by Ruth St Clare.
Thank you so much for the web site of E Goudge. I have respected and admired her since childhood. Now I admire her even more.
I am sure that had computers existed and had I not been a slow learner then ( not now) I would have been one of the people who came to look at a person who could so well reflect the spiritual in a world of war and suffering.
This lady was the key to my visiting Guernsey ( the copy of Green Dolphin Country was damaged so I did not know where the Island was), seeing Mont St. Michele and St Malo.
I finally worked out that it must be Guernsey. When I left the ferry I met an elderly lady and ask her if the family even existed and she snarled at me. I knew then I had found the right place …. so instead of upsetting anyone else I went off to the cemetery. I smiled and wondered who they were and if they had any real relationship to the book. It did not really matter to me… I found the place and names
The only name I did not find was William Ozanne and then sitting in an open air cafe and musing to myself whether on not he existed I looked across the road and saw William Ozanne Hall.
I believe my life was touched for the better because I was privileged to read Elizabeth Goudge’s books. Many years ago a paper back of Green Dolphin Country was available and I bought a copy and loaned it to a friend. They never gave it back… forgot they had it…..sigh… not all people with brains know how to use them.
My friends found the same book in New Zealand in a second hand book shop and they sent it to me. How wonderful of them and I have the book today and I use it for any of my senior English students who show that they are of the thinking nature.
A fourteen year old French lass is reading it now. I am not sure yet how she will cope with it as she is still at an intermediate English level.
Maybe you could condense Green Dolphin County or Island Magic ( this may not need condensing, I can’t remember!) and try to have Miss Goudge’s work included in school children’s texts for English. They did this with Nicholas Monserrat’s Cruel Sea. If you could do this I think you would be doing a world service.
Ruth St. Claire
Dear Miss St Clare,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me, I’m pleased that you enjoyed the visit to the site.
I agree that Elizabeth’s work should be on an English Literature Syllabus but have a horror at condensing any writers work, especially one of my favourite authors. Which bits would you leave out?
I think that most of her books are compact, with the exception of Green Dolphin Country and Child From The Sea, so probably wouldn’t need much editing. Its the themes of her work which our state run schools might have a problem with.
regards Deborah
Hi Deborah
Yes I would hate task of trying to edit Elisabeth Goudge’s work. It seems a colossal cheek. On the other had if some one could manage the challenge perhaps young people would be inspired to find and read her work (unabridged), as adults.
I suppose it is just the desire to share with others. Young people would have the chance to see a “master” English writer. I teach English now so I suppose I think about it from the perspective of some of the students here ….. especially the young teenagers… sigh they might not be permitted to read Green Dolphin Country unabridged.
It was literature that educated me until I reached a stage where I could think and retain what I learned and now I help others to find joy, delight, and the rewards of reading.
Best wishes,
Ruth.
Leave a Reply