Author
- Sue Townsend was born in Leicester in 1946, she left school at the age of fifteen and had three children by the age of 20.
- Her first big break was when she won a Thames Television Award for her first play and from then on, became a professional playwright and novelist.
- She is regarded as Britain's favourite comic writer.
- Her first big break was when she won a Thames Television Award for her first play and from then on, became a professional playwright and novelist.
- She is regarded as Britain's favourite comic writer.
- Sue was poor well into her thirties and she used and echoed her experiences of hardship within her work.
- At the age of 8 her mother brought her a collection of Just William books, which she later realised was the starting point and basis of her creation of the character of Adrian Mole.
- When her son was just 13 he asked 'why they didn't go to animal parks on weekends like other families.' She realised that this was the start of her writing which became the Adrian Mole books, where she based her books on looking at life through a teenager's eyes. Sue states that that is the only real line that has come directly from her family that is included into the book.
- After this, Townsend chose to further research the world of teenager's both for her book and personal life. She started to attend youth clubs as a volunteer organiser, which led to her training to become a youth worker, which she carried on alongside her writing.
- The first two published stories of Adrian Mole, appeared in an art's journal titld, 'Magazine', however back then the character was still called Nigel Mole.
- After this, as a result 'The Diary of Nigel Mole, Aged 13 1/4, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on New Year's Day in 1982.
- Publisher's Methuen had head the broadcast and commissioned Townsend to write the first book which came out int he September of that year. The name Nigel was changed to Adrian, as it was too similar to a previous literary character of Nigel Molesworth.
- Since then the book has been adapted into both a stage play in Leicester's Wyndham's Theatre for over two years and a television series which was broadcast in 1985 and 1987.
- Critics described the first two novels as a realistic, humorous treatment of the inner life of an adolescent boy, and which captured the feeling of Britain during the Thatcher Era.
- The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole was reputedly based on her children's experiences at Mary Linwood Comprehensive School in Leicester. Several of the teachers who appear in the book are based on staff who worked at the school in the early 1980s.
- Townsend, describes herself as a "passionate socialist" who had no time for New Labour. Townsend said in 1999 that she had only voted Labour once, and in fact her preference was Communist, Socialist Workers, or a minority party usually. The journalist Christina Patterson observed of Townsend in 2008: "Her heart, it's clear from her books and a few hours in her company, is still with the people she left behind, the people who go largely unchronicled in literature, the people who are still her friends."
- At the age of 8 her mother brought her a collection of Just William books, which she later realised was the starting point and basis of her creation of the character of Adrian Mole.
- When her son was just 13 he asked 'why they didn't go to animal parks on weekends like other families.' She realised that this was the start of her writing which became the Adrian Mole books, where she based her books on looking at life through a teenager's eyes. Sue states that that is the only real line that has come directly from her family that is included into the book.
- After this, Townsend chose to further research the world of teenager's both for her book and personal life. She started to attend youth clubs as a volunteer organiser, which led to her training to become a youth worker, which she carried on alongside her writing.
- The first two published stories of Adrian Mole, appeared in an art's journal titld, 'Magazine', however back then the character was still called Nigel Mole.
- After this, as a result 'The Diary of Nigel Mole, Aged 13 1/4, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on New Year's Day in 1982.
- Publisher's Methuen had head the broadcast and commissioned Townsend to write the first book which came out int he September of that year. The name Nigel was changed to Adrian, as it was too similar to a previous literary character of Nigel Molesworth.
- Since then the book has been adapted into both a stage play in Leicester's Wyndham's Theatre for over two years and a television series which was broadcast in 1985 and 1987.
- Critics described the first two novels as a realistic, humorous treatment of the inner life of an adolescent boy, and which captured the feeling of Britain during the Thatcher Era.
- The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole was reputedly based on her children's experiences at Mary Linwood Comprehensive School in Leicester. Several of the teachers who appear in the book are based on staff who worked at the school in the early 1980s.
- Townsend, describes herself as a "passionate socialist" who had no time for New Labour. Townsend said in 1999 that she had only voted Labour once, and in fact her preference was Communist, Socialist Workers, or a minority party usually. The journalist Christina Patterson observed of Townsend in 2008: "Her heart, it's clear from her books and a few hours in her company, is still with the people she left behind, the people who go largely unchronicled in literature, the people who are still her friends."
Ideas and Themes
- The book is designed to entertain and act as a nostalgic read that everyone of all ages could relate to.
- Townsend uses the book to highlight political and social issues and flaws within society at that time, however she does so in a very light hearted manner.
