emma_in_dream: (Default)
There had been books published prior to 1857 that were set in schools; but there had not been a genre of school stories up until when Thomas Hughes published *Tom Brown’s Schooldays*.

Reading over it now, almost every convention of the genre is there in his first book, beginning with the journey from home to the school. School stories almost begin with the obligatory journey to another world, usually by train but in this case by stage. (Although written in the era of trains, the story is set a generation earlier, in the time that Hughes himself went to Rugby).

It has the new child’s awe at the fantastic buildings – Tom Brown looking at the close at Rugby; Darrell Rivers admiring the stone walls of Malory Towers; Harry Potter viewing Hogwarts. The protagonist is self sufficient, sociable, not terribly academic but good at sports. There’s the antagonist, a sneaky bully who has no school spirit. There is the emphasis on friendship and sports. There’s a god-like Head Master, Arnold, who makes even Dumbledore seem run off the mill. It contains various adventures, the outwitting of dim masters, defeating the bully, moving up through the school. The penultimate scene is of Tom in his final days at Rugby, head of the cricket eleven and respected throughout the school.

There are also a few ways in which *Tom Brown’s Schooldays* includes material not taken up by future school story writers. The book begins with an unnecessary and embarrassing chapter on how Tom would play with the little boys from the village when he was a child, even though they were his social inferiors and spoke with comical peasant accents. And there is a lot more religion than modern authors would include.

There is a substantial plot involving Brown meeting and being redeemed by his relationship with Arthur, a delicate and beautiful boy who demonstrates true Christian grit by getting on his knees to pray in front of the other boys in the dormitory. Arthur and Tom share a special bond, share a study and spend quite a bit of time reading the Bible together. (Hehe).

The final scene of *Tom Brown’s Schooldays* is Brown rushing back to Rugby, after hearing of the death of his Head Master. Overwhelmed, he goes to the chapel and pulls himself together by reflecting that no matter how magnificent Arnold was, his character was just a way of glimpsing the workings of God.

‘And let us not be hard on him, if at that moment his soul is fuller of the tomb and him who lies there, than of the altar and Him of whom it speaks. Such stages have to be gone through, I believe, by all young and brave souls, who must win their way through hero-worship, to the worship of Him who is the King and Lord of heroes.’


Hughes was taught by Thomas Arnold, the famous Head Master of Rugby. Apparently he was quite the inspirational speaker, a proponent of the muscular Christianity of the nineteenth century. Hughes does not seem to have been a special protégé of Arnold, but the massive success of this book basically set Arnold’s image up for the rest of the century – supremely wise, incapable of error, stern, basically the Old Testament God.

I find those parts of the book pretty repellent, but you have to hand it to Hughes – there was something about this novel that inspired a heap of incredibly talented authors to follow him.

There’s the Flashman chronicles by George MaczDonald Fraser. I cannot recommend them enough – basically he takes Hughes’ cowardly villain, Flashman, and writes a series of supremely funny novels about him being a coward and a villain who, through a terrible series of events, is forced into the thick of battles and the centre of politics.

The scene of little Arthur praying in the dormitories may seem familiar. It’s because Terry Pratchett took it up in *Pyramids* where a student brings in a goat and attempts to sacrifice it in his first night at the dormitories of the Assassin’s Academy. The lines ‘Garn, the little pious git’ and ‘There’s no shame in a chap being man enough to pray’ are virtually line for line from *Tom Brown’s Schooldays* but read quite differently with the addition of the pentagram.

And, of course, Hughes stands at the head of the still flourishing genre of school stories. Without Hughes, there is no Malory Towers, no Chalet School, no Greyfriars, no Hogwarts. This book is not without flaws, but if you have inspired authors ranging from Enid Blyton to JK Rowling, George MacDonald Fraser to Terry Pratchett, you have done pretty well.

3 Things

Oct. 4th, 2016 06:17 pm
emma_in_dream: (cameron)
1, Ruby is always attracted to books about trips to hospital, no doubt her way to process her life. At the moment a picture book about a bear having an ear operation is on high rotation. She likes to point out the degree of greyness in their fur which illustrates that the doctor bears are older than the patient bears, nurse bears and orderly bears.


2, I found Pearl reading an Enid Blyton short story collection under the covers after lights out. She was only given away by her giggling. I am somehow reminded of myself….


3, Although I was stuck inside at work, the girls did nature play by the river today.

3 things

Apr. 13th, 2016 05:24 pm
emma_in_dream: (Default)
1, We went to *Zootopia* today. I am loving that my kids are old enough to go to movies that I also enjoy. Because this movie rocked.


2, Ruby is reported to have charmed the OT people yesterday, with her engaging manner and her absurdly old-fashioned utterances. ‘Do you really want me to run hither and yon?’


3, Pearl is reported to have behaved extremely well while waiting for Ruby to do OT. She read a Famous Five book, one which I adored as a child. (Hint: it involved the Five going off on their own, smugglers, ginger beer and caves. Yes, this is the plot of all 22 of the books.) I love introducing her to books I love.
emma_in_dream: (Default)
The Enid Blyton was one I had not read before and it makes me wonder if my editions (from the 60s and 70s) were censored. It's the only Famous Five novel I've read that references rationing (first published 1948). Also, it has a lot of praise for spam, delicious food for all.

It is also the most sexist, with the boys refusing to allow George to participate in the adventure at all. And the only one I remember that uses a word my grandmother would have used to describe someone with very dark skin. (Context, George fell into a pile of soot).



Naomi Klein This Changes Everything 2014

Anne Rooney Evolution: Why did fish grow feet and other stories of life on Earth 2014

JM Barrie The Admirable Crichton 1914

Anna Krylova Soviet Women in Combat: A History of Violence on the Eastern Front 2010

Enid Blyton Five Go Off to Camp 1948

David Traill Schliemann of Troy: Treasure and Deceit 1995

Somerset Studio 2000

Michelle Cooper The FitzOsbornes at War 2010

Robert Heinlein Between Planets 1951

Mary Renault The King Must Die 1958

May books

Jun. 2nd, 2013 07:43 pm
emma_in_dream: (Default)
I have been reading some Blytons to Pearl (the Secret Seven, not the Famous Five). I remember it from when I was a kid only because I remember how cool it was for the kids to disguise themselves as snowmen with white faces. I had forgotten how sexist it is - I edited it so the girls did not stay at home while the boys went out in the snowmen costumes. Even the dog got his own little white suit to go out in - but not the girls.

Read more... )

April Books

May. 2nd, 2013 02:42 pm
emma_in_dream: (cameron)
In April I did a lot of reading about Enid Blyton who, apparently, still sells 10 million copies a year (from the 600 books she wrote). Does this mean she is still a best seller, forty years after her death, with very little advertising?

Read more... )
emma_in_dream: (Default)
Barbie, Faraway Tree, Noddy, Wishing Chair, My Little Pony, Peppa Pig, The Big Bang Theory, Totero, Wizard of Oz, Jane and the Dragon, The Paperbag Princess, and more, did not take notes.

But not Thomas the Tank Engine, Fireman Sam, Timmy Time, all of which feature selfishness and meanness.
emma_in_dream: (Default)
I am shocked at the editing of Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree series. While deploring the Americanism, I get why you might change Dick and Fanny into Rick and Franny.* But why change Jo to Joe? And Bessie to Beth? Why?


* Seriously, what are the odds of landing on those two names?

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