Am I, or am I not, monitress of this dormitory?

[slemslempike]

I always think of Dorita Fairlie Bruce as the sensible one of the Big Three, lacking as she does a surfeit of either avalanches or titled gentlemen. And of course the presence of the Anti-Soppist League. But I have just finished Dimsie Moves Up Again, and so far in the series they've discovered a secret maze of passages cut of of rock through the back of a wardrobe, found a Vandyck, had it stolen, chased after the thieves in a stolen car driven by an underage schoolgirl, seized it back and made their getaway in a rowing boat on the sea. And I haven't even started the book with the bear leaping into the backseat of the car yet.

At least these do happen to indivdual girls, or groups of girls, though. You can quite see that the whole thing could be explained away as one-off events triggered by the unique nature of Dimsie Maitland*. Much more difficult to convince parents that there is no inherent institutional health and safety problem when the whole school may at any moment be flooded out, trapped in a shed by an snow/heavy fog/inadequate foresight by mistresses, felled by a flying bookend, or married off to a passing member of the medical profession.

I love girls' school stories.

'Meg saddled her horse and rode eight miles across country in the dark - Irish country, mind - to fetch a doctor for a man who had been shot in the rioting.'

'Then she'll marry that man,' declared Pam, with conviction. 'I don't see what else she can do. It was splendid of her though. Meg was always a sport.'

What else indeed!


*Is this not an early example of RAS syndrome? I dearly love that the entry takes care to point out the humour in the name in case anyone missed it.

Comments

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I want to read the story in which whole school is menaced by a flying bookend before being married off to a passing doctor!

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I think Margaret Maynard is absolutely equal to the task of taking out every girl in the school at one fell swoop. Though possibly the San's supply of doctors might run out, and I don't know what would happen then. Suitably scientific PhDs?

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Though possibly the San's supply of doctors might run out, and I don't know what would happen then. Suitably scientific PhDs?

Or, they might be married en masse to a medical sheikh...

[sabethea.livejournal.com]

Nono, not a FOREIGNER. Only one of the doctors who marries someone from the CS (I think) marries someone who's not British (Biddy - I am willing and eager for other examples to be given to me in proof I'm talking out of a lower orafice)

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Do you mean that Biddy's husband is the only Doctor who isn't British? Or that Biddy is the only non-Brit who gets to marry such a prize? I am confused!

[sabethea.livejournal.com]

Biddy's husband is the unBritish one. (Not surprised you're confused - just read it back myself and it makes no sense. I blame the Mouse: I was supposed to be talking to him.)

[serriadh.livejournal.com]

Do any of the English grls marry non-English doctors? I can't think of anyone offhand.

[sabethea.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, this is now another story I wish to write... Perhaps less liked characters could marry doctors from Other Places (you just need a conference taking place there, and it would All Be Fine).

[serriadh.livejournal.com]

Much more difficult to convince parents that there is no inherent institutional health and safety problem when the whole school may at any moment be flooded out, trapped in a shed by an snow/heavy fog/inadequate foresight by mistresses, felled by a flying bookend, or married off to a passing member of the medical profession.

This seems to be one part of the school story that JK Rowling got absolutely right (except marrying off to doctors - but she does share a similar belief that almost everyone should be coupled up very shortly after leaving school).
Why yes, of course we have a Giant Squid/illegal dragon/dangerous Hippogryff/Whomping Willow/bit of Voldemort's Soul/hiding staircases/regular incidents of near death at school! But none of the parents worry because, very cunningly, we don't tell them. I would like to see Dumbledore in a twinkly eye-a-thon with Miss Annersley, though. (She might win with her magic voice that never needs to be raised to be heard over a crowd of chattering girls)

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Yes, and Miss Annersley's eyes have never yet needed glasses, so another point to her, I think.

[serriadh.livejournal.com]

I'd back Miss Annersley against pretty much anyone, tbh.

[sabethea.livejournal.com]

*dies*

Funnily enough, I've never thought of DFB in that way, perhaps because of the large moments of 'stolen vandycks' and 'potential coiners' - actually, mostly because of the Dimsie's mother plotline, which is almost as bad as 'Adrienne at the Chalet School'.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I suppose it is partly the sheer volume of incidents in the Chalet School which makes me think of it as rather sillier - and no-one's run away from Jane's yet, which cuts down on being trapped on cliffs or in trees and tiring yourself out on Austrian mountains.

And I repudiate the suggestion that "is sucked into bridge by hustlers, accused of cheating, leaves home only to suffer mental illness in the Blitz" is anywhere NEAR as far-fetched as "rescued by nun from almost certain life as prostitute after father dies, is taken to a school in an entirely different country where it is discovered that nun is in fact long-lost cousin and you are each other's only living relative".

(I am cross and slightly ashamed of myself! I picked up the next Dimsie on my shelf to read on the bus, and when I started it I found that I had Dimsie Intervenes instead of Among the Prefects, which means that for the past at least year there has been MIS-SHELVING in my room.)

[sabethea.livejournal.com]

*g*

Fair point about Adrienne! Damn, don't you want to write the alternative version? Or is that just me? ;-)

[stellanova.livejournal.com]

Oooh, which book involving rioting in the Irish countryside is that? I would LOVE to see DFB or indeed any other school story writer take on the War of Independence. I'm sure it would be, um, interesting....

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

It is Dimsie Moves Up Again, and unfortunately that is the only mention of rioting that there is. Meg Flynn has now left school, taking her occasional brogue with her, so I don't think there'll be more, either.

Also, thank you for recommending Maeve Higgins' Fancy Vittles! I am enjoying it very much, and I keep meaning to go and find out more about the person who's singing the opening music.

[gair.livejournal.com]

I just read Mary K Harris's Henrietta at St Hilda's and it is now a forerunner for MY FAVRIT SKOOL STORY EVAR!!!1!!

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I remember liking that a lot, but read it ages ago and have no specifics to mind. Remind me!