In this essay, Enid Blyton’s book Five Fall into Adventure is analyzed with a focus on behavior patterns, stereotypes and power division. Intersectionality is used as an approach and a close reading of passages is used as a method. I argue that the novel could work as a good starting point for raising important questions in the classroom, despite the criticism which has been directed towards Blyton’s works. Although the way in which Blyton portrays gender stereotypes is often more acknowledged by critics, this book could be an especially useful tool when touching upon the questions of class and ethnicity. The essay also demonstrates that the criticized aspects of the books, such as them being considered sexist, should be further analyzed, emphasized and discussed, rather than suppressed, because they could serve as a good starting point for dealing with questions which are important to touch upon in teaching situations. Inequality, sexism and xenophobia are examples of such questions. / I denna uppsats analyseras Enid Blytons bok Fem går i fällan med fokus på beteendemönster, stereotyper och maktskillnader. Analysen utförs utifrån ett intersektionellt perspektiv och närläsning av avsnitt används som metod. Jag framhåller att boken skulle kunna fungera som en bra utgångspunkt för att beröra viktiga frågor i klassrummet, trots att kritik har riktats mot Blytons verk. Det är ofta Blytons sätt att skildra genusstereotyper som uppmärksammas mest av kritiker, men jag belyser att boken skulle kunna vara ett särskilt användbart verktyg för att beröra frågor rörande klass och etnicitet. Uppsatsen visar även att de kritiserade aspekterna av böckerna, exempelvis att de kan anses vara sexistiska, borde vidare analyseras, betonas och diskuteras, istället för att undvikas. Anledningen till det är att de kan användas som en väldigt bra utgångspunkt för att ta upp frågor som är viktiga att vidröra i undervisningen. Ojämlikhet, sexism och främlingsfientlighet är exempel på sådana frågor.

This study explores reasons for Enid Blyton’s vast popularity. Blyton and her life are discussed in terms of the production and reception of her texts in the light of changing dominant discourses in society and varying horizons of expectation. It has been found that selected aspects of reception theory (in particular the horizon of expectation posited by Hans-Georg Gadamer and developed by Hans Jauss) and the theories of Michel Foucault on power and discourse can be used to examine the influence of societal and literary discourses on both Blyton’s writing and on those who read her work, including adults and children. The study includes a discussion of Blyton’s personal life, her role in education and her success in business. Blyton’s horizons of expectation – shaped not only by the dominant discourses that surrounded her, but also her training in the Froebel method of education – are examined. Furthermore, a number of aspects of Blyton’s life and writing subvert dominant discourses and these are discussed in terms of Foucault’s ideas on power relations. Evidence of the influence of her life on her work has been found in her texts. The criticism of Blyton is discussed in terms of both literary criticism and social criticism. Blyton’s popularity as a storyteller is also considered and it has been found that, regardless of criticism by adults, she remained popular with children. Furthermore, Blyton used a number of specific techniques (such as fast-paced plots and simple language and style) and it has been found that her techniques can be linked to both formula writing, the oral tradition, and to her training as a teacher in the Froebel method of education. These techniques are examined in terms of their manifestation in her writing, particularly in her series books – including adventure stories and school stories. In conclusion, the place of Blyton’s writing in contemporary society is deliberated and recommendations for further research are made. / Dissertation (MA (English))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / English / unrestricted

Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie were the most successful British women writers of their time. Christie and Blyton were contemporaries, living and writing in the United Kingdom during the first half of the twentieth century. This study takes into consideration these similarities in its examination of the depiction of dominant discourses in relation to emergent, alternative and oppositional discourses in their writing. This thesis suggests that while Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie offer alternatives to the dominant patriarchal discourses of the British Empire in the first half of the twentieth century, they show allegiance, too, to the dominant discourses of their time. Specific consideration is given to the portrayal of discourses concerned with gender, feminism, classism, British colonialism, racism, and xenophobia in their writing. The work of Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie was extremely popular in their time and still is today. Their important contribution to popular literature in England in the early twentieth century justifies a study of a selection of their work in relation to detective fiction and children’s literature as well as to studies of social history that include the investigation of how dominant discourse is both endorsed and challenged. / Thesis (DLitt)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / English / unrestricted