Image Source: The Tabīut there’s another end of this spectrum, a very problematic end that I have come to see now, the reflexive prejudice hidden in Enid Blyton’s books, the gender politics that is troubling to say the least-where the fathers sit in their studies while the mothers makes sandwiches and look after the children, a world where the tomboy George realises that she will never be as good as a real boy. This must have been heady stuff even when it was first published in the 1940s but for children of the day, who tend to spend less time outdoors than prisoners, it’s a giddy blast of fresh air.Īlso read: 7 Books That Support Us Like Positive Female Friendships I have come to now see the reflexive prejudice hidden in Enid Blyton’s books, the gender politics that is troubling to say the least-where the fathers sit in their studies while the mothers makes sandwiches and look after the children, a world where the tomboy George realises that she will never be as good as a real boy. Blyton served up both with the abundance of her picnic sandwiches.Įnid Blyton’s adventures take place in an adult-free world where children have an other-worldly level of autonomy, from the seaside shenanigans of the Famous Five to the dormitory escapades of Malory Towers. Looking back, it strikes me that Enid Blyton’s prolific output was so successful because it perfectly taps into the paradox of children: we crave freedom and familiarity.

I can still imagine the whiff of the sea breeze on Kirrin Bay and the sense that I, too, wanted to thwart a gang of smugglers by moonlight with nothing but a few underaged friends and a dog to help. We as children loved Enid Blyton’s books, especially because there’s a certain familiarity to them.

It has been a long time since I picked up a book written by Enid Blyton, but during the lockdown I picked up a book written by her once again, and while she was the reason I began to read and the reason for my imagination to spark up, years later when I revisited her books now, I couldn’t help but notice certain problematic elements.

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