An Interesting Development Over at the Woody Back to School Unit

I'm so sorry that I cant write much today; my right hand is damaged and now in a sort of brace thingy ... but luckily there is more functionality to the 'other half' than mere kitchen appliance... despite only being delivered in white! By way of an interesting diversion, though, I thought I would present this sample sent to me from the Woody Back to School Unit - what an interesting idea! Check out the blog list over in the right hand sidebar to see more.

Emails to Me: My Profile Picture, Judith & her Aunt and Other Stuff

Just a quickie today, folks. I have to be off to casualty in a moment. I got struck by a car while cycling last night, somewhere near Archway, North London - nothing too serious - my right hand caught a glancing blow from the vehicle's mirror. It is quite badly gashed but I think that nothing was broken and I couldn't face the undoubted four to five hour wait (typical in my part of town) last night as I wouldn't then have gotten home until the wee small hours.

Meanwhile: I have received a couple of emails over the last few days. The first asked if I actually look like the photo in my profile. Well, I have messed around with the colour of course - and it isn't the very latest pic - but pretty much it is me, as is, at present, give or take a bit. The lighter bit on the top lip is supposed to be the head off of a pint of beer - I'm not sure that it really works and I am thinking about changing it in any case.

Another comments on the post 'A Little Teaser' : "looks like a spin off from the Thor comic book from around 1985 or so I wonder if there is a naughty recalcitrant girl inside who needs and receives discipline? " - Yes, it sure is! But as for the rest...wait and see!.

Then there is that 'Judith and her Aunt' thing. Nothing to do with my work nor the characters in my books, but it is in the spirit of the thing so I always welcome more of the same. I don't have time to dig out the relevant links to point to the original at the moment but I am sure a dig through the blog archive will soon pay dividends - see sidebar on right for pull-down archive menu. The pictures I thought represent a nice exploration of 'variations on a theme', so to speak.

"Dear Garth Toyntanen
I have previously commented on Judith's discipline and would be happy if you could post this on your blog so that Judith and her aunt may have the opportunity to comment on it.
yours
Angel

Dear Judith and Judith's Aunt
This is a belated comment on Judith's post from July, telling about her latest changes with her employment as a junior trainee cleaner. I appreciate the more mature understanding that Judith has started to develop about her situation and need for strict discipline.
I note that Judith's aunt has indicated that there might still be a possibility for Judith to return to secretarial work in the future. While I agree that it is good to have inspirational career goals in life I also think that it is frustrating and even dangerous to entertain unrealistic expectations. I think Judith should concentrate only on improving her work and abilities as a household servant. If she is diligent and shows ability she could even one day be ultimately promoted to a real maid and the right to wear a real maid's uniform.
For this dream to be realized Judith will have to work hard at learning all the skills necessary. This is not enough, however. It is just as essential that she learns the right attitude to her work and superiors and in particular to her discipline. It is good that she understands that punishment is necessary for misdemeanours, mistakes or just for discipline, but she needs to go further.
Judith must grasp the nettle herself, so to say, and every time she commits a misdemeanour or makes a mistake, she must take the initiative and go immediately to her mistress, aunt or any other supervisor and tell openly about her mistake and ask to be punished as appropriate. After punishment she must thank whoever has applied it and apologize for causing such trouble. After this she must ask if she can go to the corner or continue with her domestic work. She should understand, that corner-time is actually a privilege and an opportunity for a child to calm down and reflect on her behaviour and need for punishment.
I have previously made some suggestions for Judith's discipline and am pleased that her aunt has considered some of them, such as use of a pacifier.
Angel "

Control, Discipline and Psychological restraint: Learning Need be Only a Very Poor Relation

Above are some pages I scanned some time ago from a book on disciplinary techniques in my possession. I hasten to add that I was not the writer, nor did I have any input to its creation (although I do wish I had been the author). I must also hasten to add that these pages are taken somewhat out of context and that elsewhere it is made abundantly clear that wherein the authors use the term 'child', what is meant by that term is young ladies of late teenage years or even in their early twenties.

