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magog_83I’ve recently become fascinated with a series of ‘Career Novels for Girls’ released in the 1950s and 1960s by Bodley Head Publishing and later by Knight Books. There are a whole host of different titles, with such fantastic names as Claire in Television, Air Hostess Ann, Margaret Becomes A Doctor and Jill Kennedy, Telephonist. I suppose they’re best described as the product of a transitional period – between women simply marrying and not having a career, and the expectation that women might have a career of their own – at least until they got married.
Unfortunately the books are quite expensive now, but I am managing to pick up a few in later paperback editions (and I will keep looking) and they are a brilliant bit of social and gender history in their own right, as well as being entertaining stories and unintentionally amusing :D I have always loved 1950s, 60s and 70s set books, since my reading material growing up was mostly sourced from the library and charity shops the world of shillings, buns for tea, and putting a call through via the telephone exchange seems weirdly normal to me.
Anyway, without further ado, I present the reviews of long out-of-date novels that NOBODY ASKED FOR (warning for snark).
Ahem.
I’ve just finished Diana Seton: Veterinary Student by Joan Llewelyn Owens (1960).
To begin with, I feel it’s important to stress that Diana likes animals - IN AN UNSENTIMENTAL WAY. I need to stress this point because the author stresses it in at least six different ways in the first few chapters. In case you were wondering about veterinary science as a career, for god’s sake make sure you love animals unsentimentally.
Anyway, 17 year old Diana Seton – unsentimental animal lover – decides she wants to be a vet after helping to rescue a dog from heat stroke and getting invited to spend a day with a vet. Having now read Margaret Becomes A Doctor, I am seeing a pattern already in how one exciting event leads the main character to passionately adopt a new career path. In her day helping the vet, Diana gets to meet many interesting people and their pets – and a working class stereotype.
Ah, the working classes. Sadly, they are always with us.
After Diana and the vet have finished sniggering about the stupid poor woman who doesn’t know how long dogs live (as my brother pointed out – is that likely for a poor woman living in the country??), Diana realises she loves veterinary work and is determined to study it. Unfortunately she has to contend with her father first.
He says she can take a domestic science course if she wants. Shockingly, Diana is not keen. Her mother backs her up by pointing out that Diana might not marry at all, or her husband might die (I hope Diana mentions this to her future husband when he asks her why she wanted a career). Eventually Mr Seton gives in and HURRAH Diana gets accepted to study at the University of Camford and gets some work experience at a kennels in the meantime – where she meets David Blake whose father owns a farm (I’m sure this won’t be significant in any way).
So she starts at Camford in the Autumn and we get a weird and wonderful view of university at the beginning of the 1960s, where Halls are just hostels, no-one gets drunk and you can join the riding club, rowing society or sculpture class in your spare time. There’s also a mysterious girl called Mary in Diana’s year – who is strange and secretive and doesn’t want to be there, no matter how friendly Diana is. But don’t worry too much about her because she leaves after a year and WE NEVER KNOW WHY or why the author spent so many paragraphs telling us about how mysterious she was or why she looked ‘hunted’ all the time.
The book is big on detail of classes and courses – which makes sense when you read the author’s note about it being based on the most up-to-date facts as a way of giving girls a taster of what they can expect in the job. If I wanted to be a vet in the 1960s, this would probably be pretty useful stuff. Diana gets a lot of letters from David Blake (HMMMMMM) and he gets his dad to let her help on the farm for experience, but not with the big animals, because she’s a Woman. Diana is going to show him though!
Yeah Feminism!
Diana goes back to college – we hear more about Mysterious Mary and how she brushes off Diana’s attempts to befriend her. Mary doesn’t want to go to Sculpture Class with her, she’s ‘happier alone’. We’ll never know why – unless she’s had a premonition of Lionel Richie’s video for Hello, in which case I can scarcely blame her.
Diana is getting on well though – she’s even allowed to help with the larger animals on the Blake farm in the holidays after dramatically rescuing David’s little sister’s pony. But then, OH NO, Diana actually fails one of her important exams. I quite liked this aspect, as it showed it wasn’t easy and that you needed real determination. Luckily, Diana has this and she retakes a term and passes on her second attempt.
In the meantime she goes out to a dance with David – he’s wearing a ‘charcoal grey lounge suit with a red paisley tie’ and has brilliantined hair, she’s in a ‘simple, low necked dress in a shimmering white material’ and she’s had her hair cut in ‘crisp curls’. David whispers romantic things to her, like,
Note to self: Hearty = Unfeminine. (Does not apply to soup).
