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''Stalky & Co.'' is a novel by
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)'' The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...
about adolescent boys at a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...
. It is a collection of school stories whose three juvenile protagonists display a know-it-all, cynical outlook on patriotism and authority. It was first published in 1899 after the stories had appeared in magazines during the previous two years. It is set at a school dubbed "the College" or "the Coll.", which is based on the actual
United Services College The United Services College was an English boys' public school for the sons of military officers, located at Westward Ho! near Bideford in North Devon. Almost all boys were boarders. The school was founded to prepare pupils for a career as of ...
that Kipling attended as a boy. The stories have elements of revenge, the macabre, bullying and violence, and hints about sex, making them far from childish or idealised. For example, Beetle pokes fun at an earlier, more earnest, boys' book, ''
Eric, or, Little by Little ''Eric, or, Little by Little'' is a book by Frederic W. Farrar, first edition 1858. It was published by Adam & Charles Black, Edinburgh and London. The book deals with the descent into moral turpitude of a boy at a boarding school or English publ ...
'', thus flaunting his more worldly outlook. The final chapter recounts events in the lives of the boys when, as adults, they are in the armed forces in India. It is implied that the mischievous pranks of the boys in school were splendid training for their role as instruments of the British Empire.
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalit ...
wrote in 1940 that ''Stalky'' had "had an immense influence on boys' literature".


Characters


Boys

* "Stalky" (real name: Arthur Lionel Corkran). He knows that he is destined for Sandhurst, so he does not care about many academic subjects. Stalky later turns out to be brilliant in battle. He is based on
Lionel Dunsterville Major General Lionel Charles Dunsterville, (9 November 1865 – 18 March 1946) was a British Army officer, who led Dunsterforce across present-day Iraq and Iran towards the Caucasus and Baku during the First World War. Early life Lionel Ch ...
."Boy-Society in Rudyard Kipling's Stalky & Co.", Lynne M. Rosenthal
''
The Lion and the Unicorn (journal) ''The Lion and the Unicorn'' is an academic journal founded in 1977. It examines children's literature from a scholarly perspective covering the publishing industry, regional authors, comparative studies, illustration, popular culture, and other ...
'' Volume 2, Number 2, 1978 pp. 16–26
* Reginald (or Reggie) Beetle, based on Kipling himself. * William "Turkey" M'Turk (pronounced McTurk; he comes from a
landed estate In real estate, a landed property or landed estate is a property that generates income for the owner (typically a member of the gentry) without the owner having to do the actual work of the estate. In medieval Western Europe, there were two compet ...
in Ireland). He is based on
George Charles Beresford George Charles Beresford (10 July 1864 – 21 February 1938) was a British studio photographer, originally from Drumlease, Dromahair, County Leitrim. Early life A member of the Beresford family headed by the Marquess of Waterford and the thir ...
.


Staff

* Mr. Bates - the Headmaster, always wise and usually firm. Based on Cormell Price, headmaster of the United Services College. * Mr. Prout – a
housemaster {{refimprove, date=September 2018 In British education, a housemaster is a schoolmaster in charge of a boarding house, normally at a boarding school and especially at a public school. The housemaster is responsible for the supervision and care ...
in charge of Stalky's House, the victim of many of their deceptions * Mr. King – a housemaster who sometimes bedevils the boys; "generally held to be based on
W. C. Crofts William Carr Crofts (1846–1894) was an English architect and entrepreneur who was a photographic pioneer. History Crofts was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire and became an architect. With his cousin, Wordsworth Donisthorpe, he was one of the ...
," plus F. W. Haslam * Mr. Hartopp – a housemaster, President of the Natural History Society; he seldom comes into conflict with the three boys and is more objective about them than Prout or King * the Reverend John Gillett – the school's chaplain, who understands the three boys and has friendly chats with them * Foxy – a "subtle red-haired school Sergeant"


