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#1: Debate: Males in the Chalet School Author: Phil, Location: London UK

Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 9:50 pm
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This house believes that EBD maintained two stereotypes to characterise her male characters in the Chalet School series:

One: authoritarian, yet hard working, a perfectionist yet almost tyrannical.

Two: mischievous, pure evil, born wicked.

Discuss (please feel free to allude to other series, not necessarily girls ones, but try to focus on the CS).

"Cry Havoc and
Let Slip the Dogs of War"
Hamlet

Smile

#2: Author: Róisín, Location: Gaillimh

Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 5:09 pm
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Hurrah! I'm so glad you started this topic as I don't think that we look at the men enough (at least not in that light Wink

). It would be interesting to have a jennifer-list to see exactly how many males *do* appear in the series, or at least the main ones.

On first considerations I think that all the slightly sidelined characters belong to either group one or two, and that only the very prominent males are a mix of the two, and therefore more complicated. There are also a couple of exceptions to these.

I would put Jem, David, Steve (to an extent), the early Herrs and people like Prof. Fry and Prof. Richardson into the first group (authoritarian...). Then people like Dick (I think he always wanted to be a playboy do you know), Mike, Felix, Roddy, Rix into the second (mischievous...).

However, there does exist a small number of boys that don't fit either of these roles - Roger and Charles, in particular. They both seem quiet, friendly and responsible to me, without appearing overbearing about it. I feel the same way about Paul Trevennor.

Groups one and two meet and meld in EBD's two heros - Jack and Julian. Each of them is hardworking, responsible and can be very authoritarian, while keeping their boyish teasing humour and sense of fun. However, that also might be just because they receive more exposure than the others. In the same line as Jack and Julian, Mr. Eltringham is an interesting case.

#3: Author: jonty, Location: Exeter

Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 5:21 pm
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There are also the servant/peasant men who are all brawn and no brains. Steadfast Gaudenz, gormless Eigen, and numerous peasants who come in handy for slinging an injured girl over their shoulder and carrying her up/down a mountain to the safety of home. But then I suppose most of the servant/peasant women are also drawn like that too - strong and willing workhorses whose main failing is that they are superstitious.

#4: Author: JayB, Location: SE England

Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 5:48 pm
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I think EBD, in common with many successful girls' story authors, was not very good at writing men as central characters. When she writes men as secondary characters, and allows them to develop naturally, without forcing them into a particular role, she is capable of creating three dimensional, believable characters, especially in the early CS books. Messrs Bettany, Braun, Mensch, Marani, Denny, Anserl and Laubach are all well drawn characters.

It's only when EBD wants a male character to fill a particular role (the Love Interest, the Evil Parent) that they become the authoritarian figure (Jem, Jack, Prof Fry) the villain (Mr (Captain?) Carrick, Prof Richardson) or the cardboard cutout (doctors to the rescue).

I think here EBD is falling into a trap that catches many writers, that of deciding on a plot and devising characters to fit it, rather than developing her characters and allowing them to dictate the story. And I think it happens more and more as the series continues and EBD runs out of original ideas. Mr Lilley is the only truly individual adult male I can think of from the Swiss era.

Jay B.

#5: Author: Alex, Location: Cambs, UK

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 12:16 pm
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I think the Belsornians sum it up quite well - there's Ridolfo who is clearly type 1 (tyrant, although we might let him off slightly as it's kind of in his job description), Cosimo who is clearly type 2 and then Carol who doesn't really fit into either group. I suppose that's because he's decided never to marry again and there isn't really anyone suitable for the task of his wife hanging around the CS.

#6: Author: Phil, Location: London UK

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 4:41 pm
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What I found interesting was as Joey increases her brood, the girls are given real characters. Cecily is given a whole kidnap episode to herself (triplets). She also is very determined and has a temper,

Cecil: "Thethil wanth Thwan!"

Joey: "Then want must be your master"

Likewise in redheads, Phil says "Bad Cecil" because she has eaten an entire box of chocolates. Little Phil is given more character than her brother, especially as she suffers from polio. Doesn't she also have a mastoid or earache at some point?

Felicity, is of course brought into the later books when her triplet sisters are the Lord High Grandees of the School and shows an early interest in ballet.

BUT: Mike, Geoff and Felix. The staple description of them and their cousins Kevin & Kester Russell is "imps of the first water" and "one person's work" Certainly if EBD were alive and still writing, the title of "whipping boy" for Jack Maynard would have progressed from Mike, to Felix, then Geoff as the boys got older.

