(no subject)

[wateroverstone]

 WEJ stays true to his preferences. Steeley and Biggles share delicate hands, I'm going to suggest that Biggles and Anthony Carrington West (No Motive for Murder) share a description too:
'He was not a big man; perhaps five feet ten inches tall, built on fine lines without being thin. Face and figure were those of a student rather than those of an athlete or the type broadly called sporting. His complexion was pale; eyes bluey-grey, clear, and steady with the self-confidence of one who knows exactly what he is doing. His expression was calm and thoughtful and conveyed no hint of what he was thinking. His clothes, which he wore as one accustomed to them, were well cut and immaculate without being foppish. He wore a glove on his left hand and carried the other clasped to a furled umbrella with a malacca handle.'
This suggests to me that Biggles might be taller than commonly imagined.

I especially love the line 'His clothes, which he wore as one accustomed to them' Did WEJ know a lot of men unaccustomed to wearing clothes? I've automatically added it to Black Bentley's Biggles Against Humanity cards in my mind.
It's right up there with Biggles stripping down to his short underpants in Deep Blue Sea, a line which has fascinated me for years. Was he wearing long underpants over the short ones? Why would the reader presume he was wearing anything other than short underpants on a tropic island?Why is that adjective necessary?

Comments

[sheron]

I think that's meant to imply that he always dresses well. Because when you typically wear casual clothes, and then suddenly dress up you tend to feel a little awkward and unsure of yourself -- but he doesn't, he always dresses immaculately ("without being foppish") so he's accustomed to it.

[wateroverstone]

I'm sure WEJ is suggesting that he is a born and bred gentleman accustomed to wearing immaculate tailoring but I find the phrasing clumsy

[sholio]

I'm fascinated that WEJ has such a distinct protagonist type! He knows what he admires. And yet Biggles stands out as an individual all his own.

[wateroverstone]

Qi think Biggles is one of the most realised characters I've ever read in a book and utterly distinct to WEJ's other characters

[philomytha]

A very stylish gentleman indeed! And WEJ clearly knows what he likes.

Inadvertently clumsy phrasing is always good for a giggle. Perhaps other characters are nudists and only wear clothes when they have to!

[wateroverstone]

There are a couple of places(Flies West and Deep Blue Sea) where Biggles comments on the futility of clothing in such a climate before covering himself up head to toe. Maybe Biggles has nudist ambitions