I have been thinking about this. She is pretty stereotypical, isn't she? And I wonder, could she have been different? If she was different, how would that have changed story-lines?

I don't want to give too much away, but in writing my book I started, I realised after a time, with a very similar character profile as Matey, for my Matron. And, besides the risk of plagarism at worse, and boredon for the reader at least, I decided to make somea radical changes.
So my Matron is not the stereotypical older lady, impatient with those who fuss, full of common-sense to exclusion of any imagination at all and frequently intolerant and snappish. I have tried to create the opposite character on every point that I thought of - I don't know if it will work, but watch this space!
I wondered, also, about her physical characteristics. I can't really think how much we're told about Matey (blast those Amazon abridgements!), but I have tried to create someone who you would look at and not automatically think of as a 'Matron' in terms of GO lit.

So, my questions are:
If Matey looked different and behaved differently than she does in the CS books, how might that have changed particular story-lines?
How would you make the character behave/look? And what stories would you give her that then fitted into that particular character?
When you hear the term 'Matron', what do you visualise? What is she like in your head?

I have to end with saying that I have my own creation, and I am not trying to pinch other peoples ideas! I just wondered, how much the CS Matron was constrained by her character and physical attributes?

I rather think that Matey is a kind, warm-hearted person, who's bark is worse than her bite. For her to be otherwise, in such an organisation, might not work. The pupils and staff alike, need someone who can take control and be organised. I can't see her as being hard-faced and not caring - it would not do.

I think if she had been different, say cold, and unapproachable, then story lines would certainly change, or if she was too nice and soft with her charges, again the girls would play her up to no extent and get away with alot of pranks, etc during the night.

I'm imagining a Matron similar to that of the St Custard's matron, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, a perpetual scowl, with washing strung around her room, and an unruly dog... She wouldn't last at the Chalet School!

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I wasn't really thinking of her as being like the awful woman who was Matron for a while and who locked up the Robin. It was more about if she was a different kind of person entirely. And I agree that the CS Matey 'is a kind, warm-hearted person, whose bark is worse than her bite'.
But what about if she didn't have a bark? What about if she was young, pretty (would probably end up marrying a doctor!), blonde, a bit scatty but very kind and knowledgeable. Could that have worked?



Interesting ... isn't there a way for her to be different and not in a negative way? SOmeone who would fit in and last a long time, but also someone more sparkythan the orginal?

Physically she's wiry, possibly small and wiry, but definitely wiry. Physical strength is important to Matey as is the exterior gruffness concealing the kind heart.

I imagine someone in uniform, possibly white. I have trouble imagining someone with the angels' wing cap that Matey wears in some of the illustrations. It's difficult to imagine her wearing anything other than uniform, although I love the idea of the girls doing a double take when they see a well-dressed Matey enter the room, perhaps ready to go on a school trip. We so rarely see Matey off-duty - the rest of the staff relax in their pretty evening frocks but I don't think she does.

If I were imagining a different matron, I think it would be interesting to see someone who had favourites so that certain girls could take advantage to a get a day's rest in the San. The school nurse in Antonia Forest's Kingscote is someone who found hospital life too difficult and you could look at a similar situation with a matron. Everyone at the CS is an awe of Matey but what would happen with a character they didn't respect? I'm not thinking of such an extreme character as Matron Webb in New House but just someone less sensible.

I quite like trying to imagine a person with really unexpected characteristics in a particular role. So I'm thinking that she might notbe wiry - but then, to be plump could equally be a bit of a stereotype. How about if she was tall and slim (but still kind and so on)? Would that make people think about her differently?

I know that someone has said on one of these threads (sorry - can't remember who, but it might be AlisonH talking to Liz who is going to write a drabble about Con's life ...) that when you're writing, the characters take over completely and start to live their own lives, which can make it tricky to make them behave in a certain way. So would a tall, slim, blonde, attractive, kind etc. etc. etc. Matey behave any differently than the one we have, or than any who fall into expected lines?

I'm going to embarrass myself by admitting this but I actually have something of a soft spot for 'Dance While You Can' by Susan Lewis, as it was one of the first romances I ever read. In it Elizabeth is a matron - young, attractive, always playing card games with the boys and things. She is watched over by a lovely, motherly type of matron, well into retirement age who sits around knitting (that's all I can remember her doing!) and smiling down on her charges. Then Elizabeth goes on to have an affair with one of the pupils, Alexander, and it all goes horribly wrong...

But anyway, I can't see that happening at the CS! I can, however, picture the older matron (her name evades me completely, sorry) there, quietly knitting away and being lovely and gentle and calm when one of the girls is sick. I think that she'd work best with Matey to oversee the practical side of things, but I think that she'd be a lovely shoulder to go and cry on.

