I loved the writing of Alison Uttley, especially her essay collections and A Country Child, but was horrified when I read Judd's biography and confess it stopped me reading her. So, I read this with great heart and can begin to understand how she was misjudged. I feel I can now read the diaries!
Fascinating read! As an American kid living and traveling overseas, I often encountered Blyton's books, especially the Ladybird editions, but Alison Uttley's work was entirely new to me until now. Your post does an excellent job of illuminating her life and legacy, and it compellingly dismantles the unfounded portrayal of Uttley as a backbiting critic of Blyton.
I found your exploration of Uttley's diaries particularly insightful, showing no basis for the claims of her having a vendetta against Blyton. This raises interesting questions about how class and geography impacted the recognition and reception of both authors.
Moreover, your discussion on the societal pressures they faced as mothers and professional writers is incredibly relevant. It's striking how, even today, the notion that motherhood and professional life must be mutually exclusive persists. From my experience, I've seen how our children have thrived thanks to their mother's roles as parent, business owner, and creator. Her professional endeavors have not only enriched her own life but have profoundly benefited our entire family.
Thanks for such an absorbing essay and I’m looking forward to part 2! It really reminds me of the entrenched view of Sylvia Plath over the years- that she was mad, inevitably drawn to death- and how Heather Clark’s biography dismantled the myths with her careful research. It does seem that Alison Uttley has been judged unfairly and it’s not the first time a woman writer has been dismissed in this way.
I remember reading the Judd biography years ago and being struck by the resemblance between Uttley and my own unhappy mother’s behaviour.
A friend remembers her from his childhood when they were neighbours. She was known as ‘that dreadful woman’ and his father would hide if he saw her approaching the house. So perhaps some kernel of truth in her reputation as a difficult woman?
How interesting! When was that? I do think she was spiky and difficult. But she's been completely monstered, with all kinds of dubious claims against her. The Judd biography didn't seem to me to have much appreciation of the sensibilities of the time, e.g. what it would have been like being a widow as a result of suicide in the 30s, and the shame/taboo around suicide and mental health. Critics and reviewers then just seem to have poured fuel on the fire.
I loved the writing of Alison Uttley, especially her essay collections and A Country Child, but was horrified when I read Judd's biography and confess it stopped me reading her. So, I read this with great heart and can begin to understand how she was misjudged. I feel I can now read the diaries!
I'm glad! She wasn't all sunshine and roses I'm sure, complex like most people, but not the monster of the biography.
Fascinating read! As an American kid living and traveling overseas, I often encountered Blyton's books, especially the Ladybird editions, but Alison Uttley's work was entirely new to me until now. Your post does an excellent job of illuminating her life and legacy, and it compellingly dismantles the unfounded portrayal of Uttley as a backbiting critic of Blyton.
I found your exploration of Uttley's diaries particularly insightful, showing no basis for the claims of her having a vendetta against Blyton. This raises interesting questions about how class and geography impacted the recognition and reception of both authors.
Moreover, your discussion on the societal pressures they faced as mothers and professional writers is incredibly relevant. It's striking how, even today, the notion that motherhood and professional life must be mutually exclusive persists. From my experience, I've seen how our children have thrived thanks to their mother's roles as parent, business owner, and creator. Her professional endeavors have not only enriched her own life but have profoundly benefited our entire family.
Thanks for such an absorbing essay and I’m looking forward to part 2! It really reminds me of the entrenched view of Sylvia Plath over the years- that she was mad, inevitably drawn to death- and how Heather Clark’s biography dismantled the myths with her careful research. It does seem that Alison Uttley has been judged unfairly and it’s not the first time a woman writer has been dismissed in this way.
Thank you Ann. I'm going to write more soon about why the unfairness. I don't know much about Plath so interesting there might be parallels.
I remember reading the Judd biography years ago and being struck by the resemblance between Uttley and my own unhappy mother’s behaviour.
A friend remembers her from his childhood when they were neighbours. She was known as ‘that dreadful woman’ and his father would hide if he saw her approaching the house. So perhaps some kernel of truth in her reputation as a difficult woman?
How interesting! When was that? I do think she was spiky and difficult. But she's been completely monstered, with all kinds of dubious claims against her. The Judd biography didn't seem to me to have much appreciation of the sensibilities of the time, e.g. what it would have been like being a widow as a result of suicide in the 30s, and the shame/taboo around suicide and mental health. Critics and reviewers then just seem to have poured fuel on the fire.