http://kit120.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] kit120.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] trennels2007-08-01 01:42 pm
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Lawrie's beliefs

 

 

In ‘End of Term’, we are shown that Lawrie assumes that nobody today could actually believe in the Bible any more than Greek mythology. On the other hand she makes bargains with her own imaginary controller of fate. Surely the sort of person who not only doesn’t believe, but can’t actually believe anyone else could either would be totally rational in all other respects and immune to superstition or supernatural belief of any kind.  I picture an infant Richard Dawkins.  Has anyone ever come across someone who combines Lawrie’s instinctive disbelief in the religion she’s been brought up in with her own equally irrational view of the universe?

 

  

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Re: Princess Charming

[identity profile] ankaret.livejournal.com 2007-08-01 08:04 pm (UTC)(link)
It is a very strong contender for my favourite school story ever - Katherine L. Oldmeadow manages to not-very-subtly subvert and poke fun at the genre whilst still having a gift for the genuinely evocative descriptions that make you-the-reader secretly wish you could just fall through the pages and join in the story. It also has the Hon. Agnes Billock, who is up there with Miss Cromwell as far as memorable fictional teachers go.

It's quite easy to get the Childrens Press edition, but I've never seen so much as a sniff of an earlier printing - which is sad, as I strongly suspect the Childrens Press one was abridged.

Re: Princess Charming

[identity profile] nineveh-uk.livejournal.com 2007-08-02 11:09 am (UTC)(link)
It's a school-story as well! Maybe I should investigate whether the Bodleian bothered to take children's books. Abebooks comes up with a couple of "Collins's Clear-Type Press" editions, one of which is described as a first.

Re: Princess Charming

[identity profile] ankaret.livejournal.com 2007-08-02 11:13 am (UTC)(link)
Clearly you are good luck - I just found a copy of the 1932 reprint and it's on its way to me as soon as postal strikes permit.

[livejournal.com profile] kit120, sorry for getting completely off-topic in this thread!
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Re: Princess Charming

[personal profile] white_hart 2007-08-03 06:26 am (UTC)(link)
The Bod has tons of children's books. Including all the Forests. I keep thinking I really must get a reader's card...

Re: Princess Charming

(Anonymous) 2007-08-12 01:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, quite severely abridged. I was delighted at the further detail when I got an early edition, having grown up with a Children's Press one. Princess Prunella is also abridged, but oddly Princess Anne isn't.
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