener will want to have translated, so if you can't swing it, you are somewhat left hanging.
But the Latin did work out to be Roger's forte, much to the chagrin of the others. And he did find the "gold" in PP.
Ed Kiser, Kentucky