As the quintessential English public school identity formation experience novel, Thomas Hughes’s Tom Brown’s Schooldays highlights the masculine identity with the Rugby School experiences of bullying, sport, and compassion. As the roadmap for the English adolescent’s journey toward manhood, Hughes creates the formula to transcend from the adolescence into the true manliness form. Hughes’s character, Tom Brown, can only complete this ideal masculine model by absorbing the compassionate, motherly female
Tom Brown grows in both maturity and manliness during his stay at Rugby. He develops good sportsmanship, learns how to be a loyal friend, becomes a better student, and increases his devotion to God and religion. As he gains these qualities, he takes a step closer to becoming the quintessential, Christian man. When Tom first arrived at the school, he had these virtues buried somewhere inside of him. It took help from Dr. Arnold, Arthur, the other boys, and experiences at the school, however, to
J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is one that has defined a generation, just as Thomas Hughes’s Tom Brown’s Schooldays was influential in defining what a proper Mid-Victorian England gentleman was. Hughes’s novel depicts the essential activities and relationships that are needed to develop the inherent characteristics upper-class boys need to become proper English gentlemen. Similarly, Rowling’s novel reinforces the same ideals that Hughes presents about what characteristics young wizards must
Muscular Christianity is viewed as courage and confidence one can have. It is seen through a particular setting such as in a sport like a football. It allows people to have faith and hope in themselves that they can achieve in something no matter how much criticism they endure. According to Putney’s “God’s in the Gym” Muscular Christianity is an idea that lets people honor or celebrate their bodies. Many hoped that physical experience might increase release from body rejecting and social limitations
Muscular Christianity, first introduced in the mid-19th century in Europe, was an idea that focused on the masculinity of males within the Church. This concept became widely known through the book Tom Brown’s Schooldays, by Thomas Hughes. Hughes along with Charles Kingsley popularized the idea. However, a teacher at Rugby school was the first to put the idea into action. He wanted to teach his students morals and felt that this would best be done through structured activity. Many wanted to change
1. Introduction 3 2. Early History 6 The Greek and Roman Eras: 50 B.C.-A.D. 500 6 The Middle Ages: 500-1500 6 The Renaissance: 1500-1650 7 The Rise of Puritanism and John Locke: Late 1600s 8 3. Beginning of Children’s Literature: Late 1700s 10 4. Fairy and Folk Tales 12 The Golden Age of Children’s Literature: Late 1800s 12 5. Victorian Children's Literature 16 6. Contemporary Children's Literature 18 6. Analysis of Harry Potters’ series 21 7. Conclusion 30 8. Summary 31 Children’s Literature Definitions