Marta's review of The History Boys: A Play

The History Boys: A Play
by Alan Bennett

Marta's review

rating:

bookshelves: 2007, plays

status: Read in January, 2007

The film was released in October last year, but in Australia it was released at exactly the same time as the play was making its rounds here (April 2007). I really regret not getting tickets for it, because it turned out to be a really fabulous film. I got the play for Christmas, so I've spent a few days rereading the lines and story-plotting, and I love it even more. The bad thing is, no matter how many times I read it, the best thing would be to actually see it. Plays are meant to be seen live.

Synopsis: (wikipedia) Set in the 1980s, the piece follows a group of history pupils preparing for the Oxford & Cambridge entrance examinations under the guidance of two teachers (Irwin and Hector) with contrasting styles.

Irwin teaches the essay style of brisk generalities flavoured with sufficient facts and quotations to engage the examiner's interest and disguise the boys' ignorance in the hope of programming them for success. This method was one of 'false pretences', that Bennett...more The film was released in October last year, but in Australia it was released at exactly the same time as the play was making its rounds here (April 2007). I really regret not getting tickets for it, because it turned out to be a really fabulous film. I got the play for Christmas, so I've spent a few days rereading the lines and story-plotting, and I love it even more. The bad thing is, no matter how many times I read it, the best thing would be to actually see it. Plays are meant to be seen live.

Synopsis: (wikipedia) Set in the 1980s, the piece follows a group of history pupils preparing for the Oxford & Cambridge entrance examinations under the guidance of two teachers (Irwin and Hector) with contrasting styles.

Irwin teaches the essay style of brisk generalities flavoured with sufficient facts and quotations to engage the examiner's interest and disguise the boys' ignorance in the hope of programming them for success. This method was one of 'false pretences', that Bennett felt he had had to teach himself in order to succeed in examinations, one academic pursuit with which he constantly had trouble. Hector however wishes to teach knowledge as it is and believes that such contrived methods are practically indecent.

Despite it being described as a "comedy" (and it is witty, clever stuff rather than slap-stick comedy), it does tackle serious issues throughout the plot. There's the question of "knowledge"; love for learning vs the manipulation of it for gain. This is battled out between the two contrasting teaching styles, Hector and Irwin (the history supply teacher) whom the Headmaster employs to skill the boys for the Oxford exam.

Underlying themes, homosexuality (which is a big focus), maturity (as is seen at the end of the story where each character is grow up and reveals their ending) and life education also rise above. Above all, though, it really is about history and literature, the past and how each event has the potential to impact everybody in a drastic way, without notice....less

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Marta's review of The History Boys: A Play

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