Contents with summaries

The novel is a compilation of nine previously published stories, with a prefatory untitled poem beginning "Let us now praise famous men" (
Sirach The Book of Sirach () or Ecclesiasticus (; abbreviated Ecclus.) is a Jewish work, originally in Hebrew, of ethical teachings, from approximately 200 to 175 BC, written by the Judahite scribe Ben Sira of Jerusalem, on the inspiration of his fa ...
44:1). Several of the stories appeared in more than one magazine before being collected in book form. The stories are listed below in the order in which they appeared in the book, along with the date and location of their magazine appearances: * "In Ambush" (August 1898, ''
McClure's Magazine ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism ( investigative, wat ...
''; December, 1898, ''
Pearson's Magazine ''Pearson's Magazine'' was a monthly periodical that first appeared in Britain in 1896. A US version began publication in 1899. It specialised in speculative literature, political discussion, often of a socialist bent, and the arts. Its contribut ...
''): The three boys, reading and smoking in their "bunker" (hide-out), see a gamekeeper shooting a fox, something anathema in a place where foxhunting is practiced. When M'Turk tells the keeper's employer, a colonel who owns land adjoining their school, he gratefully invites them to visit his land. Later Sergeant Foxy, Mr. King, and Mr. Prout follow the boys to see what they're up to when far from the school, and Stalky leads them onto the colonel's land. The colonel upbraids them for trespassing, amusing the boys, who are eavesdropping. Though the Head finds out that the boys are technically innocent, he canes them for causing trouble. * "Slaves of the Lamp, Part I." (April 1897, '' Cosmopolis: A Literary Review'';): While the three boys and the three in the study (private room) below are rehearsing a
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...
of "Aladdin", Mr. King interrupts, as he has found lampoons Beetle wrote about him. He takes Beetle to his study and reprimands him in front of the younger boy who showed King the verses. By shooting a drunken carter with a
catapult A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of stor ...
, Stalky induces him to throw stones at King. Beetle takes the opportunity to increase the damage that the stones do to King's study and to the tale-bearer. * "An Unsavoury Interlude" (January, 1899, ''
McClure's Magazine ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism ( investigative, wat ...
'' and ''
Windsor Magazine ''The Windsor Magazine'' was a monthly illustrated publication produced by Ward Lock & Co from January 1895 to September 1939 (537 issues). The title page described it as "An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women". It was bound as six-monthly ...
''): Mr. King taunts Beetle for having formerly been afraid of bathing in the sea, leading the boys of King's house (dormitory) to taunt those of Prout's house as "stinkers". With the help of architectural knowledge Beetle has recently learned, the boys put a cat that they killed above the ceiling in King's house, causing a real stink, to King's house's much greater embarrassment. * "The Impressionists" (February, 1899, ''
McClure's Magazine ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism ( investigative, wat ...
'' and ''
Windsor Magazine ''The Windsor Magazine'' was a monthly illustrated publication produced by Ward Lock & Co from January 1895 to September 1939 (537 issues). The title page described it as "An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women". It was bound as six-monthly ...
''): Mr. Prout evicts the three boys from their study because each has been doing the others' work in the classes that he is good at. They give the impression of conspiracies, intrigues, and systematic
usury Usury () is the practice of making unethical or immoral monetary loans that unfairly enrich the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is c ...
in the house till he sends them back to their study to get them away from the other pupils. * "The Moral Reformers" (March, 1899, ''
McClure's Magazine ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism ( investigative, wat ...
'' and ''
Windsor Magazine ''The Windsor Magazine'' was a monthly illustrated publication produced by Ward Lock & Co from January 1895 to September 1939 (537 issues). The title page described it as "An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women". It was bound as six-monthly ...