- The main themes that are discussed and included within the book are;
- Feminism
- It discusses the breakdown of typical roles and stereotypes of the likes of, women, parents, children.
- The book mainly explores growing up and puberty and the problems that every teenager suffers with and how they manage to get through. In this case it is similar to a self help book, but also a guide that is relatable of experiences that everyone has been through and therefore everyone can pick up the book and relate.
- The book also discusses family breakdowns and how children and adults deal with this.
- It discusses politics and stereotypes of labour and conservative families, it also acts as a voice to represent the feelings of the United Kingdom of that time through the Thatcher Years.
- It discusses Love, Relationships in all shapes and forms, with parents, friends, and loved ones.
- It takes the audience through the issues and problems that every teenager goes through problems, with love, puberty, spots and family problems, the book doesn't depict a perfect life, in fact in shows an extremely normal and everyday average life of a family of that time.
- It also discusses religion as each diary entry dates a christian celebration or holiday.
- Another theme it touches on is racism and the change in ethnic minorities through that time period, and the cynical view of older people.
- One idea it follows through the book is the relationship between the old and young, as Adrian looks after and forms a relationship with an older man Bert Baxter, who acts as a sort of grandfather figure throughout the book.
- The diary entries also state memorable events that happened throughout the years, such as the Royal Wedding and the announcement of Diana's pregnancy.
- Throughout the book, Adrian informs his diary of the books he reads at each time, and each seem to be relevant to a certain point within his life.
- Adrian's other problems include being bullied in school, his increasing interest in sex, and his parents.
- The diary begins when Adrian is age 13 ¾, and ends with Adrian's fifteenth birthday. During the course of this year and a quarter, Adrian falls in love, suffers through his parents' marital problems, and pursues his ambition to be an intellectual and a writer
- The first book in the Adrian Mole series of comedic fiction, written by Sue Townsend. The book is written in a diary style, and focuses on the worries and regrets of a teenager who believes himself to be an intellectual. The story is set in 1981 and 1982, and in the background it refers to some of the historic world events of the time, such as the Falklands War and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana as well as the birth of Prince William. Mole is also a fierce critic of prime minister Margaret Thatcher, listing her as one of his worst enemies.
Series of Books
- The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ (1982), her best-selling book, and the best-selling new British fiction book of the 1980s.
- The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (1984)
- The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole (1989)
- Adrian Mole: From Minor to Major (1991) is an omnibus of the first three, and includes as a bonus the specially written Adrian Mole and the Small Amphibians.
- Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years (1993)
- Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (1999)
- Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction (2004)
- The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole, 1999–2001 (2008)
- Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (2009)
TV Series
There was a shared disappointment, however, about the TV dramatisations of the Mole books in one of which, Townsend recalled with distaste, all the main characters seemed to be adopting Birmingham accents, unperceived by the Hungarian director. (She explained that Adrian's diaries were written to the rhythms of Leicester speech.)
Radio
Adrian Mole began as "Nigel Mole" on Radio 4 in 1982. The boy Nicholas Barnes, who performed as Adrian's voice, was exactly 13 and 3/4 when he played the part. Townsend sated that he didn't know what he was saying, however this just added to Adrian's character even more, as Adrian himself is blind and naive to the world around him, especially so to the antics of adults.
Narrative/Storyline
- Set in the early 1980s, in an unnamed town in the midlands of England, the novel portrays the effects on an ordinary working-class family of rising unemployment and cuts to education and medical services that defined the period. It was also a time when ordinary English women were beginning to express a desire for freedom from their traditional domestic roles, shown in the actions of Adrian's mother and those of Pandora and her mother.
- The book is written in the style of a diary, from a voice of Adrian Mole who is a 13 year old boy, and by the end of the book he is fifteen.
- He narrates his life, troubles and problems of a teenage boy, be that love, family, problems and puberty.
- The main events that occur within the story consist of ;
- His spot, due to puberty is ongoing throughout the book, as he tries to get rid of it and believes he has been deprived from vitamins from hi mum.
- His parent's relationship is up and down throughout the book, touching on subjects of affairs, divorce, single parent hood and redundancy within jobs.
- Another ongoing relationship throughout the book is that with Pandora, his love interest, where ideas of teenage puberty, sex, love and how Adrian deals with this.
- Adrian's relationship with Bert Baxter and his Grandma, both touch deeply on the relationships between the young and the old.
- Adrian also throughout the book tries to pursue his poetry career, as he believes he is an intellectual and wants better future prospects than his parents.
- Different classes of family and the events of the establishment and within politics are touched upon throughout the book, with different classes of families and of different political backgrounds.