Although terms such as 'schoolroom' and 'school' are used fairly freely, it is clear that the disciplinary techniques and methods of control laid out, especially as pertains to the discussion of the psychological effects of the various disciplinary impositions and non-physical punishments described, are intended for - and are most amenable to - young ladies living under controlled and - shall we say – somewhat 'enclosed' circumstances, well removed from the public eye.

So one imagines an heiress and her sister living under the close control and watchful eye of their strict governess and seldom seen outside of the wing in which they are confined, let alone the main house - and never outside the security of the grounds, quiet and subdued and with complexions pleasingly pallid, being free of the unrequited kiss of sunlight. Or one thinks of the privately setup and discreet, seemingly scholastic, institution whose true reason for being is to teach discipline for the sake of discipline, but more importantly for the satisfaction of others.

Or perhaps there is scope within another field, that of experimental psychology. Perhaps there might be some secure institution where runaways might volunteer to enter for a few weeks respite from the frozen winter city streets or where girls, deemed likely to fall into 'moral danger', might find themselves placed by a charitable agency ‘for their own good. Indeed might there not be some who for one reason or another would be well willing to actually pay for a girl to be placed in such an institution?

It is more in the context of the latter vein that I have been leafing through the work in recent times. In terms of the three pages set out above, the parts that stood out most in my eyes I have placed together to the left. To understand where I am coming from with this the thing to do is to look at it in the context of the so-called 'monster study' of the 1930s (which I've mentioned before) in which stuttering was quite deliberately induced in test subjects simply by making them self-aware of such deficits as hesitations and repetitions of words, no matter how slight such deficits might have been to begin with.

This was accomplished merely by halting the subject, pointing out the stumble or hesitation, making the subject repeat herself at that point and offering advice that was, in actuality, intended to make the subject even more self-aware of her deficit. Now imagine, in a suitably secure environment, a young lady not only exposed to such therapy but also undergoing a regime of constant reinforcement outside of the psychologists room - which of course she is obliged to attend each day - by means of the instant retribution of the cane or the strap across the palms of the hands, backs of the thighs, or indeed the bare buttocks. As one of the extracts says, "[under such circumstances] it is common for more mistakes than normal to be made due to nervousness and the pressure of the occasion".

And for a petulant, once stubborn young thing, sadly afflicted by confidence-devastating speech deficit, how much more difficult it must seem to stand up against those that would seek to curb her, impose their will and discipline on her and keep her there in that institution under their care, whether she should like it or not, behind the barred window.

Just a Little Teaser

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I can imagine what you're thinking right now: what's with the sword and sorcery comic book? What business could something like that possibly have appearing on the pages of a blog that deals primarily with the discipline and restraint of young woman - and more often than not dealing with the psychological as much, if not more so, than the physical physical form of the latter? Well, for the answer to that one, I'm afraid I will have request your patience just a little longer - I have a little more document scanning to complete first! For the real bread and butter of today's post - see next!

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A Couple of Blogs for You to explore - Most Inspiring

Hi folks; still not quite ready to resume normal service here in grey, rainy, miserable London - not quite. I have a little bit of document scanning to catch up on first - and a visit or two to the local weights gym to begin to rid myself of some of the excess blubber I'm presently carrying (although I guess compare to a lot of UK humanity I might be considered reasonably slim... considering)

I have to venture out in this damn pissing rain in a moment but, but earlier to cheer myself up (and to probe around for a little bit of inspiration for INSTITUTIONALISED volume 3) I had a little search around on the Internet. Then came across a delicious little blog called - Winterbrook Hall - just click to visit.

Based on a - presumably fictitious - series of diaries from the Edwardian period the storyline revolves around the contents of these diaries and, to quote from the site, "[gives] a special insight into the social mores of the time. They are often sexually explicit and the theme of the corporal punishment is one that occurs many times." The part that caught my eye was mention of two young women, aged seventeen and nineteen, who having been recently left alone in the world by bereavement (and one presumes left destitute) are soon to be taken in by the household concerned. The discussion that ensures as to their continued discipline and schooling and whether or not that should continue within the household under the tutelage of a governess - and indeed as to the qualities required of the governess herself - makes fascinating and exciting reading, interspersed as it is with various dealings regarding the household maids and their discipline and corporal punishment etc.

