By Jove, Biggles!

[003chan.livejournal.com]

   I started to read the 'By Jove, Biggles!' I had got from Ebay the other day. As you probably know, it's Johns' biography written by Peter Berresford Ellis and Piers Williams. I have the version from 1985.

   I must say I really like the book. It's much better than I thought it would be, mostly because of the many Johns' articles in the text. I'm only somewhere around the page 35 but there have already been two pieces of text very worth mentioning. As it is so quiet here lately I decided to post about them.

One for Sorrow...

This short story about Johns' experience from the trenches really touched me.
(credits to Mr. Johns and whoever else has the rights for the text)



Two for Joy...

As to why Johns was accused of being a sexist.
One critic went so far as to state, 'Biggles and his associates rarely seem to think about women at all, let alone to have relationships with them. The members of Biggles' team receive their emotional gratification from their relationship with one another.'
Ehem... 

Comments

[id-ten-it.livejournal.com]

he writes so well- I assume the exerpts are Johns'own words?
I shall have to get a hold of the book- thanks for sharing!

[003chan.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's Johns' article from Popular Flying.
When I find some other interesting excerpts I will share again :)

[prudence-dearly.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm, Johns's writing about the war is very moving indeed. *nodnodnod*

'Biggles and his associates rarely seem to think about women at all, let alone to have relationships with them. The members of Biggles' team receive their emotional gratification from their relationship with one another.'

Well, yes, as a slasher, I could happily read this and walk away whistling ;) But it also aggravates two issues with me.

1. As my Dad used to point out: these are adventure stories for young boys. Young boys tend not to like girls. Girls are silly and useless and have cooties or the British equivalent, and they just don't come into it. There's a reason that boys saying that another boy liks a girl is an insult. That's just the way young kids are, and inserting a girl either for romantic or for feminist reasons wouldn't go over well with young boys, particularly in Johns's day and age.

2. Why WHY is it portrayed as a bad thing for a group of men to find emotional gratification from each other? Why is romantic love the only type of relationship or love that has value? Argharghargh! (Hi, hobby-horse, let me show you it :) I mean, if the boys went through everything they went through together and then just treated each other like office buddies, not like true friends and comrades, then Johns would be attacked for being heartless. I just. Ooo, it aggravates me.

I could go on and on. But I won't. (Apart from anything else, could I be more preaching to the choir? :D)

[003chan.livejournal.com]

to 1.: I think you put it quite well. Another quote (after the appearance of Full Moon, Stella, Princess Marietta and Jeanette): 'Johns later told interviewers that he received so many protests from children thinking that the Biggles books were "going soft" that he purposely stopped including a love interest in the later titles.' ... because tough guys apparently don't date girls.

to 2.: Exactly :D I think the critic must have had some issues with friendship. In fact I think that friendship is the most 'emotionally gratificating' relationship of all. When lovers want to maintain a reasonable relationship over the years, they have to be friends... at least that is my opinion.

... or maybe the critic was just jumping to conclusions too quickly... but that is not our place to critise him for THAT :D
*was not at all laughing her head off, when Biggles and Algy rolled down of a sand dune after their little struggle, ending up with Biggles underneath yelling "Algy, get off my chest, you maniac!"*

[prudence-dearly.livejournal.com]

so many protests from children thinking that the Biggles books were "going soft"
PreCISEly.

I think the critic must have had some issues with friendship.
I may be reading too much into it, but when I see comments like that critic's, I see disapproving slash. As in, this critic is looking sideways at close male friendships and saying "That's just not normal." Which, obviously, is a) offensive, and b) not true.