To Serve Them All My Days - Part 6 Cut and Come Again - July 2019

[Hana, Hana is In Absentia]

This section gets deep into British politics in the interwar years. I'll have to brush up on the various parties and factions, which always make my head spin.

[Kavan]

This chapter gave me a lot of Winifred Holtby South Riding vibes-in that I used stuff I learned from South Riding & Vera Britten's Testament of Youth to better understand this chapter.

You can absolutely see the influence Holtby and James Hilton had on RFD.

[Hana, Hana is In Absentia]

I don't know Holtby at all. Tell us a bit more about all the politics, Kavan.

[Susan in NC]

Hana wrote: "This section gets deep into British politics in the interwar years. I'll have to brush up on the various parties and factions, which always make my head spin."

Good to know, I will definitely view the film for this part, and skim the politics if I feel at sea!

[Kavan]

Holtby's South Riding is set in the 1930's and focuses on politics in a small town in the West Riding-a subplot involves a local politician who was a socialist. It looks at how an entrenched area is affected by the depression and by people trying to change the status quo. Holtby's mother was involved in local politics so she wrote a ground up account that showed the impact of 1930's change in politics, education and social mores.

In terms of TSTAMD, I came away thinking most of the governing board and many of the headmasters would have been conservative and openly hostile to someone like Davy. A lot of people had assumed after WWI that prosperity and the class system would revert back to pre-war mores. Bamfylde would have appealed to those notions, that's why the kids seemed baffled by the causes of the war, because the whole country was still mired in the old school patriotism, even as the book showed a generation was sent off to the trenches. Someone like Davy wanted real fundamental change would have brought a whole different voice to the faculty.

RFD keeps the focus on the Bamfylde but I had the feeling that in the mining villages you might have seen a similar fissure whereby the owners would have been more conservative, whereas the workers would have been more open to Christine & Davy's ideas-though RFD rightly shows the sexism Christine would focus running in that time.

I think I'm going to read RDF A Horseman Came Riding By series next b/c that actually deals with the implementation of the people's budget and socialism in Britain whereas you get only a small taste at Christine's rallies here.

One thing I found interesting was that in RFD's obituary it said his books were more popular in the U.S. than in Britain.

[Hana, Hana is In Absentia]

Kavan, have your read How Green Was My Valley? We ought to put that one on the Retro reading list but you might find it particularly interesting because of the Welsh mining connection. The degree of suffering during the strike is brilliantly depicted.

Also if you are interested in the history of labor-management relations in Britain and issues like the effect of mechanization on cottage industries, don't miss Elizabeth Gaskell's 1854 North and South There is a film version of North and South from the BBC that is also terrific.

[Hana, Hana is In Absentia]

The A Horseman Riding By series is a good read but for me doesn't pack the emotional punch of To Serve Them All My Days. From a business/political historical standpoint it's fabulous.

[Kavan]

Hana I haven't read the book HGWMV I've put it on my list. I want to read Cronin's Stars Look Down as well. I read the Cronin's Citadel which dealt with medicine in mining villages and I think I need to reread that one as well. But going through TSTAMD I was thinking about the points Cronin made about poverty in the mining villages.

I can't remember what chapter it was but when Davy wants to offer his brother-in-law a job and the sister is like we'll have to consider it I was like get out, leave!

So much to read and school starting back.

[Susan in NC]

Kavan wrote: "Hana I haven't read the book HGWMV I've put it on my list. I want to read Cronin's Stars Look Down as well. I read the Cronin's Citadel which dealt with medicine in mining villages and I think I ne..."

Of course, it’s always the way! Meanwhile, I’m so far behind, I was waiting for my book from library and reading the Kindle version of TSTAMD - handy for a hefty book, but I never know where I am, and I accidentally looked to the back and saw the Reading Guide for groups included, which raised some great points, but also had some spoilers! For me, anyway, it’s my first read.

