School Stories · Chapters

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Chapter companions for School Stories by P. G. Wodehouse.

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Chapter 1
Work
The narrator argues that school life should revolve around enjoyment and athletics rather than academic work, criticizing the system that forces boys to study classical languages and praising the ideal of a school focused on games. He illustrates his points with humorous hypothetical addresses to the headmaster, a cautionary tale about Charles Vanderpoop's descent into scholarship, and a dramatic sketch of a student torn between conscience and laziness when facing exams.
Chapter 2
Now, Talking About Cricket
The narrator reflects on the joys and nuances of cricket, contrasting it with football, and extolling the virtues of the game as a serious business. He shares personal anecdotes about school matches, the importance of white boots, the superiority of bowling over batting, and the peculiar rituals of lower games and umpiring.
Chapter 3
The Tom Brown Question
A traveler on a train is drawn into a conversation by a stranger who argues that the second half of Tom Brown's Schooldays was written by a different author. The stranger presents evidence from the cricket match and Tom's actions, and ultimately reveals a fanciful theory involving a secret society that forced Mr. Hughes to let them write the second part.
Chapter 4
Bradshaw’s Little Story
The narrator recounts an incident involving Frederick Wackerbath Bradshaw, a schoolboy whose cunning and unscrupulous nature foreshadows his later criminal career. On the eve of a Euripides exam, Bradshaw lounges idly while his study mates panic. He learns from the narrator that Mr. Yorke is setting the paper, and later devises a scheme to avoid punishment for his poor performance. He claims he accidentally saw the exam paper and deliberately did badly to avoid unfair advantage. The headmaster sees through the lie and punishes him. Bradshaw blames the narrator for misinforming him—the paper was actually set by the headmaster. Despite the setback, Bradshaw later concocts a successful explanation to Mr. Mellish, leaving the narrator and friends curious but unable to extract the truth.
Chapter 5
How Pillingshot Scored
Pillingshot is dismayed by Mr. Mellish's surprise Livy exam and seeks a way to avoid it. After a grueling fielding session at the nets with Scott, he volunteers to score for the school cricket team at Windybury, thereby escaping the exam. The chapter highlights his aversion to work and his opportunistic cunning.

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Work

Now, Talking About Cricket

The Tom Brown Question

Bradshaw’s Little Story

How Pillingshot Scored