A Secretary in Bond's World

In the first chapter of Moonraker, entitled Secret Paper Work, we get a glimpse into the life of James Bond. His day to day affairs are often mundane. In fact the author writes "It was only two or three times a year that an assignment came along requiring his particular abilities. For the rest of the year he had the duties of an easy-going civil servant."

It is in this chapter we get a description of Bond's secretary Miss Loelia Ponsonby. Bond says "She was a tall and dark with a reserved, unbroken beauty to which the war and five years in the Service had lent a touch of sterness. Unless she was married soon, Bond thought for the hundreth time, or had a lover, her cool air of authority might easily become spinsterish and she would join the army of wome who had married a career." So there you have it. Bond's description of a secretary during the 1950's. Of course he describes her looks first. Then he describes her choices in life which are two: find a male companion or stay a secretary forever. Not too many prospects for a girl back then. Again it is great that feminism remedied this.

But later we see her point of view of the men she works with and why she admires them. She works with the 00 section of the Secret Service and she is envied by the other girls around her because of it. "What the [00 Section] didn't know was that she worried herself almost to death when they were in danger and that she loved them equally." She loved these men because they were brave enough to face death, to go into danger. They all were men's men. Masculine and unafraid to take charge. Also they were virtuous men doing a dirty job for Queen and Country, for the good of the entire Western world actually. There were patriots and they didn't question their duty. They spent their days shooting practice targets, honing their skills. They knew how to defend themselves in a fight. When they weren't doing that they were always active and didn't waste their time in idle pursuits. They were chivalrous in commenting on her beauty to her, never vulgar. But also they were unafraid to have the courage to pursue her. And though they did so relentlessly she liked the attention she received because it wasn't desperate or crude, it was the way she wanted to be treated as a woman. Sure many of the qualities here are embellished by the author. And her point of view as a female is written by him. But still we get to see the popular image of a man in the 60's. Things like womanizing and drinking all day long should not be resurrected in this new millennium.  But there a lot of good, masculine qualities here that should be.