''): The Rev. John Gillett suggests that the three boys protect a small boy who is being bullied. They trick the bullies (two older boys) into letting themselves be tied up for a game, and in a scene that has horrified many readers, torment the bullies without mercy until they convincingly agree to behave themselves. * A Little Prep." (April, 1899, ''
McClure's Magazine ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism ( investigative, wat ...
'' and ''
Windsor Magazine ''The Windsor Magazine'' was a monthly illustrated publication produced by Ward Lock & Co from January 1895 to September 1939 (537 issues). The title page described it as "An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women". It was bound as six-monthly ...
''): The Head catches the three boys out of bounds and smoking and has them caned, and they intend revenge. Some Old Boys (former pupils) visit at the end of the term. One of them, Crandall, an army officer in India, had seen another Old Boy die after a skirmish. The Head has Crandall sleep in his old dormitory, and boys crowd in to hear his story. To punish them for leaving their beds, the Head has them do prep. (study) on the last night. The pupils riot. The three boys had learned that when the Head had happened upon them out of bounds, he had been out to save another pupil from
diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...
by sucking the pseudo-membrane out of his throat, at great risk to the Head's life. They spread the report of the Head's heroism. When he comes to stop the rioting, all the pupils cheer him incessantly despite his punishment. * "The Flag of Their Country" (May 1899, ''
McClure's Magazine ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism ( investigative, wat ...
''; July, 1899, ''
Pearson's Magazine ''Pearson's Magazine'' was a monthly periodical that first appeared in Britain in 1896. A US version began publication in 1899. It specialised in speculative literature, political discussion, often of a socialist bent, and the arts. Its contribut ...
''): A general on the College's Board of Council sees Sergeant Foxy drilling boys, including Stalky and Beetle, as a punishment for lateness. He thinks they're drilling voluntarily and decides the school should have a well-equipped cadet-corps. A number of boys participate enthusiastically to prepare for their intended careers as military officers. However, a
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
is invited to give a speech on 'patriotism' to the school. He tactlessly outrages the boys' deep and private feelings about their military families and future, culminating by waving a Union Jack, an action which baffles them. Led by Stalky, the members of the cadet-corps quit the next morning. * "The Last Term" (May, 1899, ''
Windsor Magazine ''The Windsor Magazine'' was a monthly illustrated publication produced by Ward Lock & Co from January 1895 to September 1939 (537 issues). The title page described it as "An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women". It was bound as six-monthly ...
''): The three boys enjoy flirting with and kissing a local young woman, Mary Yeo. When a shy and intellectual
prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...
named Tulke sees them, they persuade Mary to kiss him. The prefects try to criticise the three for immorality, but they turn the tables by reporting Tulke's "immorality" and suggesting that the other prefects are conspiring with him. The three boys grudgingly agree not to tell the rest of the school, but do so on the last day, when they're leaving but the prefects will be back. * "Slaves of the Lamp, Part II." (May 1897, '' Cosmopolis: A Literary Review''): The characters are now about thirty, and most are civil servants or soldiers in India. All the participants in the Aladdin pantomime except Stalky reunite in England at the estate of a friend ("the Infant", who narrated Kipling's story "A Conference of the Powers"). They tell Beetle (the narrator of this story) how Stalky, an army captain, got his small force out of a siege by shooting at his enemies to get them to fight each other, as he had got the carter to throw stones at Mr. King; meanwhile Stalky used his charisma and language skills to keep his
Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
and
Pathan Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
allies together and then to set himself up as almost a local ruler.


