Posted by Jock on February 01, 2000 at 18:45:47 from 212.244.243.30:
In Reply to: No credit or dedication to Nancy and Peggy on SA! posted by Nancy Blackett Society Member on January 31, 2000 at 08:56:02:
Hmph! Methinks you protest too much. After all Nancy gets a boat
named after her, wheras the Swallows are named after a boat.
Actually there are all sorts of endearments to Nancy scattered to
throughout AR's writings, its Peggy who get's the raw deal.
So is Nancy one person? Iain Hobbs* seems to think so. Or is she
an ideal - based on many sources. Or was she a real person who
somehow inspired Ransome to pursue the ideal in his later life
and writings?
Where do the Collingwood daughters fit into all this? Does the
autocratic Evgenia become a final Nancy substitute, only to be
vanquished by Ransome's Nancy in PM?
Why does Nancy come 'creeping in' to take centre stage of stories
where Ransome only intended to have a minor role?
The Swallows are certainly the catalyst that gave Ransome a
reference framework within which to build his story. But the
passion that was his motivation to write, where did that come
from? Was it just nostalgia for lakeland holidays, or did
Ransome come across someone who left a lasting impression
and inspiration?
Let's hope the literary executors haven't weeded the Ransome
archives and destroyed the evidence. Perhaps one day the real
story can be told.
[*Iain do you have a friend with an e-mail address that could
be used as a proxy contact to you?]