I'm going to have to start on her, because in the first place that scene still gives me the creeps, even though I'm about forty years older now than when I read it for the first time. Perhaps it's because self-righteous, manipulative people don't change much; it's just that the setting changes around them.
And it is a massively - but all too believably - manipulative scene (I don't want to rush ahead, but it's also essential set-up for later plot developments). That whole "we are the voice of reason and your not doing what we want reflects badly on you" which completely ignores the fact that Guides is a voluntary, leisure-time activity is so beautifully done (and shows Ann is completely wrong in her insistence that Redmond doesn't let Guide things spill over into school, too.)
I've met teachers like that, of course - I think the staff are one of the minor triumphs of Forest's depictions of school - and Redmond is the quintessential "for your own good" sort of teacher. What's more, you can see how the environment shapes her worse characteristics.
I had a copy of "Judy, Patrol Leader" which was an example of the sub-genre of Guiding school stories, and I've always been amused by the way that aspect, too, of the genre is subtly dissected by Forest.
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timeasmymeasure
Miss Redmond
Date: 2014-08-29 07:57 am (UTC)And it is a massively - but all too believably - manipulative scene (I don't want to rush ahead, but it's also essential set-up for later plot developments). That whole "we are the voice of reason and your not doing what we want reflects badly on you" which completely ignores the fact that Guides is a voluntary, leisure-time activity is so beautifully done (and shows Ann is completely wrong in her insistence that Redmond doesn't let Guide things spill over into school, too.)
I've met teachers like that, of course - I think the staff are one of the minor triumphs of Forest's depictions of school - and Redmond is the quintessential "for your own good" sort of teacher. What's more, you can see how the environment shapes her worse characteristics.
I had a copy of "Judy, Patrol Leader" which was an example of the sub-genre of Guiding school stories, and I've always been amused by the way that aspect, too, of the genre is subtly dissected by Forest.