Are they malicious boys in the same way I think Mario Balbini is? (MB cetrtainly intends some harm to Madge and possibly Sybil). Does Mike think, "I know I really want to hurt my mother, I'll just jump off this cliff!" He is impulsive and does the wrong thing with serious consequences. Occasional references to Mike are that his is very fond of Steve and Charles, he loves Felicity, was initially jealous of Felix and his favourite triplet is Len. Joey knows Mike has inherited from her an impulsiveness.

However, Jack is so angry, so furious, he doesn't trust himself to be around Mike. Poor Sybil actually received the full force of Jem's fury over Josette's accident.

Jack and Jem, like Julian Lucy tend to go hand in hand with vicious reprisals upon their children. The only boy I can think of who deserved some form of reprisal from Jack was the van Allen brat in Richenda who very nearly blinded poor Ricki Fry. Second to that was Mario Balbini, who says some quite vicious things about hurting Madge and kidnaps Sybil. Finally there is the evil Hermann Eisner. So with sons like Mike, Felix and Geoff, Jack should thank his lucky stars.

Perfectionists like Herr Anserl and Herr Laubach both have their fair share of anger management issues too.

The really evil men are of course Cosimo who is superbly written. References are made to his cruelty to animals for example. The villains in Redheads, their intention to maim Flavia or get her hooked on drugs.

Then there are the weak ones who cause real harm by their foolishness: Eitel and his smoking (excitements) and Elma Conroy's boyfriend in Oberland.

Sometimes the direct authoritarian approach works, Neil Sheppard tells Grizel,

"I want the right to take care of you Grizel"..."Is it 'yes' Grizel?"

After that statement, our stone heroine "old cocky" is putty in the good doctor's hands! However, Neil is nowhere near as aggressive as Jack.

If I were asked which triplet reflected her father most accurately, it would be Margot be a long chalk. She is brusque, impatient, snappy and short tempered herself.

Just as Joey becomes repetitive and interfering in the later books, so Jack's aggression and brusqueness becomes offensive. In this debate, it is too easy to become sidetracked with the iniquities of Jack and Jem, but looking at every Chalet School male, who is only either referred to (as in bad Bill's instance) or is a major character (Jack), there does seem to be a broader range than I originally thought and not a case of authoritarian man / wicked boy or saintly boy.

#7: Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan

Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:27 am
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I think EBD has a model of what she considers the perfect male, as exemplified by Jack and Julian and to some extent early Jem.

He is tall, but not necessarily handsome. He is a hardworking, well educated professional with a good job who is respected by the community. He has a good sense of humour and is fond of teasing, but is rather authoritarian and accustomed to being obeyed. He is loving to his wife, with a strong vein of protectiveness towards her, and his authoritarian streak will assert itself when he wants to take care of her. He has a temper which rarely shows itself but is very hot when it does, but he will remove himself from the situation if he can't control himself - neither Jem nor Jack beat Sybil or Mike or Margot bloody, they shun them instead. He has an affectionate relationship with his children, but is very definitely the head of the household. Joey boasts of being friends with her daughters and understanding them, while Jack appears much more in the classic parental role.

For boys, she has a 'bad boy' stereotype as illustrated by Mike and 'Bad Bill' Ozanne. He is mischevious, impulsive and often disobedient. He is a restless, active boy who has trouble sitting still and always needs to be on the go. His misdeeds are not malicious, but are rather thoughtless and impulsive, and he tends to be creative in his mischief, not thinking about the consequences of his actions.

There aren't many truly bad male characters outside of the Nazi regime - I can think of Stephen Venables, Stuart Raynor, Captain Carrick and Mr Cochrane. The first ruins Margot Venables' life, the second attempts to ruin Elma Conroy's, and the third maliciously abandons his daughter, while Mr Cochrane is neglectful and unloving. Characters like Professors Fry and Richardson are more idiots than evil - the former misunderstands his daughter and has little patience and empathy, but does love her. The second is an obsessive lunatic, but doesn't intend harm. Even Mr Irons, Betty's guardian, while a cold, rather distant man, does do his duty regarding Betty's finances, and keeps her at a good school - he's just a rather cold man who doesn't like children who ended up as a trustee for a young girl.

#8: Author: JoS, Location: South Africa

Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:02 pm
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Talking about Betty, one of the amusing male caricatures is the policeman in Goes to It/At War. I love the way Miss Annersley handled him.

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