Posted by andyb on November 27, 2007 at 18:41:18 from 86.158.87.12 user beardbiter.
In Reply to: Re: AR Mention in Times of London posted by Peter Ceresole on November 27, 2007 at 16:39:34:
The link is to a letter on the topic of whether children specifically need their biological fathers or whether lesbian couples can provide all the parents a child requires. The writer was arguing that fathers can be geographically absent but still important to their children via what he called "The Word of the Father". He cited AR in support and added a comment to the effect that AR knew a great deal about such things.
Can't say that that I'm convinced by this. Of course, AR knew a thing or two about absent fathers: he was one himself and his own father died when AR was young. The importance of absent fathers in the books,however, might be traced to chances not grabbed and musings on might-have-beens rather than to a programme for action.
The telegram from Daddy at the start of SA is, presumably, the inspiration for the Voice of the Father (VoF)but though it makes a great opening for the book, if the characters were 'real', I rather suspect that the entirely capable MW would have already both made up her mind and anticipated EW's response.
The VoF is heard frequently throughout the series, giving depth to John as a character but also making him appear earnest and a little sad. The Blacketts, however, manage very well without the VoF, roping their Uncle in as a surrogate and demonstrating that one man may be substituted for another.
Personally, I'm all in favour of fathers having been one (or may be two) for nearly thirty years but I'm not foolish enough to think myself indispensable.