- Set in the early 1980s, in an unnamed town in the midlands of England, the novel portrays the effects on an ordinary working-class family of rising unemployment and cuts to education and medical services that defined the period. It was also a time when ordinary English women were beginning to express a desire for freedom from their traditional domestic roles, shown in the actions of Adrian's mother and those of Pandora and her mother.
- The book is written in the style of a diary, from a voice of Adrian Mole who is a 13 year old boy, and by the end of the book he is fifteen.
- He narrates his life, troubles and problems of a teenage boy, be that love, family, problems and puberty.
- The main events that occur within the story consist of ;
- His spot, due to puberty is ongoing throughout the book, as he tries to get rid of it and believes he has been deprived from vitamins from hi mum.
- His parent's relationship is up and down throughout the book, touching on subjects of affairs, divorce, single parent hood and redundancy within jobs.
- Another ongoing relationship throughout the book is that with Pandora, his love interest, where ideas of teenage puberty, sex, love and how Adrian deals with this.
- Adrian's relationship with Bert Baxter and his Grandma, both touch deeply on the relationships between the young and the old.
- Adrian also throughout the book tries to pursue his poetry career, as he believes he is an intellectual and wants better future prospects than his parents.
- Different classes of family and the events of the establishment and within politics are touched upon throughout the book, with different classes of families and of different political backgrounds.
Context
-The context in which the book was written in, is the same time period as to what the book is set in, therefore the book was extremley relevant of the time, during the Thatcher period, where satire and discussion of stereotypes of society and within politics, were becoming more and more spoke about aloud.
- The book discusses the role of women at that time, that they were becoming more free, girl power and the removal of the 'glass ceiling', trying to go against Thatcher, Adrian's Mum and Pandora, show and represent these changes in women at the time.
Genre
-The context in which the book was written in, is the same time period as to what the book is set in, therefore the book was extremley relevant of the time, during the Thatcher period, where satire and discussion of stereotypes of society and within politics, were becoming more and more spoke about aloud.
- The book discusses the role of women at that time, that they were becoming more free, girl power and the removal of the 'glass ceiling', trying to go against Thatcher, Adrian's Mum and Pandora, show and represent these changes in women at the time.
- Adrian discusses "current affairs" in the diaries, which have tracked public events for almost three decades. "I was wondering if, when you listen to the news, you are thinking about how Adrian would feel about things." Townsend admitted to a lapse in her own once-obsessive interest in news events, but the reader had her own Mole-ish responses to suggest. "I imagine that Adrian would have voted for Nick Clegg." "Yes, I think he would," Townsend agreed – as did all the readers in the room.
- The book also discusses, the different classes of families and different political beliefs and backgrounds, of working class and middle class. It also touches on the different races and increase in racial diversity at that time.
- The book takes apart society and shows the breakdown of roles within in it at the time, and the changes and politics which was affecting these issues at the time.
- The book also discusses, the different classes of families and different political beliefs and backgrounds, of working class and middle class. It also touches on the different races and increase in racial diversity at that time.
- The book takes apart society and shows the breakdown of roles within in it at the time, and the changes and politics which was affecting these issues at the time.
Genre
- The genre of the book has an underlying theme of politics and an ongoing battle of teenager life.
- It acts as a self help book, a coming of age book , but at the same time it is historical and represents the views and roles of society of that time.
- In Waterstones it was found both in the adult fiction and young adult fiction, however they both had different front covers.
- Therefore the book can be appropriate for a wide range of audience from teenager, young adult, to the much older adults, as everyone can relate to the topics discussed, especially so the older audience who ere round at the time, to experience of nostalgia and relate to the characters and the events of the time that the book was set.
- The book isn't really appropriate for children, more for teenagers and younger adults, therefore the cover needs to attract a different kind of age group, therefore needs to take a more mature approach, but at the same time, fun and engaging to encourage children of this age to pick up this book and ant to read it and enjoy it.
- It acts as a self help book, a coming of age book , but at the same time it is historical and represents the views and roles of society of that time.
- In Waterstones it was found both in the adult fiction and young adult fiction, however they both had different front covers.
- Therefore the book can be appropriate for a wide range of audience from teenager, young adult, to the much older adults, as everyone can relate to the topics discussed, especially so the older audience who ere round at the time, to experience of nostalgia and relate to the characters and the events of the time that the book was set.
- The book isn't really appropriate for children, more for teenagers and younger adults, therefore the cover needs to attract a different kind of age group, therefore needs to take a more mature approach, but at the same time, fun and engaging to encourage children of this age to pick up this book and ant to read it and enjoy it.
