Posted by Mountaineer on November 06, 2008 at 09:14:14 user Mountaineer.
In Reply to: Re: How old...? (Again??) posted by Owen Roberts on November 06, 2008 at 23:03:04:
This is amazing! Around here pupils start to read and write their _native tongue_ around ages 6-7. Usually foreign languages were not begun before the age of 10-11 (grade 5), but now they often start with English in the 3rd grade (age 8-9). And there are some private or experimental schools starting bilingual (mother tongue + English or Frenchin the first grade.
But I agree that the knowledge of Latin etc. is not a reliable guide to the ages (it gives hints, but not more precise ones than the ones we have anyway). The overview linked somewhere above is certainly a good guess and tries to accomodate all the books.
But my impression is, that for the first book (probably without sequels in mind) the ages should be about
Roger 7
Titty 9-10, at least two years older than Roger
Susan, Peggy 11-12, but at least two years older than Titty
John, Nancy 13 (-14) John (birthday in early summer) must be (at least) 1,5 years older than Susan (New years day) and Nancy can't be younger than John.
Because of the folllowing books and the aging, the older children
(a 16-17 yo Nancy in P&M seems just way too old for her behaviour) must have been somewhat younger to accomodate the whole series. Which makes especially Susan and Titty in my opinion slightly to young in the first book. If suggestions like 8,5 and 10,5 are accepted. It's still possible, of course.
I agree with the idea, that by WH Peggy somehow became clearly younger than Susan and less close in age to Nancy than suggested in S&A.
Altogether, in spite of the "real time aging" my impression is that the four older children don't really "age" nearly as much as the younger ones (especially Roger). Clearly John could and should be 14-15 in WDMTGTS, but his character in the other books taking place in that summer is not so different from the two first books. (But then, he has a rather subsidiary role in PP and SW). Susan, Nancy and Peggy don't really change all that much throughout the whole series.
Another implausible thing (in a plot ridden with implausibilities...) is the "disguise" of John as Dick in GN? He is at least 3, probably 4 years older, at least 15, more probably 16 and Dick is always described as rather small for his age (he might have grown, though).
regards
JR