Posted by Andy Clayton on November 22, 2000 at 17:48:41 from 193.117.128.23:
In Reply to: Re: Ransome and Shute posted by Bruce A Clarke on November 20, 2000 at 07:36:39:
For some reason a comparison has been made between Shute and Ransome, I've not read any of Shute's novels but I will make the following observation. Shute helped design and build The R100 airship, the Barnes Wallis designed, Vickers built, private enterprise rival to the publicly funded and ultimatly infamous R101. At the time these things were cutting edge technology which I believe is where Shute was at. By contrast, I'm sure Ransome was an incorrigible nostalgic. I'm sure I've read that he was re writing his boyhood as a fantasy in the guise of John. I also think he looked backwards to the two collingwood girls Barbara & Dora(?) when he wrote of the amazons, and of course his own earlier experiences are taken for the lake freeze of 1896(?)which became winter holiday. There are many other instances that can be quoted look at the out burst he wrote for Peter Duck against Steam ships. I'm sure he was idealising a time from his youth in the late 19c. when of course aeroplanes and total war just did not figure. Incidently as a lad I also read a lot of Richmal Crompton's William books and she takes her creations right through WW2 without any one ageing one iota apart from the odd ref. to a birthday. William and his gang meet the S&A's now there could be an interesting story!!!(please don't grouse about the spelling it never was a strong point of mine - it's a generational thing!)