The Young Visiters

[shewhomust]

Writing about Daisy Ashford's The Young Visiters for the Litfest site, I was delighted to find the complete text online, and can't resist quoting a chunk. Bernard Clark is showing his guests around his home, and they are admiring the portraits of his ancestors:

My great uncle Ambrose Fudge said Bernard carelessly.

He looks a thourough ancester said Ethel kindly.

Well he was said Bernard in a proud tone he was really the Sinister son of Queen Victoria.

Not really cried Ethel in excited tones but what does that mean.

Well I dont quite know said Bernard Clark it puzzles me very much but ancesters do turn quear at times.

Peraps it means god son said Mr Salteena in an inteligent voice.

Well I dont think so said Bernard but I mean to find out.

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

A delightful book...and it's interesting to see how it affected other writers who began young. Like L.M. Montgomery who began her diary after it was published, and who deliberately put misspellings into her diary to make it 'cute' and then later (at the ripe old age of fourteen) burned the diary as being derivative.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that. Like all true cult classics, The Young Visiters feels like something I discovered, it's always a jolt to learn that other people know it!

Writers talking about how they got into the business often describe that moment of realisation that "books exist because people write them" I wonder whether Daisy Ashford's example provides that revelation?