Other stories

An expanded version of ''Stalky & Co.'' called ''The Complete Stalky and Co.'' was published in 1929. It contains all of the stories in the 1899 book plus five more, most of which had appeared in magazines in the 1920s. They appear in the following order: * "Stalky" (originally published 1898, collected in '' Land and Sea Tales for Scouts and Guides'' in 1923). Several pupils at the Coll. are caught and locked in a barn while trying to steal cattle for fun. Corkran leads Beetle and M'Turk in rescuing them and locking the farmhands in the barn. The boys change Corkran's nickname "Corky" to "Stalky" (which rhymes with it in the
non-rhotic Rhoticity in English is the pronunciation of the historical rhotic consonant by English speakers. The presence or absence of rhoticity is one of the most prominent distinctions by which varieties of English can be classified. In rhotic variet ...
accents of England, and is based on their slang "to stalk", meaning "to use clever tactics, to outwit others"). Kipling describes "Stalky" as the first of the Stalky & Co tales to be written: it was originally published in ''The Windsor Magazine'' and ''McClure's Magazine'' in 1898. * "In Ambush" * "Slaves of the Lamp (Part I)" * "An Unsavoury Interlude" * "The Impressionists" * "The Moral Reformers" * "The United Idolaters" (1924, collected in ''
Debits and Credits Debits and credits in double-entry bookkeeping are entries made in account ledgers to record changes in value resulting from business transactions. A debit entry in an account represents a transfer of value ''to'' that account, and a credit en ...
'' in 1926): A school fad for the
Uncle Remus Uncle Remus is the fictional title character and narrator of a collection of African American folktales compiled and adapted by Joel Chandler Harris and published in book form in 1881. Harris was a journalist in post-Reconstruction era Atlanta, a ...
stories leads to wilder and wilder behaviour until a climactic fight between King's house, with a
terrapin Terrapins are one of several small species of turtle (order Testudines) living in fresh or brackish water. Terrapins do not form a taxonomic unit and may not be closely related. Many belong to the families Geoemydidae and Emydidae. The name ...
painted in their colours, and Prout's house, with a
tar baby The Tar-Baby is the second of the Uncle Remus stories published in 1881; it is about a doll made of tar and turpentine used by the villainous Br'er Fox to entrap Br'er Rabbit. The more that Br'er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled ...
improvised by Stalky, Beetle, and M'Turk. As the school is nearly set on fire, the Head punishes many pupils. A new master obsessed with the possibility of homosexuality at the school thinks the Tar Baby was indecent, and the resulting quarrel with the other masters ends with his resignation. * "Regulus" (1917, collected in '' A Diversity of Creatures'' in 1917): In Latin class, Mr. King speaks enthusiastically about
Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
's
Ode An ode (from grc, ᾠδή, ōdḗ) is a type of lyric poetry. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three majo ...
III.5, which tells how the general
Regulus Regulus is the brightest object in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation designated α Leonis, which is Latinized to Alpha Leonis, and abbreviated Alpha Leo or α Leo. Re ...
took a message of war to
Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...
though he knew that the Carthaginians would kill him. A normally serious boy releases a mouse in a class. Teased by other boys about his forthcoming punishment, he goes berserk (Beetle's diagnosis) and fights one of them viciously. He accepts his punishments without trying to delay or diminish them, so Stalky compares him to Regulus—giving King ammunition in arguing to the science teacher Hartopp that the pupils learn valuable things from Latin. * "A Little Prep." * "The Flag of Their Country" * "The Propagation of Knowledge" (1926, collected in ''Debits and Credits''): In King's class, Beetle guides M'Turk in bringing up the theory that Francis Bacon wrote the plays ascribed to Shakespeare, which distracts King, as he loathes it. An examiner for the Army comes to the school. After Beetle and M'Turk elicit hints that he supports the Baconian theory, various boys pretend interest in it, getting high marks. King endures the examiner's praise of his pupils. * "The Satisfaction of a Gentleman" (1920): Beetle and one of the "Aladdin" players have a war of pranks. They conclude with a duel that turns into a chaotic battle on the nearby golf course using guns loaded with dust shot (very small shotgun pellets). As Beetle flees, he collides with an elderly golfer who turns out to be on the school's Council. The Head canes Beetle, Stalky, and M'Turk to appease him. * "The Last Term" * "Slaves of the Lamp (Part II)" Other Stalky stories: *"A Deal in Cotton": Stalky only listens to and comments on the main character's narration. Collected in '' Actions and Reactions''. *"The Honours of War" (1917 in ''A Diversity of Creatures''): Stalky (now a lieutenant-colonel) and Beetle learn that two
subalterns A subaltern () is a primarily British military term for a junior officer. Literally meaning " subordinate", subaltern is used to describe commissioned officers below the rank of captain and generally comprises the various grades of lieutenant. ...
are in trouble for playing pranks on a fellow subaltern named Wontner, including abducting him to the Infant's mansion. As Wontner intends to create a scandal that will end their careers, Stalky diverts him by helping to tie up and embarrass the pranksters, after which Wontner is as guilty as they are.


