User:MonkeyStolen234/sandbox/Grizzly Trivia
Cultural references, naming conventions
[edit]Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids would begin the recurring feature of using cultural references and naming conventions to add to the humour in the short stories, which would appear in the books that would follow.
Some character surnames implied their personalities to the reader as they were introduced. In "The New Nanny", Tristram and Candy's parents—Mr and Mrs Frightfully-Busy—are workaholics, which is why their children are always supervised by Mrs Mac, . The Independent on Sunday wrote, "Jamie Rix’s splendidly nasty short stories can be genuinely scary, but as the protagonists are obnoxious brats with names like Peregrine [from "The Barber of Civil"] and Tristram, you may find yourself cheering as they meet their sticky ends." The name Peregrine , whereas Thomas Ratchet from "Sweets" could be a reference
Cultural references
[edit]In "Glued to the Telly", Herbert's parents' fast-paced channel-hopping has possible references to London's Burning when Herbert is running towards a house on fire, whereas Herbert passing Batman and Robin has a possibility of being a reference to the television series from the 1960s and/or the episode "Heroes and Villains" from Only Fools and Horses.
Wordplay is used on the titles "The Barber of Civil" and possibly "The Childhood Snatcher": the former is a reference to The Barber of Seville, whereas "The Childhood Snatcher" could be a reference to the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Peregrine from "The Barber of Civil"
Cultural references, naming conventions
[edit]Like the previous, Ghostly Tales for Ghastly Kids uses cultural references and naming conventions to add to the humour in the short stories.
Cultural references, naming conventions
[edit]Like the books before, Fearsome Tales for Fiendish Kids uses cultural references and naming conventions to add to the humour in the short stories.
Although not explicitly stated, "The Chipper Chums Go Scrumping" is a whole-plot reference to the children's books authored by Enid Blyton, and is written in her voice, specifically during the food porn paragraphs. In the original hardback edition, Ross Collins' illustration of the main characters on a picnic has the phrase "lashings of ginger beer" written above them, which is a quote that is frequently mistaken to be created by Blyton[1] (it originated from the Channel 4 parody Five Go Mad in Dorset)[1] The "ripping" gang Algie and Col form with the neighbourhood kids is a reference to The Famous Five: Algie is similar to Dick because they are both obsessed with going on adventures;[2][3][4] Sam is based on George, who is also a "girl with a boy's name"[5] tomboy that took offence to anyone pointing out that she is a girl[6][7] (in the CITV episode, Sam even had short, curly hair like George);[8] Stinker the dog is a reference to the dog sidekick that Blyton's children-gang characters have, such as George's dog Timmy, and The Secret Seven's Scamper; whereas the other characters do not have any distinct correlations to Julian and Anne. A major difference is that the only children that are related are Ginger and Alice, whereas The Famous Five were three siblings (Dick, Julian and Anne) and a cousin (George), but Algie also has an Aunt Fanny like the three siblings. The villain, Farmer Tregowan, is a Cornish stereotype: his surname begins with "Tre", and he is portrayed as aggressive and unpleasant, refusing to accept the children's apologies when he catches them stealing from his orchard. Despite aggression being a Cornish stereotype that has been documented in the Middle Ages,[9] it also highlights the classist connotations in many Famous Five books that are frequently referred to in Blyton retrospects:[10]
of the Famous Five series, the Daily Express notes: "Blyton pits her heroes against an assortment of baddies. Even when their opponents are hardened criminals the Five are never outwitted".[11]
(it has been suggested that the Celtic history of Cornish people is responsible for the portrayal of Cornish people being portrayed as this, as far back as the Middle Ages.)Latin is used in "Doctor Moribundus". It is not only the class that Lorelei Lee hates taking but her cure for her "rabies" is Medicus moribundus, which is Latin for "Doctor moribund". Moribund means "approaching death".[12][13]
Cultural references, naming conventions
[edit]As with the rest in the series, More Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids uses cultural references and naming conventions to add to the humour in the short stories.
- ^ a b "Six of the best Enid Blyton quotes". The Guardian. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
If you're a fan of Enid Blyton and someone asked you to quote her most famous line, you'd probably shout "lashings of ginger beer." But you'd be wrong, because the author of the Famous Five didn't actually write that line — it appeared in the film Five Go Mad in Dorset.
- ^ Fearsome Tales for Fiendish Kids (first ed.). Hodder Children's Books. 8 April 1996. p. 49. ISBN 9780340667354.
'I say, chaps' said Sam, 'we'd better be getting home. It'll be dark soon.'
'But we haven't had our adventure yet,' moaned Algie. - ^ Blyton, Enid (1954). Five on a Treasure Island ([1997] ed.). Hodder & Stoughton Limited. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-1-444-93501-1.
'...Anyway, you'll love it! It's called Kirrin Bay. Your Aunt Fanny has lived there all her life, and wouldn't leave it for anything.'
'Oh, Daddy, do telephone to Aunt Fanny and ask her if we can go there!' cried Dick. 'I just feel as if it's the right place somehow. It sounds sort of adventurous!'
'Oh, you always say that, wherever you go!' said Daddy, with a laugh. - ^ Blyton, Enid (1954). Five on a Treasure Island ([1997] ed.). Hodder & Stoughton Limited. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-444-93501-1.
Dick woke and grinned at Julian. A feeling of happiness crept over him. They were going on an adventure.
- ^ Fearsome Tales for Fiendish Kids (first ed.). Hodder Children's Books. 8 April 1996. p. 42. ISBN 9780340667354.
- ^ Fearsome Tales for Fiendish Kids (first ed.). Hodder Children's Books. 8 April 1996. p. 51. ISBN 9780340667354.
'I could climb up and knock them down to you,' offered Sam.
'Do you think you could?' said Ginger, in amazement. 'I mean you are only a girl.'
'Do you want me to slap you?' said Sam, 'like the time I beat up Dick Stick?' - ^ Five on a Treasure Island ([1997] ed.). Hodder & Stoughton. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-444-93501-1.
'Do you call her "George"?' said Anne, in surprise. 'I thought her name was Georgina.'
'So it is,' said her aunt. 'But George hates being a girl, and we have to call her George, as if she were a boy. The naughty girl won't answer if we call her Georgina.' - ^ Blyton, Enid. "The End of a Great Adventure". Five on a Treasure Island ([1997] ed.). p. 176. ISBN 978-1-444-93501-1.
Then [Uncle Quentin] ruffled George's short curly hair.
- ^ "CORNISH CELTIC IDENTITY". Archived from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
The negative connotations connected with being "Celtic" that Henry Jenner and the other people involved in Cornwall's Celtic Revival were battling against had been ingrained for centuries in British society. W. R. Jones uncovered ample evidence of the portrayal of the Celt as a savage barbarian in the late Middle Ages, employing the stereotypes of a lazy, poor, treacherous, depraved and cruel people who lived a primitive and brutish life isolated from civilization.
- ^ Bose, Malini (22 October 2014). "Let's accept it—Enid Blyton's books aren't perfect, but they are awesome". Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
Others have accused Blyton of being a classist: "Now that we have money, you can go to a real school!" exclaims George's mother in the Famous Five.
- ^ Dennison, Matthew (11 May 2017). "The Famous Five are 75: Plucky children with love of ginger beer still going strong". Daily Express. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "Moribund definition and meaning". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "Definition of Moribund". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 6 March 2020.