I'm going to go and crawl into a very dark place now.

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"His distinguished air, his handsome dark face, his composed attitude - for he stood perfectly still with one hand at his side - gave singular effect to the circumstance of his being without a hat." - 'Tales of Angria'

I haven't read this - it sounds ... interesting! But what is also interesting is that it's the more traditional Matron who seems to fall into what we expect - knitting, calm and so on.

When I worked as a Matron, I had a friendship with the Head of House one year. He has remained one of my dearest friends and over the past 11 years we have spoken nearly every night on the phone. He has been a SLOC to me, and I have been with him through various trials of life. Our friendship wasquestioned, but there really has been nothing to worry about. It was a case of simply finding someone who you click with - and that's that. I suppose one might find a tenuous connection to the Elizabeth character in this since our relationship certainly was unconventional. But it didn't stop me doing my job properly.

I do remember one boy asking me if I ever lost my temper, since they thought I was so calm all the time. I canget very angry, but actually losingmy temper is pretty foreign to me. A controlled and deliberate anger can be extremely effective at times.

Of course there are other matrons at the CS besides 'Matey' but who weren't the total nightmares that Matrons Webb and Besley were. In Tirol there were Matrons Gould, Venables and Rider and then in Switzerland Matron Rider reappears at St Mildreds and then we see Matron Henshall and a few others at the CS proper.

Whilst the matrons come from a variety of backgrounds and look different, Margot for example, is very small and has had a lot of (terrible) life experience and a family, prior to becoming matron, whilst Barbara Henshall is a large lady and must take up her post almost straight after finishing her training, so it is clear that EBD didn't view matrons in general as all being 'cookie-cutter copies' of each other. I can't think however of anything specific we learn about the personalities of the other 'good' matrons though, especially as given the EBDisms over 'Matey', whether the matron she is writing is given the name Matron Lloyd, Matron Gould or Matron Rider, they all are given 'Matey's' personality. EBD generally gives the impression that the other matrons are less observant and more lenient/easy going than Matey is, but that seems to be about it. I don't think that EBD really developed them as characters, so she didn't give an example of an alternate personality for a matron, like she created different personalities for mistresses.
*Rob seems to just be waffling now, so had better stop!*

I read this too, when I was about 15! I think it was fairly awful stuff. But enjoyably terrible. I remember us giggling over the 'rude bits'...

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Personalities do sometimes seem to go with the job in CS-land . Cooks/heads of domestic staff (Marie, Luise, Karen) are always "poppets" but at the same time rule the kitchen with a rod of iron and are not to be messed with. Domestic staff employed within individual households are always devoted to their employers. Male teachers are always slightly mad.

I've just had a bizarre vision of Hattie Jacques in Carry On Matron taking over at the CS ... I think the point of that strange thought was that fictional matrons are usually very strong characters with whom you don't mess, but at the same time have soft hearts. Matey has to be a compassionate person as she has to deal with people when they're ill, but she also has to be strict as otherwise the organisation of the place could fall apart. I also think that a lot of her behaviour - such as her obsession with drawer inspections, and having to have packing, bed-making etc done exactly as she wanted them - was due to (as well as obsessive compulsive disorder?) concern that people might not respect someone who was a member of staff but not on the teaching staff, so that kind of went with the job.

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Hehe! I really am your atypical matron.

I am 26 (but started matroning in 2006). I am slim and of average height, reasonably attractive, and during my second year of being a matron fell in love with the school organist (I clearly wasn't a good enough girl to deserve a doctor ) whom I am now engaged to. I intend to continue doing this job even when I have children. I know a lot of Matrons my age and younger, but in my current school I am the youngest by a good 25 years.

I'm on my phone at the moment, but when I get a chance tomorrow I will be back to this thread to comment further!

P.S. I do a LOT of drawer inspections, much to the dismay of my boys.

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Brilliant! I look forward to your post! And, may I ask, how do you get to do drawer inspections without a revolt? I would neverhave done this, because it would have caused a revolution ... That said, the H/M and I did have the right to inspect drawers and cupboards at any point without permission (in the case of suspected drug offences, for example). How old are your boys?

There is a picture of Matron in the hardback of Bride Leads the CS. She is wearing nurses uniform and cap, and has glasses and short hair

Time for a really embarrassing confession ... when I wen for the interview for the Matron's post, I actually asked if there was a uniform requirement. And, yes, I did actually have in mind a vision of Matey ... At least I can confess and none of you know who I am!!!!