Criticism

When the stories were published, some critics praised them, including most of those in the daily papers. The '' Athenaeum'', for example, emphasised the stories' humour and realism. On the other hand, many reviews were harsh, notably Robert Buchanan's essay on Kipling in ''
The Contemporary Review ''The Contemporary Review'' is a British biannual, formerly quarterly, magazine. It has an uncertain future as of 2013. History The magazine was established in 1866 by Alexander Strahan and a group of intellectuals anxious to promote intellig ...
'', in which Buchanan saw Kipling's work as a sign of British culture's reversion to barbarism, and said of the book, "The vulgarity, the brutality, the savagery reeks on every page."
Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
called the book "deplorable"; Somerset Maugham, "odious".
Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
said it was "a story which ought never to have been written, for there is hardly a single form of meanness which it does not seem to extol, or of school mismanagement which it does not seem to applaud." Other harsh criticism have come from George Sampson in ''The Concise Cambridge History of English Literature'', A. C. Benson, and
Edmund Wilson Edmund Wilson Jr. (May 8, 1895 – June 12, 1972) was an American writer and literary critic who explored Freudian and Marxist themes. He influenced many American authors, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose unfinished work he edited for publi ...
. H. G. Wells called Stalky and his friends "mucky little sadists". In his ''
Outline of History The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to history: History – discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was i ...
'', noting that a master incites the three boys to bully the two bullies with "gusto" (shared by the author) and that the Head seems to approve it, he saw authority and supposed morality as the typical justification for cruelty. He added, "In this we have the key to the ugliest, most retrogressive, and finally fatal idea of modern imperialism; the idea of ''a tacit conspiracy between the law and illegal violence''." talics in original.He compared the boys' actions to the
Black Hundreds The Black Hundred (russian: Чёрная сотня, translit=Chornaya sotnya), also known as the black-hundredists (russian: черносотенцы; chernosotentsy), was a reactionary, monarchist and ultra-nationalist movement in Russia in t ...
' massacres in tsarist Russia, the
Jameson Raid The Jameson Raid (29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896) was a botched raid against the South African Republic (commonly known as the Transvaal) carried out by British colonial administrator Leander Starr Jameson, under the employment of Cecil ...
, and "the adventures of Sir
Edward Carson Edward Henry Carson, 1st Baron Carson, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire) (9 February 1854 – 22 October 1935), from 1900 to 1921 known as Sir Edward Carson, was an Unionism in Ireland, Irish u ...
and
F. E. Smith Frederick Edwin Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead, (12 July 1872 – 30 September 1930), known as F. E. Smith, was a British Conservative politician and barrister who attained high office in the early 20th century, in particular as Lord High Cha ...
(now Lord Birkenhead) in Ireland". On the other hand,
Richard Le Gallienne Richard Le Gallienne (20 January 1866 – 15 September 1947) was an English author and poet. The British-American actress Eva Le Gallienne (1899–1991) was his daughter by his second marriage to Danish journalist Julie Nørregaard (1863–1942). ...
called it "perhaps the best school story ever written" and replied to its detractors by quoting the story "An Unsavoury Interlude": "It's not brutality... It's boy; only boy."


Language and allusions

The stories contain a good deal of language, from slang and
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
dialect to legal
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
, that is unfamiliar to modern readers, especially those outside Britain. Also Kipling portrays the boys as being widely read in the literature available to them. Their casual talk includes Latin and
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
(often distorted), not unusual for schoolboys of the time, and they quote or purposefully misquote classical authors such as
Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
and
Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
. At least two editions have provided notes to help modern readers understand these words and references. Allusions include: * '' The Boy's Own Paper'' * ''
Eric, or, Little by Little ''Eric, or, Little by Little'' is a book by Frederic W. Farrar, first edition 1858. It was published by Adam & Charles Black, Edinburgh and London. The book deals with the descent into moral turpitude of a boy at a boarding school or English publ ...
'' (referred to often in mockery) Example: "Wasn't it glorious? Didn't I ''Eric'' 'em splendidly?" (''Stalky'': Ch. 8, "The Last Term") * ''
Fors Clavigera ''Fors Clavigera'' was the name given by John Ruskin to a series of letters addressed to British workmen during the 1870s. They were published in the form of pamphlets. The letters formed part of Ruskin's interest in moral intervention in the so ...
'', by
John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and pol ...
* "
The Gold-Bug "The Gold-Bug" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe published in 1843. The plot follows William Legrand, who was bitten by a gold-colored bug. His servant Jupiter fears that Legrand is going insane and goes to Legrand's friend, an ...
", by
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...
* ''
Jabberwocky "Jabberwocky" is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll about the killing of a creature named "the Jabberwock". It was included in his 1871 novel ''Through the Looking-Glass'', the sequel to '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865). The ...
'', by
Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...
. M'Turk uses the word "frabjous" on two occasions, one of them in a direct quotation, and Stalky uses it once. * A ''Jorrocks'' novel, probably ''Handley Cross'' (1843), by
Robert Smith Surtees Robert Smith Surtees (17 May 180516 March 1864) was an English editor, novelist and sporting writer, widely known as R. S. Surtees. He was the second son of Anthony Surtees of Hamsterley Hall, a member of an old County Durham family. He is reme ...
. Stalky quotes the line, "Hellish dark and smells of cheese." (''Stalky'': Ch. 8, "The Last Term") * ''
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...
'', by
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
. When Beetle points out Tulke's embarrassing admission that he couldn't stop a girl from kissing him, Stalky adds, "And Tulkus ..is an honourable man." * ''
The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinde ...
'', by
James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonist and Indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought ...
. In the story "In Ambush", Beetle twice calls Sgt. Foxy "
Chingachgook Chingachgook is a fictional character in four of James Fenimore Cooper's five ''Leatherstocking Tales'', including his 1826 novel ''The Last of the Mohicans''. Chingachgook was a lone Mohican chief and companion of the series' hero, Natty Bumppo. ...
". * ''
Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'', by
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
(an allusion to
Fagin Fagin is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. In the preface to the novel, he is described as a "receiver of stolen goods". He is the leader of a group of children (the Artful Dod ...
) * ''Uncle Remus and His Legends of the Old Plantation'', by
Joel Chandler Harris Joel Chandler Harris (December 9, 1848 – July 3, 1908) was an American journalist, fiction writer, and folklorist best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, where he served as an apprentice on a planta ...
, London edition, 1881. The principal basis for "The United Idolaters."


