For generations of children, British children’s author Enid Blyton conjured up a cosy world of boarding schools, beaches and freedom from parents.
But The Daily Telegraph reported Thursday that English Heritage, a charity that maintains historic buildings and commemorates well-known residents, had updated its web page to say her work has been criticised “for its racism, xenophobia and lack of literary merit”.
This prompted accusations in correct-wing media that Blyton had fallen victim to “cancel culture”, exactly where people today whose views are deemed unacceptable are ostracised and shamed on social media.
“Five get cancelled!” wrote The Daily Express, referring to her Famous Five series of adventure novels.
The update comes as the Black Lives Matter movement is prompting reexamination of preferred culture which includes Disney films.
Born in 1897, Blyton is identified for her “Famous Five” and “Secret Seven” adventure novels as properly books about “Noddy”, a wooden boy who comes to life.
In a statement sent to AFP, English Heritage mentioned it updated its on the net entry on Blyton in July 2020 to consist of “a reference to the fact that the author’s work has been criticised for its racism”.
It mentioned that this was element of moves to “provide a fuller picture of each person’s life, including aspects that people may find troubling”.
The charity place a blue commemorative plaque on Blyton’s former residence in Chessington, southwest of London, in 1997.
The English Heritage web page cites her story “The Little Black Doll” from 1966 exactly where the doll’s face is washed “clean” by rain. It also says that publishers Macmillan in 1960 refused to publish her story “The Mystery That Never Was” , citing a “faint but unattractive touch of old-fashioned xenophobia”.
An academic who has written about Blyton, David Buckingham, emeritus professor of communication and media research at Loughborough University, told AFP: “I think there are bits of Enid Blyton, like the story… where a doll gets its face bleached, that aren’t what you’d want to be reading to a child.”
“In a way you can say it was symptomatic of her time but it doesn’t completely get her off the hook.”
While Blyton enjoyed enormous reputation with children, she was shunned by middle-class parents and the cultural establishment, he stressed.
“When she was in her prime in the 1950s, she was effectively banned by the BBC for being of poor quality, and that continued right through the 60s and 70s.”
Enid Blyton died in 1968.
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