Susan Stephens' Writing Diary

I received an interesting question in the mail today...

Who is my favourite fictional character?

Darcy? Heathcilff?

Er, no, actually, it's a very special lady called Mrs Do-as-you-would-be-done-by from Charles Kingsley's book The Water Babies.

In this Victorian fairy-tale Charles Kingsley tells the story of a young chimney sweep who finds himself in a land underwater ruled by two women: Mrs. Be-done-by-as-you-did and Mrs. Do-as-you-would-be-done-by. Under their tutelage the little lost boy Tom evolves into a compassionate and upstanding youth who learns to think about others and to be selfless.
Like Dickens, Charles Kingsley hoped to expose some terrible social injustices, in this case the plight of young children used to clean chimneys for no better reason than they were sprightly and slender enough to fit down the black hell of sooty pipes; slender enough because they were half starved.

I guess I liked both women equally, but I remember Mrs DAYWBDB's name most clearly. As a child I found TWB utterly compelling, though decidedly gritty by today's standards...
A very clever film was made some years ago where film turns to cartoon at the moment Tom plunges into the water.
Time for a re-make?
Yep, I think so.

Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan