The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - The Book

I think Sandy was so evil she could see the self destruction in Miss Brodie but not in herself - not due to self denial but in relishment of it! The psychology between Sandy and Miss Brodie is very complex and wide open to interpretation. Especially to a novice like me. What happened that turned Sandy's evil thoughts into acting upon them?

 

Sandy didn't start out "evil" of course, she was an innocent child under the influence of a pathological narcissist who used people. Sandy progressed in her awareness of the world as it is. She is not to be faulted for looking and using her innate intuition.. Where she falters is becoming LLoyds lover, which I think she did to spite Brodie and exercise her own powers to counteract Brodie's. She then compensates for her "sins" by becoming a nun. Sandy's act of betrayal was a moral calculation, a judgement against Brodie's negative influence on girls, her hypocracy and at the same time a judgement on the darkness of the world in general. She then retreated from the world and wrote a book on psychology called "The Transfiguration of the Commonplace." There may be no heroes in TPOMJB.

 

Yes, I agree about Sandy and Miss Brodie's influence and expectations. I remember a part in the book when young Sandy was hateful, yet again, to Mary Macgregor and Sandy paused and thought about how it might feel to be nice to her for a change, but she went ahead and punched her, as watchful Miss Brodie was nearby. I think there were many conflicts in Sandy's mind, but she ultimately did have a transformation. I relate this to discussions about the personal shadow and the dark side of the psyche. I would like to know more about this aspect of it, in general. Thank you.

 

Mary did not have the wherewithall to be critical of Jean Brodie. She died in a fire not knowing which way to flee. She was consumed literally.

It was Sandy who had the insight to be critical of Brodie. She ended iwth a self imposed isolation.

Brodie died isolated and betrayed, consumed from the inside by a cancer.

Each character had a dark and light side.

 

After the girls schooling was finished, the other girls began having their own interests and shook off Miss Brodie, but not Sandy.

 

That's because Sandy is Muriel Spark.

 

And Sandy's biggest influence? "Miss Jean Brodie in her prime."

 

Jean Brodie is Miss Kay, Spark's elementary school teacher, who, so far as I know, was largely a positive figure to Muriel Camberg (maiden name). I'm not yet through her autobiography, but she doesn't claim or even mention Sandy Stranger.

 

In the book, there is also Miss Mackay, the younger headmistress, who Miss Jean Brodie is at odds with. Of course, Miss Brodie is a trifle out of place with most everyone at the school, preferring the University professors, etc. IMO, this reminds me of PR in Boulder, earth shoes, etc.

 

I finished the autobio. Spark was interested in older men and married an older man like Patsy. She worked for the foriegn office in WWII, her department was political intelligence, Ian Flemming visited that office. She befriended one of Freud's principle students. She helped a another friend with his considerable mental problems by refering him to a pastor who was a Jungian.

Sandy was known for writing a book on psychology. Patsy writes in DOI about her unconscious and surrealistic feelings. The ransom note mentions peculiar abilities that a literary spy might have.

 

That sounds like a good book to read about Muriel Spark. She was a gifted writer, and with all that life experience to draw on. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie storyline spans from the time period of the 1930's to the 1950's, and takes place in Edinburgh Scotland. I liked her vivid descriptions of the town, people and political climate, as viewed by adults and the girls at different ages. Thank you for the review Paradox, it adds insight into the author, a Patsy favorite, as we know from the High School competitions, etc. I wonder how and when Patsy began reading Muriel Spark, and what she had to say about her, if anyone knows?

 

The bio ends with Spark just getting success and money for her fiction. Up to that point she relates her experience of jobs in the publishing world. She promises to continue but I don't think another volume of biography was ever published. Her description of herself as a child matches some of the qualities of Sandy Stranger. Spark had some very wierd relationships. The works of Spark that I am familiar with are imaginative, full of twists and turns, surprises and death and murder as well. It's not vanilla summer beach reading.

How Patsy came across Spark, how much she read of her and what her thoughts were are great questions.

There are things in the rn that can be found in Spark's work such as her repeated use of "at that time" or at this time" which is what the third line begins with. Also, Spark punctuated initialisms with periods.

Brodie was a composite of Spark's teacher and at least one other friend of her later years. But Sandy Stanger is clearly the young Spark. It is no wonder that if Patsy identified with Spark she would also identify with Sandy.

I contacted the Muriel Spark Society and they were kind enough to ask around if Spark and Patsy corresponded. Their conclusion was that they did not.

 

"I wouldn't like to have sexual intercourse," Sandy said.

She saw the picture of it happening in her mind, and Sandy could not stand for this spoiling.

 

It would be interesting to know how many of Muriel Sparks' books Patsy Ramsey read, Paradox (?). Without a doubt she was besotted on the Miss Brodie character. You were very observant to notice this, and the first person I have come across to bring this subject up. Cranberry being the second. It has been very interesting reading, having seen the movie, and I have enjoyed both your discussions here. Thank you


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Thanks Elle_1. I started with the movie looking for connections to The Psalms and the sacrifice theory. I didn't read the book until a couple of years after I had gotten into the case, which by then was 4 yrs after the death. I did this out of knowing about dream image amplification in analysis. The case investigators had MindHunter and the phrase "Listen carefully" to extrapolate from and to consider the idea that content of the rn could have come from movies.

I'm guessing from the little contact I have had with one of the investigators of the case that they did not think to read TPOMJB. I'm not sure if anything would have gone differently had they done so. It's not something that could be taken to court with confidence. It's more for shrinks analyzing the case.

A partial list of book titles was made from the Ramsey library. It is possible that Spark's works are on that list. Not doing a complete inventory is one of the mistakes the BPD made.

I'm guessing that Patsy had a thing for Spark that went far beyond TPOMJB.

 

Yes, a complete inventory should have been made of those books. I'm surprised it wasn't. Nice you had some contact with an investigator in this case. I would have liked that, because they normally don't mind questions, because you could be helping them too.

I keep hoping someone will fall over a clue we have missed. So much of this case just doesn't make sense. I just wish they had arrested the parents on the spot, because the body was found in their home, and taken it from there.

I wouldn't be any good when it comes to relating the crime to the Psalms etc.
However, I would be still interested if there truly was some connection. Patsy and John were both religious.

I think the JonBenét case is one of the most bizarre cases I have ever heard of, I think this is why we are all still here. I was a crime fiction fan, and never thought I would ever be involved in a real one in any way. I know there are hundreds out there like me, who just can't let this one go, and I'm hoping one day I will come here and there will be a post telling me the case has been solved. It could be you. Good luck, Paradox. Someone who is looking at this case through different eyes from the rest of us.

 

It has been solved; it will just never be prosecuted.

 

Sandy was Anne Grey's right-hand woman in the Force, and they were dedicated to eliminate sex from Edinburgh and environs. - TPOMJB

I got interrupted from my earlier post.

The point is Sandy had quite a negative view of sex. After a year of fascination with the sex life of Brodie and other adults, Sandy and Jenny were put off the subject when a man exposed himslef to Jenny. Jenny did not rekindle her erotic interest until she approached forty. Patsy's accelerated sexaulization of JonBenet in the pageants and frequency of visits to the doctor and possible vaginal abuse all occured in the years and months before Patsy turned forty.

 

When the man exposed himself to Jenny it was right after the Easter holidays: Lent, fasting, death and resurrection. Sandy continually creates and recreates images in her mind. What do you think triggers Sandy's endings and beginnings, such as the created Anne Grey?