Swallows, Amazons and Coots: A Reading of Arthur Ransome

A disquisitional report of the novels of Arthur Ransome, revealing his themes and techniques and setting the stories in their social, historical and political context.

ISBN: 9780718894368

Clarification

In 1929, Arthur Ransome (1884-1967), a journalist and war correspondent who was on the books of MI6, turned his hand to writing chance stories for children. The result was Swallows and Amazons and eleven more wonderful books followed, spanning in publication the turbulent years from 1930 to 1947. They inverse the course of children'southward literature and have never been out of impress since. In them, Ransome creates a world of escape then close to reality that it is utterly believable, a world in which things always plough out correct in the end.

Yet Swallows, Amazons and Coots shows that, to be properly appreciated today, the novels must be read as products of their era, inextricably jump up with Ransome's life and times every bit he bore witness to the cease of Empire and the night days of the Second Earth State of war. In the beginning critical volume devoted wholly to the series, Julian Lovelock explores each novel in turn, offering an erudite assessment of Ransome'southward creative process and narrative technique, and highlighting his contradictory politics, his defence of rural England, and his reflections on colonialism and the place of women in club. Thus Lovelock demonstrates assuredly that, despite first appearances, the novels challenge as much as reinforce the pervading attitudes of their time.

Written with a lightness of touch and enlivened past Ransome's own illustrations, Swallows, Amazons and Coots is both fresh and nostalgic. Information technology will entreatment to anyone who has enjoyed the earth of Swallows and Amazons, and at that place is enough here to claiming both the student and the Ransome enthusiast.

Additional data

Dimensions 234 × 156 mm
Pages 242
Illustrations b&due west
Format

Paperback  |  ePub  |  Mobi (Kindle)
Trade Information LGENPOD

Virtually the Author

Like the Swallows and Amazons, Julian Lovelock spent his childhood summer holidays afloat and has been messing nigh in boats e'er since. He was until recently a lecturer in English language Literature at the Academy of Buckingham, where he became Dean of Arts and Languages and Pro Vice-Chancellor. He is a member of the Arthur Ransome Guild, and editor of its journal, Mixed Moss.

Contents

List of Illustrations
Foreword past Sophie Neville
Acknowledgements

Introduction: 'The Romantic Transfiguration of Fact'

1. Swallows and Amazons: Explorers, Pirates and Savages
2. Swallowdale: 'Things Will Go Onward the Same'
3. Peter Duck: Ransome and the Art of Metafiction
4. Winter Holiday: Enter the Callums
5. Coot Club: 'In the Cider Press'
6. Pigeon Mail service: The Unlikely Mystery of Squashy Hat
7. We Didn't Mean to Go to Body of water: Confronting Reality
viii. Surreptitious H2o: Growing Upwards and Autonomously
9. The Large 6: In the Shadow of War
x. Missee Lee: Nancy and the Twenty-Two Gong Taicoon
11. The Picts and the Martyrs: 'Simulated and Rehash'?
12. Great Northern?: Not Quite a Grand Finale

Afterword: A Sense of Endings

Select Bibliography
Index

Endorsements and Reviews

Lovelock'due south thesis – that Ransome's novels claiming equally much equally reinforce the prevailing attitudes of their time – is insightful. [Swallows Amazons and Coots] offers persuasive politicized readings of many of these books; splendid chapters on Coot Club (1934) and The Big Vi (1940) demonstrate Ransome's championing of the ordinary, an endangered (now extinct) rural style of life. … Lovelock is a lifelong Ransome fan and fellow amateur sailing enthusiast, and his book exudes companionable delight.
Charlotte Jones, in Times Literary Supplement, 23 December 2016

Lest we forget, what Rowling did for magicians in the noughties, Arthur Ransome did for sailing holidays in the 1930s and '40s. In this charming but exacting written report, Lovelock brings vividly alive the world of Swallows and Amazons and the intriguing graphic symbol of its creator. Here is a real 'spot in time' of English culture. Lovelock presents the beginning serious study of the whole oeuvre, an apparently lost globe of the certainties of Empire and the patriarchal family.
Stefan Hawlin, Professor in English Literature, University of Buckingham

An beauteous introduction for newcomers to the Swallows and Amazons novels, written with detailed and expert knowledge. Julian Lovelock clearly has a deep affection and admiration for Ransome'due south writing, and places the books in a rich and complex context. This is an elegant and leisurely guide through the books in the company of an amiable and well-informed companion.
Peter Chase, Professor Emeritus in Children's Literature at Cardiff University and co-writer of How Did Long John Silver Lose His Leg? (2013)

This is a excellent and timely book. Julian Lovelock restores Arthur Ransome to his rightful place on one of the peaks of children's fiction. Perhaps even more importantly, he reminds united states, by way of a manifestly and grippingly told tale, of the pleasure to be had when, returning as an developed to books treasured in childhood, nosotros are seized once again past Ransome's moral strength, his technical command whether of seafaring, copper-mining, birdlore or Arctic exploration, and the cordial ability of his story-telling.
Fred Inglis, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Sheffield

There is always more in life than meets the eye. The delightful and unique Arthur Ransome stories from Swallows and Amazons to Smashing Northern? have captivated united states of america over the years. But at present we learn, thanks to this fascinating volume, that there are more aspects and depths to the stories than we ever imagined. In no manner does this diminish them – on the reverse. Past giving us a more profound agreement of the author, the adventures and exploits of his characters have on an extra depth and dimension. These are stories for children that no adult should miss.
Virginia McKenna, OBE

This multifaceted arroyo to Ransome'due south work results in a volume that is both disquisitional and sensitive, offer food for idea to enthusiasts and critics alike. … Overall, Swallows, Amazons and Coots provides an important add-on to Ransome scholarship, filling a gap left by previous studies with give-and-take that is both comprehensive and penetrating.
Jen Harrison, in Children's Literature Association Quarterly, Vol 42, No two

There are all sorts of insights. … A volume to enjoy, argue with, and be inspired past.
Peter Willis, The Nancy Blackett Shop, 27 November 2016

Offers a fascinating insight into Ransome the author … Today's Internet-savvy reader is left in no dubiousness that Ransome is a shining light for our time.
Anne Gaelan, at https://annegaelan16.wordpress.com, December 2017