Audience
- Townsend meant for the book to be written for an older audience, she had an audience of adults in mind when writing it, however it seems that the book's biggest following is a younger audience, youthul readers.
- When adults re read it now, they see how naive they were when they had read it previously.
- Adrian's voice within the novel emits, cynical and criticism.
- Adrian mole represents all of us.
Influences - Modern Day
Influences - Modern Day
Readers found the influence of Adrian Mole everywhere, from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time to the TV comedy The Inbetweeners.
Blurb
Tuesday January 1st
Bank Holiday in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These are my New Year's resolutions:
1. I will help the blind across the road;
2. I will hang my trousers up;
3. I will put the sleeves back on my records;
4. I will not start smoking;
5. I will stop squeezing my spots;
6. I will be kind to the dog;
7. I will help the poor and ignorant;
8. After hearing the disgusting noises from downstairs last night. I have also vowed never to drink alcohol . . .
Tuesday January 1st
Bank Holiday in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These are my New Year's resolutions:
1. I will help the blind across the road;
2. I will hang my trousers up;
3. I will put the sleeves back on my records;
4. I will not start smoking;
5. I will stop squeezing my spots;
6. I will be kind to the dog;
7. I will help the poor and ignorant;
8. After hearing the disgusting noises from downstairs last night. I have also vowed never to drink alcohol . . .
Meet Adrian Mole, a hapless teenager providing an unabashed, pimples-and-all glimpse into adolescent life. Telling us candidly about his parents' marital troubles, The Dog, his life as a tortured poet and 'misunderstood intellectual'.
Adrian's painfully honest diary is still hilarious and compelling reading thirty years after it first appeared.
Synopsis
Before Harry Potter arrived on the scene, Adrian Mole was the most famous adolescent in English literature. Unlike Harry, Adrian Mole inhabits a comic, but very real world, filled with adolescent worries about love, sex, his future, and acne. The first in a very successful series of novels told in diary form, subsequent works record Adrian's struggles and successes into adulthood. The diary begins when Adrian is age 13 ¾, and ends with Adrian's fifteenth birthday. During the course of this year and a quarter, Adrian falls in love, suffers through his parents' marital problems, and pursues his ambition to be an intellectual and a writer. Pandora, the love of his life, is brainier than Adrian, and her parents are in a higher income class than Adrian's. She falls for Adrian after an uncharacteristic impulse to rebel causes him to wear red socks instead of the required black to school. Together they form a committee to continue the disruption. Frequent outbreaks of acne keep Adrian in fear that he will lose Pandora.
Adrian's other problems include being bullied in school, his increasing interest in sex, and his parents. Not exactly model parents to begin with, when their marriage breaks down, Adrian's home life becomes even more chaotic. After his mother runs off with the next-door neighbor, Mr. Lucas, Adrian's father, George, is temporarily cheered by his relationship with Doreen Slater. But when George loses his job, he sinks back into depression. Though she is annoying at times, often her house is the only place where Adrian and the family dog can find some peace. She also deals with Barry Kent, the school bully who demands protection money from Adrian on a daily basis. Another important member of Adrian's world is Bert Baxter, an old man whom Adrian helps out, and who, at one point, comes to live next door with Adrian's new neighbors, the Singhs, before being moved into an old folks home, where he meets Queenie. Later, they marry and set up house together. During a vacation in Scotland with his mother and her boyfriend, Adrian makes friends with an American boy named Hamish Mancini.
Despite these distractions, Adrian is determined to become an intellectual. He writes to a well-known TV intellectual, Malcolm Muggeridge, asking for information on how to be an intellectual but gets no response. He sends off a number of poems to the BBC, the national television and radio network, and is encouraged by the responses he receives from John Tydeman, who is obviously amused rather than impressed by Adrian's efforts. Toward the end of the year, Adrian's mother returns home, and shortly after, his father finds a job. Order, of a sort, is restored in the house before Adrian turns fifteen. He is now able to shave, but still legally a child and no freer to do what he wants.
Set in the early 1980s, in an unnamed town in the midlands of England, the novel portrays the effects on an ordinary working-class family of rising unemployment and cuts to education and medical services that defined the period. It was also a time when ordinary English women were beginning to express a desire for freedom from their traditional domestic roles, shown in the actions of Adrian's mother and those of Pandora and her mother. Because many of the words and references are likely to be unfamiliar to an American reader, the American edition provides an Afterword with explanations for these words. The Afterword takes the form of a letter exchange between Adrian and Hamish Mancini, an American boy Adrian meets in Scotland. Hamish asks for explanations for a list of unfamiliar words. In his letter, Adrian explains these words.
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