Wodehouse really wasn’t that kind of chap.
And schools like Dulwich College aren’t divided into bullies and bullied. There’s a range in the middle.
To clarify a point, in the UK, isn’t “prep school” the school you go to beforea public school like Eton? So the pupils would be younger–some almost grade school age–and a tighter rein isn’t too surprising.
As you probably know by now since you’ve joined us here, prep school here traditionally means a private secondary school of the sort to which rich and/or upper class families are wont to send their sons. JFK for example went to Exeter.
Hence “possibility” in my post.
Yes, you’ve got it right. Prep(aratory) schools in Britain are the private analogue of primary schools- ie. 8ish-13ish. They roughly correspond to high schools in the US, only they add a year.
You’re also correct in that after prep school, boarding schools give you a lot more free time. IME, you’re technically supposed to be studying or taking part in “activities” (generally non-compulsory sports* like fives, fencing, basketball, squash, badminton, shooting and the like, or other competitive stuff like chess, or hobby-type stuff like film appreciation, woodworking or somesuch) during most of that time, but usually you don’t have to.
“Private secondary schools” are equivalent to US prep schools.
*the sports which are generally compulsory- even if you don’t play for one of the school teams- are rugby, association football and cricket.
Yes, and I’m just saying the “possibility” is very small given:
a) What we know about Wodehouse.
b) That bullies, and the bullied, tend to be a minority in most schools, even English boarding ones.
I suspect that those who had a fairly average time at boarding school tend not to write about it much.
Wodehouse seems to have genuinely loved his school days. And given the setting you can understand why:
And I say this all through gritted teeth, 'cos I bloody hated the school.
Really Not All That Bright writes:
> Yes, you’ve got it right. Prep(aratory) schools in Britain are the private analogue
> of primary schools- ie. 8ish-13ish. They roughly correspond to high schools in
> the US, only they add a year.
If the students are between 8 and 13, they are junior high school or elementary school students in the U.S.
Sadly I think there is bullying in every type of school.
If the staff are alert and the pupils are involved, it can be kept at bay, whatever type of school.
Also we are more aware of it nowadays (e.g. Childline).
I went to a grammar school (sort of funded State School) from 1964-1971 and there was rampant bullying throughout.
For example, when I plucked up courage to tell a teacher that five boys had attacked me, he snapped “Stand up for yourself!” and walked away. :rolleyes: :smack:
Bstrd.
Right that’s it you bastard.
Outside, NOW!
I was actually being a tad disloyal.
PS Don’t be such a bully.
:smack: That’s what I meant.
If I recall correctly what I read in a biography, in his youth Wodehouse was rather large and would not, himself, have been a likely bullying target. Playing for the school in several different sports, including cricket and boxing, he seems to have been a popular and well known figure around campus.
On the other hand I wouldn’t put it past him to have perpetrated the occasional rag. In his early public-school stories, he betrays far too much tactical knowhow in this area not to have first-hand knowledge. ;). Still, in general, we can infer from his stories that Petrobey is essentially correct, for in his fiction, only those who deserve to have a china bowl full of just picked, best quality garden vegetables smashed over their occiputs, do in fact wind up having a c.b. full of j.p.b.q veg. smashed over their occiputs.
V. satisfying in a karmic sense, what?
I went to a prep school from 8-13, and then I went to a public school. It was brutal. We got up at 6:30, and went for a run around the school grounds dressed only in underpants and gym shoes, no matter what the weather (rain, hail, snow), followed by a cold bath. Breakfast consisted of a porridge like gruel with rancid milk. (I’m not making this up.)
I wasn’t aware of any bullying, and there seemed to be very little homosexual activity - some, but not much.
This being the sixties, we became quite rebellious: the length of hair was always a matter of dispute. We started smoking dope, which caused a few problems.
If you really want to know how I (and many others) perceived public school education to be like, see Lindsay Anderson’s If. I relive that massacre at the end over and over, with great pleasure.
At the time that film’s ending seemed so surreal that no one objected much to it. It seems all too plausible today in some cultures.