By the way, chapters have titles like ‘Tragedy – with a happy ending’ – just in case you ever get concerned about where things are going.
Diana keeps on with her studies – interspersed with rescuing owls, going to dances and difficult practicals. I start to feel wistful for the long gone days of high employment and decent job perks.
Then finally – HURRAH – Diana qualifies as a vet! After five years hard work and adventures, she gets her BSc and on Graduation Day David proposes.
Wait, what?
Oh, phew. Okay then.
AHAHAHAHAHA.
Thankfully, Diana points out that she’ll expect a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work on his farm. I can’t tell if this means she’s getting a proper job as a vet or not – you know, that thing she’s been talking about it ALL BOOK.
I guess we will never know.
And there ends my first foray into Career Novels For Girls.
Coming up next: either Margaret Becomes A Doctor or Air Hostess Ann
Unfortunately the books are quite expensive now, but I am managing to pick up a few in later paperback editions (and I will keep looking) and they are a brilliant bit of social and gender history in their own right, as well as being entertaining stories and unintentionally amusing :D I have always loved 1950s, 60s and 70s set books, since my reading material growing up was mostly sourced from the library and charity shops the world of shillings, buns for tea, and putting a call through via the telephone exchange seems weirdly normal to me.
Anyway, without further ado, I present the reviews of long out-of-date novels that NOBODY ASKED FOR (warning for snark).
Ahem.
I’ve just finished Diana Seton: Veterinary Student by Joan Llewelyn Owens (1960).
To begin with, I feel it’s important to stress that Diana likes animals - IN AN UNSENTIMENTAL WAY. I need to stress this point because the author stresses it in at least six different ways in the first few chapters. In case you were wondering about veterinary science as a career, for god’s sake make sure you love animals unsentimentally.
Anyway, 17 year old Diana Seton – unsentimental animal lover – decides she wants to be a vet after helping to rescue a dog from heat stroke and getting invited to spend a day with a vet. Having now read Margaret Becomes A Doctor, I am seeing a pattern already in how one exciting event leads the main character to passionately adopt a new career path. In her day helping the vet, Diana gets to meet many interesting people and their pets – and a working class stereotype.
The woman frowned worriedly. It was obviously a great mental effort. “Let me see now. Our Albert is twenty-three and ‘Erb will be eighteen nex’ Munf. We ‘ad ‘im when ‘Erb was a baby.”
Ah, the working classes. Sadly, they are always with us.
After Diana and the vet have finished sniggering about the stupid poor woman who doesn’t know how long dogs live (as my brother pointed out – is that likely for a poor woman living in the country??), Diana realises she loves veterinary work and is determined to study it. Unfortunately she has to contend with her father first.
”You know how I feel about careers for women,” he went on. “Most girls marry sooner or later, and then all their training is wasted. Now the position with boys is quite different. One day they will have a family to support, so a father owes it to his son to see that he grows up with a good earning capacity. Money devoted to a son’s education is well spent.”
He says she can take a domestic science course if she wants. Shockingly, Diana is not keen. Her mother backs her up by pointing out that Diana might not marry at all, or her husband might die (I hope Diana mentions this to her future husband when he asks her why she wanted a career). Eventually Mr Seton gives in and HURRAH Diana gets accepted to study at the University of Camford and gets some work experience at a kennels in the meantime – where she meets David Blake whose father owns a farm (I’m sure this won’t be significant in any way).
So she starts at Camford in the Autumn and we get a weird and wonderful view of university at the beginning of the 1960s, where Halls are just hostels, no-one gets drunk and you can join the riding club, rowing society or sculpture class in your spare time. There’s also a mysterious girl called Mary in Diana’s year – who is strange and secretive and doesn’t want to be there, no matter how friendly Diana is. But don’t worry too much about her because she leaves after a year and WE NEVER KNOW WHY or why the author spent so many paragraphs telling us about how mysterious she was or why she looked ‘hunted’ all the time.
The book is big on detail of classes and courses – which makes sense when you read the author’s note about it being based on the most up-to-date facts as a way of giving girls a taster of what they can expect in the job. If I wanted to be a vet in the 1960s, this would probably be pretty useful stuff. Diana gets a lot of letters from David Blake (HMMMMMM) and he gets his dad to let her help on the farm for experience, but not with the big animals, because she’s a Woman. Diana is going to show him though!
