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Tom Brown's School Days
written by Thomas Hughes
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Published 1857
Pages: 254
I've been meaning to read this book for a long time, as it is widely acclaimed to be the prototype English Public School coming of age novel. Having read many similar, more recently written novels I felt it necessary to see where the genre started (as far as I know). Unsurprisingly there is a lot more to the novel than just a rolicking good yarn about school hijinks, in fact the novel tries to do a lot more, singing the praises of pre-industrial Modern England countryside living, Empire and the virtues of Christian living. A novel thoroughly designed to teach the youth of the elite how to be good leaders and good Christians. There are three parts to the novel: the childood of Tom Brown (what he learnt from his parents), having fun as a junior at school, and lastly becoming a responsible senior. Not bad for a 254 page book I guess.
As the title suggests the action focuses on one Tom Brown, who departs to Rugby, a Public School in Enlgand, sometime in the 1840s. A time when the Industrial Revolution and the glory of Empire were changing forever the peaceful tone of the English countryside. Tom's childhood was robust, enjoying all  | Country life = fun
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that the countryside could offer the son of a gentleman, his parents wise and loving, good role models for child and neighbour, the whole family deeply immersed in the local community. This pretty much is the tone of the first several chapters. Tom has a fun time, learns many things that will hold him in good stead later in life, if he remembers them. It gets a little bit tiresome, but it is interesting to see the author revel in his description of the rural English idyll and his remorse at its passing. There is also the occasional political aside from the author:
"I'll tell you what to do now: instead of all this trumpeting and fuss, which is only the old parliamentary-majority dodge over again, just you go, each of you (you've plenty of time for it, if you'll only give up t'other line), and quietly make three or four friends...Let them be men of your own ages, mind, and ask them to your homes; introduce them to your wives and sisters, and get introduced to theirs; give them good dinners, and talk to them about what is really at the bottom of your hearts; and box, and run, and row with them, when you have a chance. Do all this honestly as man to man, and by the time you come to ride old John, you'll be able to do something more than sit on his back, and may feel his mouth with some stronger bridle than a red-tape one."
Arriving at Rugby Tom immediatly has the luck of making a solid friend of a lovable rascal who quickly educates him as to how the school works. Here we are introduced to a constant stream of hero worship of the senior boys, veritible gods, with their manly whiskers and their beer drinking! This I found odd, dammed if I remember having the same veneration for my 17-18 year old school mates while a 12 year old, but perhaps we are more cynical now, which may not be a bad thing. For a long period the book concerns itself with school boy activites, the making of friends, the lessons, the night time pranks, rugby, dealing with bullies, the coming of age montage if you will. Often amusing, always familiar to those who have read similar work, for example Harry Potter. Luckily the author feels no need to outline all facets of Tom's school career, and often jumps forward several years. I think Michael Bay and Peter Jackson could learn much from Thomas Hughe's apparently lost art of knowing when to remove un-needed material.
The third act begins with Tom being firmly established at Rugby, then his world is shaken, he has to take a delicate new boy under his wing to safeguard him from the rigours of boarding school life. The new boy, while delicate and slightly naive also has a strong Christian morality, which he uses to force Tom to  | Probably consensual
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re-evaluate the comfortable short cuts of his own life. So begins several chapters of spiritual self discovery on Tom's part, as he becomes one of the heroic seniors that he once looked up to. It is also kind of dull. No one likes being lectured on morality, well, I don't anyway. I guess I'm not the intended audience though. Poor me. What type of man would I be today, if I had such guidence, instead of the ham sandwich obssessed heroes of Enid Blyton's Famous Five?
As an exercise in amatuer armchair social analysis, or to round out a knowledge of famous English novels Tom Brown's School Days is to be recommended. If you are looking for something to get your school age children to read by all means point them this way, but beware, they might end up as English gentlemen of a Christian bent. This may or may not be a bad thing, perspective depending. Oh, and since the book is damm old, it has fallen outside of copyright, and can be read for free on the net.
Rating: 5/10. The first few chapters make the book worth reading. Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts)
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