At one point a private school is visited by the two girl's soon-to-be guardian to assess its suitability - and here again I just have to quote from the work: "The girl was, I guess seventeen or eighteen years of age. Dark haired and green-eyed, her hair pulled back in a girlish pony-tail. She was dressed in the Kingsmead uniform of a blue-trimmed white sailor dress, a straw boater completing the outfit. She stood in front of the headmaster’s desk, twisting her fingers nervously behind her back." Click here to read this section.

The whole sailor suit thing is something I have been giving serious thought to four INSTITUTIONALISED volume 3 - wherein part of the plot involves the total immersion in a completely convincing and detailed Victorian world of the small group of modern young ladies - and indeed such an outfit is hinted at, albeit fairly vaguely, at the end of INSTITUTIONALISED volume 2. I just sort of assumed navy blue as predominant colour, suitably childish with a pleated skirt and perhaps a white trim. But the above variation has stimulated several ideas and possibilities in my mind that I will now have to consider - an exciting prospect in itself to be honest!

Thorn's Spanking Stories, is another one to visit, being by the same author as Winterbrook Hall, above (again, just click to visit or look in the blog list, to be found in the right-hand sidebar). Enjoy! See you later, Garth

I Am Back: Normal Service Will be Resumed Shortly!

Hi folks! Many, many apologies for the delay to all those awaiting my return and many, many thanks to all those who have left comments or emailed me in the interim - I will reply to all concerned over the next couple of days or so.

So where have I been, what happened? Well,first of all the work I told you about last time took up more time / brain power than expected. The first two pieces of research went ok but took 50% longer than expected. Then there was a delay and some queries before I received the rest of the brief and the go-ahead to tackle the rest of the project - which again took around 50% longer than I had planned for. Yes I could have visited the blog during that delay period; but I had my 'professional head' on and also had to take calls / emails regarding queries as well as take on a bit of additional research so I found it just did not seem appropriate and I just couldn't turn my mind to it. It was still very worth well though because it paid extremely well, even taking into account the additional work and time involved - and I hit all the deadlines and the client was more than happy with the result. So with any luck I'll pick up more desk research work as a result,either from the same client or as a result of recommendation.

Then of course, having finished and with my invoice in and my fee winging its way to my bank account, it was time for a little celebratory drinky or two. But what with being just a little mentally exhausted and having met up with some like-minded chums, down in Brighton on the South Coast - and the weather being favourable, ie sunny - this quickly became a seven day bender. I never drink while working, but I do like to make up for it after! Haven't been to the gym though so deteriorated physically - I will be making up for that this week. Meanwhile, I'm still a little shaky so it it will be a day or two before I knock out a real blog entry - but I do have a couple of interesting items lined up ready, one of which is from a really unlikely source!

A Bit of News - I'm Working for a Week - and a Lot of Reader Comments

Hi folks, sorry you have not heard from me for a while but I have been away for a while, although I was back in London on Saturday for the last night of the Kenwood House (Hampsted, London) open air concerts on Saturday night with the Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and Alfie Boe singing - a very pleasant if slightly chilly evening. Meanwhile there have been quite a few interesting comments posted in various sections of the blog such as on the last posting I made, back last Tuesday but also on 'An Anonymous Contribution and A Couple More Links' (click to read - look at bottom of posting) that I posted way back in February I think and on 'Aussie School Uniform Summer Dresses, Soap Operas and Inspiration' (again, click to read) that I posted back in July of this year.

Now some other news: I have finally at long last picked up some real work - around one week or so of desk research work, internet based! For that reason the likelihood is that there will be no more posts for around that period as the work looks quite complex and challenging. However; I have some rather interesting stuff lined up to celebrate my return upon completion. Meanwhile thanks for your comments and contributions - please keep them coming in, along with your ideas and inspirations for the upcoming volume and for volume 3 of INSTITUTIONALISED, when I finally get around to working on it again.