She clenched her fists. She would show Mr Blake and men like him that a woman could be every bit as efficient at handling large animals as a man, and yet remain feminine in appearance and outlook. There wouldn’t be any cropped hair, severely cut shirts and men’s ties for her. She would dress sensibly of course, but she wouldn’t forget lipstick and would keep her fair hair shining and neatly set, even if it meant washing it nearly every night.”
Yeah Feminism!
Diana goes back to college – we hear more about Mysterious Mary and how she brushes off Diana’s attempts to befriend her. Mary doesn’t want to go to Sculpture Class with her, she’s ‘happier alone’. We’ll never know why – unless she’s had a premonition of Lionel Richie’s video for Hello, in which case I can scarcely blame her.
Diana is getting on well though – she’s even allowed to help with the larger animals on the Blake farm in the holidays after dramatically rescuing David’s little sister’s pony. But then, OH NO, Diana actually fails one of her important exams. I quite liked this aspect, as it showed it wasn’t easy and that you needed real determination. Luckily, Diana has this and she retakes a term and passes on her second attempt.
In the meantime she goes out to a dance with David – he’s wearing a ‘charcoal grey lounge suit with a red paisley tie’ and has brilliantined hair, she’s in a ‘simple, low necked dress in a shimmering white material’ and she’s had her hair cut in ‘crisp curls’. David whispers romantic things to her, like,
”You don’t look in the least like a vet. Don’t ever turn into one of those hearty women, will you, Diana?”
Note to self: Hearty = Unfeminine. (Does not apply to soup).
By the way, chapters have titles like ‘Tragedy – with a happy ending’ – just in case you ever get concerned about where things are going.
Diana keeps on with her studies – interspersed with rescuing owls, going to dances and difficult practicals. I start to feel wistful for the long gone days of high employment and decent job perks.
”As a vet, you’re pretty sure to make a decent living. Why, the minute we’re qualified, dozens of people will be offering us fifteen hundred a year, with maybe a house and a car thrown in.”
Then finally – HURRAH – Diana qualifies as a vet! After five years hard work and adventures, she gets her BSc and on Graduation Day David proposes.
What a difficult decision to have to make. Of course she wanted to marry David – that knowledge had lain at the back of her mind for a long time now – but she didn’t know what her father would say if she talked of getting married and abandoning her career.
Wait, what?
”Let’s have a smile, Diana,” David begged. “Whatever Dad may feel about veterinary science being no job for a girl, I don’t agree.
Oh, phew. Okay then.
He chuckled. “It’s going to be such an economy to have a vet for a wife. Think of the saving! When my cattle are sick, I shan’t have to pay any fees!”
AHAHAHAHAHA.
Thankfully, Diana points out that she’ll expect a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work on his farm. I can’t tell if this means she’s getting a proper job as a vet or not – you know, that thing she’s been talking about it ALL BOOK.
I guess we will never know.
”So you will marry me? He asked, suddenly serious.
“Yes please, said Diana.
“WTF is this ending?” said Sally.
And there ends my first foray into Career Novels For Girls.
Coming up next: either Margaret Becomes A Doctor or Air Hostess Ann
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no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 11:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-19 08:30 pm (UTC)They are really fascinating, I especially like the differences I am noticing between 'female' careers like fashion and being an air hostess, and 'male' careers like veterinary science or medicine, for the latter there are a lot of reminders about not losing your femininity or turning 'hard'. The fear of scary career women is palpable.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-13 03:12 pm (UTC)Loved this (in an unsentimental way, of course).
no subject
Date: 2012-07-19 08:33 pm (UTC)My career advisor never even MENTIONED getting a husband, my school was just as lacking as yours!
no subject
Date: 2012-07-13 04:41 pm (UTC)Erm, what's brilliantined hair? I keep getting sparkly images. And how do you love unsentimentally? Did the book say how??? Since the author seem to be insistent on that point haha.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-19 08:37 pm (UTC)Brilliantine actually sounds quite grim nowadays, but men used to use it a lot to slick down their hair (including my grampy).
Brilliantine is a hair-grooming product intended to soften men's hair, including beards and moustaches, and give it a glossy, well-groomed appearance. It was created at the turn of the 20th century by French perfumer Edouard Pinaud (a.k.a. Ed. Pinaud). He presented a product he called Brillantine (from the French brillant meaning "brilliant") at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. It consisted of a perfumed and colored oily liquid.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-19 09:31 pm (UTC)"Tragedy -with a happy ending"... maybe the titles wanted to reassure the poor unhearty, weak reader. You should've done that! Something like "Don't read if you have a swollen eye due to idiocy, a headache and you don't want to grin too much because it hurts your eye."... Still, was worth the pain.