Anyway, I’m still plugging along - got a lovely copy from the library with the same cover my aunts had on their shelf when I was growing up . I also watched a bit of the series last night, thanks to Hana’s links - I loved the scene with Beth holding her tea party for the boys, her story about her school years was obviously relatable, and if she can help just that group of boys seethat women aren’t alien creatures, she’ll have done a huge service!

Oh, and the meeting about the war memorial- ugh! I thought reading about it was maddening, but seeing helped me visualize the characters more, but I really want to pour something over carter’s head now - tea, soup, water, I don’t care...what a pompous twit!

[Hana, Hana is In Absentia]

Carter really is a pompous twit but he goes through an interesting evolution as a character and his relationship with Davy changes over time. It's all very well done.

[Susan in NC]

Hana wrote: "Carter really is a pompous twit but he goes through an interesting evolution as a character and his relationship with Davy changes over time. It's all very well done."

Yes, I see that now that I’m in the middle of “Impasse”. I’m going to have to watch the film on YouTube corresponding to this part, I’m afraid the import of the school politics is passing me by! I’m simply not grasping what the big deal is about a lot of it.

[Kavan]

Carter's journey was one of my favorite parts of the book. He comes off early on as a pretender and a boaster, someone adversarial to Davy's beliefs. And because Davy is the hero it initially appears Carter is a lousy person. But then you slowly see that's not true. I liked the way Davy and he came to respect one another even if they really disagreed.

[Susan in NC]

Kavan wrote: "Carter's journey was one of my favorite parts of the book. He comes off early on as a pretender and a boaster, someone adversarial to Davy's beliefs. And because Davy is the hero it initially appea..."

Agreed - it was quite an adjustment, seeing him come to Davy for help with (view spoiler)[the “Stoker” Monk Crisis! (hide spoiler)]

[Hana, Hana is In Absentia]

On the school politics, I think two things underlie many of the disagreements. One is that several of the characters are still fighting WW1--that's particularly true for Davy, but Carter's shame plays a role as well. The other factor is a changing view of education. Carter clearly sees knowledge-based education and the sciences as the way forward, while for Algie, Howarth and Davy education is more about character-building. Carter's view has clearly won out in the 21st C.

[Susan in NC]

Hana wrote: "On the school politics, I think two things underlie many of the disagreements. One is that several of the characters are still fighting WW1--that's particularly true for Davy, but Carter's shame pl..."

Thank you, that’s very helpful and I agree - also that in the 21st century, it’s all about STEM. The irony, of course, is that so often the average American is pretty weak in those areas, cynical of facts and figures, preferring sound bites and black/white slogans to gray areas, and due to the instant gratification culture, desire for easy fame and fortune! Those academic fields take hard work, discipline and the willingness to fail, learn from mistakes and carry on.

Also, back then, the boys often started school so young - 9 or 10 or younger- that schools really were responsible for forming character. I was so impressed, for instance, with how responsible and independent the older boys were in times of crisis, like (view spoiler)[the fire or when Winterbourne was lost on the moor and the boys searched for him. (hide spoiler)] Can’t imagine that happening today, the school would be worried about being sued!

[Hana, Hana is In Absentia]

That's an excellent point about how responsible and independent the boys are, Susan.

Also I realize that I forgot to post the link to the miniseries Episode 10 that mostly covers the events in Cut and Come Again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_A-8...

[Hana, Hana is In Absentia]

In the film, the most climactic event of Cut and Come Again occurs right at the beginning of Episode 11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYTUu...

[Susan in NC]

Thanks for the links, I’m in the middle of reading part six, then I’ll probably watch the film to sort out the politics. I thought the film did a lovely job of showing (view spoiler)[the resolution of the Carter situation, and his proposal to Davy about going in as partners on a prep school was touching, I thought- it would be hard to tell a colleague, especially one you see as a competitive peer, and sometimes an enemy, that you knew you weren’t good at something and needed his help! (hide spoiler)]

[Hana, Hana is In Absentia]

I agree, Susan. The actor who played Carter was excellent and I loved the scene where the four headmaster candidates are stuck in the waiting room together--very funny and a good introduction to the Noble Stoic!