Molesworth

I adored Down With Skool!, the first of four books featuring observations from that consummate blockhead, Nigel Molesworth, the self-described “curse of St. Custard’s,” an English boarding school in the 1950s. When I had the chance to buy Molesworth, an omnibus of all four books for a pittance, I jumped at the chance. “As any fule kno,”* what could be more fun?

Molesworth 1 (so called by his schoolmasters and peers to distinguish him from his younger and stupider brother, Molesworth 2) remains as ignorant, lazy, and pig-headed as ever in How to Be Topp, Whizz for Atomms, and Back in the Jug Agane, Down With Skool!’s three sequels. Molesworth’s spelling, punctuation, and syntax remain just as atrocious, too. Chiz, chiz!** show more What also remains the same 60 years later, thankfully, are author Geoffrey Willans’ hilarious satire and illustrator Ronald Searle’s masterful caricatures from the original books.

Molesworth rants about the lack of importance of Latin, French, maths, and even English in the nuclear age; the perfidy and cruelty of schoolmasters; the disappointment in discovering that Americans aren’t all gangsters and cowboys; and the impertinence of “new bugs” (a.k.a. first-year pupils), who Molesworth feels should tremble in the face of the upperclassmen. He spends much of his time daydreaming about life as a Roman, an Elizabethan, and an evolved egg-shaped being from centuries in the future. He good-naturedly razzes his “grate friend” (and fellow philistine) Timothy Peason and less good-naturedly denigrates that paragon, Basil Fotherington-Tomas*** [sic].

While the sequels aren’t as hilarious as Down with Skool!, they’re still pretty good, particularly Whizz for Atomms, which is nearly its equal. That book is the most hilarious when Molesworth waxes eloquent about life outside of St. Custard’s: The bits about Christmas, the summer holidays, the dread of “[a]nother weedy party and a lot of weedy little gurls,” and the schizophrenic nature of grandmothers will make readers laugh out loud. Nigel Molesworth, despite being an uncultured, dim-witted slacker, really captured my heart. Here’s to remembering that we, like Molesworth and his “felow oiks, cads, bulies, and dirty roters,” overcame the superficiality and stupidity of youth, and to cut some slack to the next generation.

* As any fool knows
** Variously, What an outrage! or What a swindle!
** I cannot tell if Molesworth is misspelling Fotherington-Thomas, or if it’s actually Fotherington-Tomas, and Basil has a Portuguese or Spanish ancestor. show less

The Compleet Molesworth by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle (co-creator and illustrator) had been on my TRL for ages. I was intrigued by the illustrations that were depicted on the cover and its comparison to my dear Roald Dahl. This is a classic children's series (bound together in its entirety here) about a boy named Nigel Molesworth who narrates his time in a boy's boarding school called St. Custard's. Willans captures the spirit of boyhood in a private boarding school especially well owing to his being a Headmaster himself. (This is even funnier once you get to know Headmaster Grimes who is particularly fond of the cane.) This book is replete with bad spelling (evidenced in the title) and absolutely stunning illustrations by show more Searle who was a satirical cartoonist (perfect for this series). Molesworth and his buddies get up to many hi-jinks and shenanigans which are generally instigated by our hero. Amidst all of this tomfoolery Willans and Searle have taken jabs at the inequalities of the classes by showcasing the Head Boy Grabber as only being placed in such a prestigious position because his parents shell out lots of money. (The Headmaster is greedy and generally does all he can to cut corners most notably with the selection of food offered to the students.) If you can get used to the bad spelling, grammatical errors, made-up slang, and seemingly arbitrary abbreviations for everything you will see why this has held up as a true children's classic. It's witty, cutting in its bluntness, and in general everything I hoped it would be. 10/10 show less

I was given this book by my dear old mum in 1985 when I was 13. Long gone were the days of St Custard's, even though I was going to a school which still had a boarding department. Indeed only a year or two later, the cane was dispensed with.

As noted below, this book is a satire of society and the public school system, but it offers a glimpse into a time - which although only 20 years (then) past - seemed so much very further away. I'm not old enough to remember the fifties and sixties, but it was a long way off the Eighties in which I read this book. Funny, satirical, downright silly, and even a bit reflective in parts, nigel molesworth, (for it is he), never garnered the same fame as the girls from St Trinians; but actually, his show more antics are a lot funnier.

Sadly, I don't think any of this will appeal to 13 year old today - chiz chiz - but for lads of a certain age, this book of skool life should prove to be a whiz of a read.

enuff said. ;-) show less

I read and reread this when I was 13 or 14. It captured for me the sense of struggle against the teachers, the school system and the other boys that is such a big part of being a teenager. It is still hilarious. Sadly the master cartoonist, Ronald Searle, has recently died but his masterpiece lives on.

This is a collection of 4 Molesworth books. I finished the first (Down with skool, i think). It's good... but not as great as it's reputation. Yes, funny- clever, biting and so forth but also a bit predictably and a little tired. I will pick it up again for the other books, but found that one book of Molesworth goes a pretty long way.

A compendium of Nigel Molesworth's four books about life at his prep school, St Custard's:
"Down with Skool! : A guide to school life for tiny pupils and their parents"
"How to be Topp : A guide to Sukcess for tiny pupils, including all there is to kno about SPACE"
"Whizz for Atomms : A guide to survival in the 20th century for felow pupils, their doting maters, pompous paters and any others who are interested"
"Back in the Jug Agane"

Very humorous, with wonderful illustrations. Here is Molesworth's attempt at reciting poetry in English class, while being sabotaged by his great friend Peason:

SIR THE BURIAL SIR OF SIR JOHN MOORE SIR AT CORUNNA SIR

(A titter from 2B they are wet and i will tuough them up show more after.)

Notadrumwasheardnotafuneralnote
shut up peason larffing
As his corse
As his corse
what is a corse sir? gosh is it
to the rampart we carried
(whisper you did not kno your voice was so lovely)
Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot.
PING!
Shut up peason i know sir he's blowing peas at me
Oer the grave where our hero we buried.

(A pause a grave bow i retire and Egad! peason hav placed a dainty pin upon mine seat. Fie!) show less

the xciting adventures of nigel molesworth who is brave and daring and bold cheers cheers and sa ya boo sucks to all swots gurls and MASTERS who make his life hel chiz. Also contanes basil fotherington-tomas who is uterly weedstruck and believe there are faries at the botom of his garden. Xtra tuition in eng., fr., lat, hist. and MATHS not included. pub. grabber and grabber at 7/6 and well worth it.