Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's School Days

Graeme Davis (University of Buckingham)

Ed. by Dimitra Fimi, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1858

Places

United Kingdom (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Children's Literature
Novel

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

Recommended Reading

Tom Brown’s Schooldays

established the popularity of the boarding-school genre of literature for children. First published in 1858, it offers a picture of Rugby School in the 1840s seen through the experiences of Tom Brown, a lightly fictionalised presentation of author Thomas Hughes. Hughes intended the book to be what he termed preaching (Preface), the moral story of the development of Tom from a boy into a Christian gentleman, and

Tom Brown’s Schooldays

is first and foremost a didactic text around spiritual growth. It is also a highly entertaining account of school-boy life, with well-drawn characters who capture the enthusiasm of the reader. The most enduring achievement is the portrayal of Rugby’s headmaster Dr Thomas Arnold and his innovative educational methodology. It is…

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

3280 words

Citation: Davis, Graeme. "Tom Brown's School Days". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 May 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38842, accessed 26 April 2024.]

View recommended reading for this article

Save this article