Fifty pence coins in 1940? Fail!

[selenay]

I have a copy of The Naughtiest Girl in School that I decided to bring as my lunchtime read today. It was bought second hand and, according to the copyright information, this edition was published in 1999.

There is a distinct lack of slang - strange in a naughty girl - but I assumed that the things that were jarring were simply elements of Blyton's style that always bug me. The children explain to Elizabeth that they are allowed to draw two pounds a week in pocket money and I thought that sounded like rather a lot, but let it pass. Perhaps these are very, very rich kids?

Then there was the description of the kids putting their bank money into the box and we are told about "pound coines, twenty pences, fifty pences, five pound and even a couple of ten pound notes" dropping to the box.

In England. In 1940. Damn.

I wondered whether I'd made incorrect assumptions and perhaps it had been originally written after decimilisation. No such luck. Someone has very carefully gone through and 'modernised' the text. This irritates me intensely! I read these books in part for the flavour of life in a different time period. Perhaps children now wouldn't be familiar with shillings and sixpences, but to remove all references is both demeaning and patronising. Having spotted that, I'm starting to feel fairly sure that the lack of slang is yet another attempt to 'modernise' the book so that young minds aren't confused by the appearances of the odd 'spiffing'. How pathetic is that?

I'll finish the book because I want to know what happens, but I'm definitely going to be on the look out for older editions of the EB books now because that is ridiculous *sigh*

In other news, it's snowing pretty hard out there and I have another two hours before I can go home. I'd have asked to work from home hours ago, except I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and unless she cancels on me, I have the sense that she won't be happy if she can't tell me my blood test results. I'm pretty sure that she'll just be telling me that I'm anemic and need iron supplements (no thank you!) but doctors aren't satisfied until they've ticked their little boxes.

Comments

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

I was flipping through a new edition of The Magic Faraway Tree and the whole bit with Dame Slap has been hilariously bowlderized - she's now Dame Snap and instead of spanking the kids she tells them off. Oh, and instead of Dick, Fanny and Bess, the kids are called Rick, Franny and Beth (the first two I understand, but 'Bess'?) Goodness knows what else has been changed.

ETA: I checked my ebook copy of The Naughtiest Girl, and this is the line - Thomas came round with the box. Money clinked into it-shillings and sixpences, half-crowns and even a ten-shilling note or two went into the big box. You'd think that if kids can cope with sickles and Quidditch they could wrap their heads around people in Ye Olden Days having different money.

[nic]

I had read about the modernisation of Enid Blyton books. There are several children's/teen series (from all different eras) that are being 'updated' for modern kids which I find ridiculous. As a child I LOVED reading about different times!

[danamaree.livejournal.com]

I have a copy of The Naughtiest Girl in School that I decided to bring as my lunchtime read today. It was bought second hand and, according to the copyright information, this edition was published in 1999.

I got that book for my 7th birthday, along with Princess Charming.

It was an original handed down from a great Aunt, and I read it so often the cover fell off and had to be taped back on, there was a time I could quote entire pages, and then later on I got the entire series. I luffed it so much. *hearts* I've got in a box in my storage cupboard now, but I'm not sure I want to battle the moths and spiders to find it.

I always wanted to go to a boarding school like they describe in that book, but wasn't gonna happen in country Australia.

[catseatsocks.livejournal.com]

I take iron supplments. No idea if they are working.

[selenay]

I checked my ebook copy of The Naughtiest Girl

That does sound much more appropriate for 1940. Gah!

You'd think that if kids can cope with sickles and Quidditch they could wrap their heads around people in Ye Olden Days having different money.

*sigh* You'd think, wouldn't you? Publishers seem to have a very low estimate of what kids can understand.

Um, yes, I don't get the Bess change either.

[selenay]

Reading about a different time is a big part of the attraction of those books! It's just silly to 'update' them in this way. You lose a lot of the fun stuff in the books.

[selenay]

Battle away! I'm enjoying it despite the modernisation so I can only imagine how much I'd adore the original text.

My Da had a terrible time at boarding school as a kid so he refused to send my sister and I. We figure that's why boarding school books were frowned on at home so we had to read them in secret. Now I'm going back and reading all the ones I missed and I'd love to go to the Chalet School or Mallory Towers. I'd even settle for going to Trebizon if I could :-)

[selenay]

How are they on your stomach? I took them for two weeks after some surgery ten years ago and felt miserably ill for the entire two weeks. I can only imagine what I'd be like with them plus the IBS now!

[catseatsocks.livejournal.com]

They are ok now, but at first I think they were a little difficult. I honestly can't remember but I'm sure I have notes somewhere. I started taking them the same time I was taking some other things so it was hard to tell.