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Post by Uncle Henry on May 24, 2016 5:09:57 GMT -5
This book - an important cultural contribution - will appeal to members interested in how life is led in the boarding schools of England. The architecture and organization of today's boarding school is to a great extent the product of over one hundred years of "homophobia". One might imagine that the post-"Tom Brown" evolution of the boarding school was conditioned by the gradual ascendancy of liberal reformers over uncompromising traditionalists. Such a verdict would be highly misleading, for the great reforming headmasters also had an illiberal agenda; the desire to manage the sexuality of adolescent boys and, above all, to prevent any manifestation of homosexualism. Dr. Hickson puts forward his thesis at the outset based on evidence drawn from biographies, novels, diaries and school histories, but the greater part of the book is made up of anecdotal accounts and memories obtained by the author from old boys of various backgrounds including generals, members of parliament, headmasters and leading figures from the clergy, the legal professions and the City. He also shows how this cruel approach contributed to two World Wars. Click HERE to download the book. It has a lot of quoted sections, many footnotes, a bibliography, sixteen illustrations and a live electronic index. |
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Post by ahinton on May 26, 2016 9:12:30 GMT -5
This book - an important cultural contribution - will appeal to members interested in how life is led in the boarding schools of England. The architecture and organization of today's boarding school is to a great extent the product of over one hundred years of "homophobia". One might imagine that the post-"Tom Brown" evolution of the boarding school was conditioned by the gradual ascendancy of liberal reformers over uncompromising traditionalists. Such a verdict would be highly misleading, for the great reforming headmasters also had an illiberal agenda; the desire to manage the sexuality of adolescent boys and, above all, to prevent any manifestation of homosexualism. Dr. Hickson puts forward his thesis at the outset based on evidence drawn from biographies, novels, diaries and school histories, but the greater part of the book is made up of anecdotal accounts and memories obtained by the author from old boys of various backgrounds including generals, members of parliament, headmasters and leading figures from the clergy, the legal professions and the City. He also shows how this cruel approach contributed to two World Wars. Click HERE to download the book. It has a lot of quoted sections, many footnotes, a bibliography, sixteen illustrations and a live electronic index. Interesting as this surely is, there's more to it than you illustrate above (not that this observation is intended as a criticism of the book which I have yet to read). The very phrase "the boarding schools of England" reminds me of Coward's neat and sardonic pastiche The Stately Homes of England - but why England only and not other parts of UK? It's also worth noting that most if not all such "boarding schools" also accept day scholars, usually those who happen to live locally to each such school; might you suppose that some or all of these get drawn into similar problems or do you imagine that the very fact of their returning home on each shool day provides at least some inusrance against such risks? As to the interest that the book might generate in terms of its possible "appeal to members interested in how life is led in the boarding schools of England", it seems reasonable to conclude that most such interested parties are likely to be found among that tiny minority of British people who have actually attended one of these schools - and said minority is indeed vanishingly small. Whilst historically homophobia has undoubtedly been far from absent in most of these hothouses, I'm not convinced that this particular aspect of the situation is as bad today (long after the pertinent UK laws changed) as once it undoubtedly was, but what is perhaps an even more important aspect of such cynical management of adolescents' sexuality by those in charge of such establishments is the breeding ground (of which such schools might be accused) for a variety of other forms of abuse, sexual and otherwise, of their young inmates to which they (the schools) could be argued as having notably fallen prey (recent evidence of which has continually been emerging in the media and the Courts). I note, however, you mention only "the desire to manage the sexuality of adolescent boys"; do you imagine that such desire does not pertain in respect of adolescent girl students at such schools, or was that omission a mere oversight? Were it demonstrably true that most if not all girls in such schools are not vulnerable to becoming victims of such manipulation whereas boys are so, there would have to be some interesting and enlightening reason for this; sadly, however, it is by no means the case. |
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 5:32:59 GMT -5
"The very phrase "the boarding schools of England" reminds me of Coward's neat and sardonic pastiche The Stately Homes of England - but why England only and not other parts of UK?"
The member is becoming accustomed to our style, and yes, the author considers thirty-two English schools and one in Scotland (Fettes).
"might you suppose that some or all of these get drawn into similar problems or do you imagine that the very fact of their returning home on each shool day provides at least some insurance against such risks?"
The member's question is gone to by the author.
"that tiny minority of British people who have actually attended one of these schools - and said minority is indeed vanishingly small."
I am surprised, given that they are so influential.
"do you imagine that such desire does not pertain in respect of adolescent girl students at such schools"
The author (himself educated at two boarding schools) addresses the member's question.
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Post by ahinton on May 27, 2016 9:55:31 GMT -5
"The very phrase "the boarding schools of England" reminds me of Coward's neat and sardonic pastiche The Stately Homes of England - but why England only and not other parts of UK?" The member is becoming accustomed to our style, and yes, the author considers thirty-two English schools and one in Scotland (Fettes). The member is doing nothing of the kind, I fear. "might you suppose that some or all of these get drawn into similar problems or do you imagine that the very fact of their returning home on each shool day provides at least some insurance against such risks?" The member's question is gone to by the author. Perhaps so, but I wasn't asking the author; my question quite clearly began "might you suppose", the second person singlur referring to you personally, although I suppose that I should instead have referred to "the member to whom I am now responding", or some such convoluted mode of address. "that tiny minority of British people who have actually attended one of these schools - and said minority is indeed vanishingly small." I am surprised, given that they are so influential. I think that the word is "rich" rather than "influential" for its own sake; in any case, there are many influential people in UK who have never attended a fee-paying school there (oh and, by the way, fee-paying schools - what you'd call public schools and which are actually private schools, most of which have boarding - require MONEY! and lots of it!). I am far from persuaded that more than a handful of people (principally though not of course limited to those who have attended such schools) would be especially interested in the subject, not least because the private education sector is almost exclusively for the minority rich who can afford it. Just imagine the financial resources required to maintain three children at Millfield as boarders from year 9 onwards at a total cost of just over £107K p.a.; to support that in addition to life's other commitments would presume a total income between two parents of well in excess of £300K p.a.! "do you imagine that such desire does not pertain in respect of adolescent girl students at such schools" The author (himself educated at two boarding schools) addresses the member's question. Again, I was not questioning the author but the member to whom I am now responding. And what a way to spell Alistair! I know that there are more ways than one but I've never encountered this one before - if I "dare" say so...! |
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