Posted by Tom Napier on January 30, 2012 at 12:48:03 user Didymus.
In Reply to: Re: problem with dates posted by John Nichols on January 30, 2012 at 09:43:11:
It is a tribute to the skill of Arthur Ransome that people think it worthwhile to hash over his stories. We are so seduced by his circumstantial detail that we can forget that fiction, unlike reality, has no obligation to be internally consistent. I encountered the great date discrepancy when I started rereading the series in 2000. I really thought there would be some resolution hidden in the text.
I was surprised and disappointed that I was unable to pin down the books to specific years. Like many a researcher, I felt that, though the results of the experiment weren't what I expected, I might as well publish. Even what doesn't work is a useful guide to others in the field.