Posthumously published manuscript

Kipling wrote an additional story about Stalky and Co., "Scylla and Charybdis", that remained unpublished in his lifetime. It depicts Stalky and his friends catching a colonel cheating at golf near Appledore in North Devon. The story existed only in manuscript form, attached to the end of the original manuscript of ''Stalky & Co.'': it may have been planned as the opening chapter. On his death in 1936 Kipling bequeathed the manuscript to the Imperial Service Trust, the body that administered the
Imperial Service College The Imperial Service College (ISC) was an English independent school based in Windsor, originally known as St. Mark's School when it was founded in 1845. In 1906, St Mark’s School absorbed boys from the former United Services College, which ha ...
(successor institution to the United Services College). That school merged with Haileybury in 1942 to form
Haileybury and Imperial Service College Haileybury is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) near Hertford in England. It is a member of the Rugby Group and, though originally a major boys' public school in the Victorian era, it is now co-educational, enrol ...
. The manuscript was displayed at Haileybury in 1962, in an exhibition to mark the school's centenary; and in 1989, after spending many years in a bank vault, was transferred to the College archives. While "Scylla and Charybdis" was known to exist, it had never been transcribed or widely discussed. It was "discovered" in 2004 by Jeremy Lewins, a former Kipling Fellow at
Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Ma ...
. The school subsequently decided to publish it, in association with the Kipling Society.


Television adaptation

The tales were adapted for television by the BBC in 1982. The six-part series starred
Robert Addie Robert Alastair Addie (10 February 1960 – 20 November 2003) was an English film and theatre actor, who came to prominence playing the role of Sir Guy of Gisbourne in the 1980s British television drama series ''Robin of Sherwood''. Early life ...
as Stalky and
David Parfitt David Parfitt (born 8 July 1958) is an English film producer, actor, and co-founder of Trademark Films. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 71st Academy Awards for ''Shakespeare in Love'' (1998). Early life Parfitt was born in Sunder ...
as Beetle. It was directed by
Rodney Bennett Rodney Bennett (24 March 1935 – 3 January 2017) was a British television director. He worked for BBC Radio and directed television programmes for the BBC and ITV. Early life and education Bennett was born in Chagford, Devon, and raised in T ...
and produced by
Barry Letts Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of ''Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre, ...
.


References


External links

*
''Project Gutenberg'' e-text''stalky.com'' e-text''Words'' e-text
*
Kipling Society's site
which includes the text of all of his stories. Isabel Quigly's notes on the Stalky stories are available by navigating to each story, then clicking "Background", then "Notes on the text". {{DEFAULTSORT:Stalky and Co. 1899 British novels Novels by Rudyard Kipling Works originally published in The Windsor Magazine Novels set in boarding schools