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winterbadger15/50: This was another old favourite, P.G. Wodehouse's The Gold Bat and Other School Stories.
It's often remarked that Sir Plum's stories are not about England, but rather of an idealised England that he would like to have remembered, the fantasy of England that lives in 'cosy' mysteries and 'anyone for tennis?' drawing-room comedies. That's true to a large extent, and I recall an interview somewhere where he acknowledged it, saying something like "You can either write about real life, and do it mercilessly, or have fun; I choose to do the latter."
I think the same kind of rosy hindsight tints these stories of public-school life, but I think they may actually be closer to reality than some of his more grown-up stories. They're very conscious of the classic schoolboy story, very cynical of the student-master relationship, very nuanced in their appreciation of the moral issues with which the characters are faced.
They are certainly a product of a very specific time, however. Violence is joyously celebrated. Accept that there is classism and racism (the dreaded word "nigger" appears more than once, and in reference to what today we would call a multiracial South Asian student, no less). Interestingly, though, while what would now be called 'bullying' takes place, it exists within a well understood code of conduct that prizes fairness (within the bounds of its own values) and condemns what is considered bullying within its rules and cowardly and despicable.
Sports are, not surprisingly, at the center of the stories: 'The Gold Bat' though named for a cricket trophy, is about [rugby] football; 'The Head of Kay's' concerns cricket; and 'The White Feather' centers on boxing. Two of them also refer to the public schools' annual cadet corps camps at Aldershot (the junior cadet corps later became the junior division of OTC and is now called the Combined Cadet Force).
They're more or less novellas, somewhere between short stories and full-fledged novels. There's a companion volume, "The Pothunters". I'd recommend both or either for enjoyable, period light reading.
And with that, I'm off to enjoy the weekend!
It's often remarked that Sir Plum's stories are not about England, but rather of an idealised England that he would like to have remembered, the fantasy of England that lives in 'cosy' mysteries and 'anyone for tennis?' drawing-room comedies. That's true to a large extent, and I recall an interview somewhere where he acknowledged it, saying something like "You can either write about real life, and do it mercilessly, or have fun; I choose to do the latter."
I think the same kind of rosy hindsight tints these stories of public-school life, but I think they may actually be closer to reality than some of his more grown-up stories. They're very conscious of the classic schoolboy story, very cynical of the student-master relationship, very nuanced in their appreciation of the moral issues with which the characters are faced.
They are certainly a product of a very specific time, however. Violence is joyously celebrated. Accept that there is classism and racism (the dreaded word "nigger" appears more than once, and in reference to what today we would call a multiracial South Asian student, no less). Interestingly, though, while what would now be called 'bullying' takes place, it exists within a well understood code of conduct that prizes fairness (within the bounds of its own values) and condemns what is considered bullying within its rules and cowardly and despicable.
Sports are, not surprisingly, at the center of the stories: 'The Gold Bat' though named for a cricket trophy, is about [rugby] football; 'The Head of Kay's' concerns cricket; and 'The White Feather' centers on boxing. Two of them also refer to the public schools' annual cadet corps camps at Aldershot (the junior cadet corps later became the junior division of OTC and is now called the Combined Cadet Force).
They're more or less novellas, somewhere between short stories and full-fledged novels. There's a companion volume, "The Pothunters". I'd recommend both or either for enjoyable, period light reading.
And with that, I'm off to enjoy the weekend!
