Posted by Art Mulder on August 28, 2000 at 15:00:15 from willow.irus.rri.on.ca:
Every now and then, someone brings up the idea of more
S&A books, focussed on the childhood of the elders.
As I recall, there has been plenty of speculation about
Young Capt Flint, and Molly and Bob Blacket.
Yesterday I was rereading a few bits of WDMTGTS and it occured
to me that I can't recal much, if any, speculating about the
childhood of Ted and Mary, or perhaps about their young adulthood
whenever they managed to meet.
For instance, in the beginning of WDMTGTS Mary talks about falling
asleep while riding her horse back home from some party, only to wake
as the horse is nuzzling the barn door. Hmm, so what was life
like for her growing up in Australia? Then at the end of WDMTGTS
when Ted Walker shows up and doesn't even bat an eye about seeing
his children alone, in a yacht, in Holland. Now, what kind of a
childhood would have helped form such a personality? Something tells
me that Ted and Mary probably had some pretty wild/fun adventures
of their own.
When I was a child I identified exclusively(?) with the children
in the book. Now as an adult I also find that I would dearly love
to make the acquaintance of the adults.