We have one just like that (although without the perpetual scowl) in my school. She's nutty but wonderful. Her students love her because she doesn't take any crap



One gets the impression that she sleeps in her angels wing cap! Matey doesn't seem to have any off duty time during term - well, perhaps she has an afternoon a week - but who covers for her? I like to think she did sneak off with the staff to some outrageous pole dancing club as described in one of the crazy drabbles I read recently!
I had a lovely experience at the prep school I worked at, of getting ready for the Christmas dinner with my little girls. We were all wearing our best frocks (one girl even borrowed one of mine!) and I was helping them curl/straighten their hair, do last minute adjustments to dresses and supply 'tit' tape to those who 'ahem' didn't have any bust to hold their dress tight. That night I was much more of an older sister, although they knew they had 'matron' back at the end of the night when I had to chase them all to get to bed on time!



I don't think your alternative Matron would necessarily behave any differently. Afterall, the goal as Matron is to get the same job done (training/caring for the children, keeping the house running) whether you are young/old, plain/attractive, bubbly/serious. I think you could get more interesting responses from asking how other people would have behaved differently around her, and have different expectations or concerns about her.



I would love, at this point, to remark on the fact that I used to darn the girls' woollen tights - this is 2 years ago. I even have my own darning mushroom

But I also played raucous games with them which more often than not involved me bandaging them up when things got to exciting




We're not allowed to just go through their stuff (unless, like you say, there are two of you and you suspect substance misuse etc). But the boys (aged 13 to 19) know that drawers and wardrobes that they leave wide open are considered fair game for inspection. I also pick random boys for checks - I let them know I plan to check their wardrobe and drawers the next day, and woe betide anyone who doesn't take advantage of that warning to get them ship-shape. I will get hold of them in their spare time and watch them empty, fold, and put clothes back in (sometimes twice, you know,[i]for practice[i] if I'm feeling particularly evil
I also like to encourage them to be generally tidy by awarding pizza to those who maintain the tidiest dorms throughout each term.

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Nicci said


Thank you Nicci! I'll ask this then: if Matey looked different, would the people around her react differently to her? In real life, people do react to how others look, so it would be interesting to see if Matey was less stereotypical if then the other characters would behave differently towards her, or have different expectations of her. Would their expectations be greater or less? If she wasn't the solid person she seems to be in character, reflected in her body-shape, would a less robust physicality portray her as less solid in character?

A bit mixed, but I hope you can decipher what I'm asking ...

I don't think so, julieanne. After all, Madge is always slender and pretty, and yet she manages to control a school full of girls including Joey at her worst, so she must have had a fairly strong character. And we do see her dishing out iron discipline.

EBD seems to be one of those rare writers (and I'm not, I must confess!) who don't try and always equate looks with character unless it's for a really obvious character trait - like Tom Gay looking boyish because she just wouldn't work wandering around with plaited wreaths or what have you.

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"His distinguished air, his handsome dark face, his composed attitude - for he stood perfectly still with one hand at his side - gave singular effect to the circumstance of his being without a hat." - 'Tales of Angria'

I'd agree with you at the beginning of the series - Joey and Cornelia both spring to mind - but by the end of it it seems that everyone is described as "pretty" or "good-looking" or "attractive"! It always amuses me that Mary-Lou, who always struck me as quite plain as a child, suddenly becomes handsome when she cuts her hair off

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The traditional idea seems to be that the heroine isn't beautiful, and usually that she has a best friend (Diana Barry) or sister (Clover Carr, Meg and Amy March) who is beautiful but doesn't have her strength of character. The CS series starts that way - Madge is "good to look at" but not pretty, and Joey isn't pretty but apparently has something about her that makes people want to look at her twice - but, as you say, by later on in the series almost everyone is pretty, or at least good to look at/handsome. Except Ted Grantley, who ends up feeling that her mother might have loved her if she'd looked like Len : even Juliet and Grizel never ended up feeling like that!

There's a bizarre description of Mary-Lou's Gang in one of the Swiss books in which they're all described as handsome, beautiful or "clever-looking". Poor old Doris Hill is the only one who isn't, but even she gets to be "an ordinary pleasant-looking girl".

I think Mary-Lou started off in the period when EBD was still following the rules about heroines not being beautiful, but then EBD changed her mind so lucky OOAO got to blossom into a swan when she was in her mid-teens. - I used to keep reminding myself about Caroline Scott in the Wells books miraculously shedding her "puppy fat" and becoming slim when she was 14 or 15, but it doesn't seem to work in real life!

Sorry, to get back to the point, I'd agree that looks and character don't go together early on. In most books, Marie von Eschenau with her golden curls would be the dainty one (a bit like Peggy Bettany when she meets the Wintertons) who never got sweaty or untidy, but in the CS we see Marie with her hair coming down during a ramble, and she's also the Games Prefect. Oh - the exception is Mr Denny, whose weird fashion sense goes with his generally weird behaviour!

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