TOM BROWN'S SCHOOL DAYS
Thomas Hughes
language
(, May 27, 2020)
Tom Brownâs Schooldays, first published in 1857, is perhaps the most celebrated (though not the first) example of the school story. Thomas Hughes wrote it for his eight-year-old son and wanted it to be interesting and âwritten in a right spiritâ, in contrast to earlier, more didactic school stories such as Harriet Martineauâs The Crofton Boys (1841). The book is set in the 1830s and Tom, a country squireâs son, is sent to Rugby School. Tom is initially anxious to fit in and good at sport, but also mischievous, and reckless. The book is famous for the accounts of the bully Flashman, who roasts Tom and his friend Harry East in front of a fire, and the pious George Arthur who gradually introduces the civilising influence of religion into Tomâs dormitory. Rugbyâs famous headmaster Dr Thomas Arnold appears as âthe Doctorâ.Although Hughes meant his hero to be representative of âeverymanâ rather than being a self-portrait, there are clear parallels with his life, and his portrayal of the Rugby School, which he attended, is realistic. Hughes, a barrister and later a judge, wrote a sequel, but it did not approach the popularity of Tom Brownâs Schooldays which has never been out of print.