"The Lanchester Tradition" by G. F. Bradby is a school story written in the early 20th century. The narrative unfolds in the fictional Chiltern School, capturing the intricacies of school life, governance, and tradition through the interactions of the masters and students. The pivotal character, Mr. Flaggon, finds himself at the helm of this institution, facing the challenge of balancing tradition with reform. The opening of the novel introduces Chiltern School, illustrating
its environment and backstory, particularly the legacy of its revered founder, Abraham Lanchester. As Mr. Flaggon prepares to assume headmastership after the resignation of Dr. Gussy, the dynamics of the school begin to shift. The text hints at tensions between staff members over changes to the established educational methods and curricula, particularly emphasizing the resistance to reform embodied by Mr. Chowdler. This first chapter sets the stage for exploring themes of tradition versus modernity, authority, and the complexities of educational leadership within the peculiar microcosm of the school. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
MWS, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Reading Level
Reading ease score: 69.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
