Ginty

[ex-lizzzar998.livejournal.com]

I have only just found this community - wish I'd been able to participate earlier. Despite not being as gorgeous or popular as Ginty at school, I always had some sympathy for her. Does anyone agree with me that perhaps things will work out OK for her, despite her certainly very questionable behaviour in Attic Term? After all, she is only fifteen although I can understand Patrick being upset ( even if he doesn't mind the ultimate consequences) as she does lie, if only by omission. Sometimes I do think that AF has it in for her for being a conventionally feminine teenager - I'm pretty sure she is about the only Marlow would wouldn't be considered slightly odd at the schools I went to - but perhaps sheer Marlow confidence and force of personality would carry them through...

Also, does anyone have any comments on her name? I've heard of Ginty and McGinty as a surname (I think usually Irish or Scottish) but not as a short form of Virginia, which I think Is usually Ginny. Nevertheless, I guess it fits with the general gender ambiguity of Marlow female names (Nick, Lawrie, Rowan, even Kay used for a man in Malory, although less often subsequently, I think) If she's not stuck being called Ann, maybe she's redeemable (actually I think Ann's a perfectly reasonable name, but it doesn't seem that cool in Marlow terms.)

Comments

[dunite.livejournal.com]

Um, I'm not sure that Nicola means this about Marie. For example, if it had been Pomona, or even Lois, Nicola would have felt shocked and perhaps a little sorrowful. Nicola had never been able to understand Marie or her motivations, and couldn't understand how Marie could have lied so easily at the Court of Honour. From that viewpoint it would have been very easy for her to assume that, because of that, Marie would automatically tell authority about the netball switch (which she didn't), and always take the easiest way out. Again, Miss Redmond or Miss Craven mention that Marie is "far too eager to please", which suggests that she's given to doing what might be most expedient, rather than what's right. That would very irritating to Nicola.

I think that when Nicola mentions that if someone dies she'd "rather be properly sorry", she means that it is easier to grieve when there is genuine loss. She never particularly liked Marie, and so doesn't feel any particular bereavement at her death. The suddenness of it, too, was shocking. Mind you, Lawrie's reaction is even more extreme than Nicola's, but it stems from shying away from any unpleasantness such as death ("that woffle"), and Lawrie's own egotism that can't sympathise at all with anyone she dislikes. At least Nicola does actually have qualms of conscience about the way they treat Marie, even if she doesn't go to the extent of wanting to make friends with her.

Again, about Miranda, she does explain why she stopped being friends with the red-haired girl (Sandra?) - she was attracted by an appearance that turned out not to be reflected in reality. And although that initial attraction is very superficial, I see it as quite realistic.

[ex-lizzzar998.livejournal.com]

Marie's actions are not ideal, but could easily be explained by the fact that she is excluded and quite frankly bullied, and the fact that Nicola does nothing about this does say something about her to me. I guess ultimately, like Kathy in The Thursday Kidnapping, she just doesn't have Marlow coolness, but AF is very harsh in the way this is depicted. No one of Miranda's intelligence could seriously believe that red hair necessarily says something special about someone - she just likes to show her social power by changing friend according to appearance until Nicola - maybe this is realistic, but I still see it as worse than Ginty changing her mind about blood sports. Possibly AF can be too bleak a writer for me.