Stories and articles from Public School Magazine (UK)

 

Most of these items are articles; the earlier ones are typically reporting on school sports for the preceding season or examining a particular school. The “Under the Flail” columns contain early examples of Wodehouse’s humorous commentary on topical events. Reading the articles and columns chronologically shows him gaining experience as a humorous essayist, finding a voice that shares much with his later and better-known fiction.

This complete set of Wodehouse’s contributions to Public School Magazine has been freshly checked and revised against images of the original magazine during 2013–14, with some new ✎ annotations. As you enjoy these items, remember that Wodehouse was employed by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank from September 1900 to September 1902, so nearly all of this was written outside office hours, while he was proving to himself that he could earn his living solely by writing. Keep in mind, too, that he was eighteen to twenty years old at the time; he would turn 21 in October 1902, five weeks after chucking the Bank for full-time writing.

 

□ Editorial announcement of prize competition — January 1900

The link above is an image, opening in a new tab or window. The first monthly winner of the competition was Wodehouse, with the essay linked here:

Some Aspects of Game-Captaincy (prize-winning essay) — February 1900

✎ Cricket at Malvern — September 1900

✎ Football at Dulwich — October 1900

Public School Cricket in 1900 — October 1900

Concerning Tonbridge — November 1900

Malvern College — November 1900

✎ Under the Flail — December 1900

✎ The Winger and His Wicked Works — December 1900

✎ Work (essay including fictional dramatic dialogue) — December 1900

✎ The Ways We Have: No. 3: Dulwich — January 1901

Under the Flail — January 1901

✎ Notes — February 1901

Under the Flail — February 1901

✎ Concerning Relations — March 1901

✎ Under the Flail — March 1901

Photo of Dulwich Cricket XI — March 1901

✎ Under the Flail — April 1901

School Football — May 1901

Under the Flail — May 1901

Pauline Pugilism — June 1901

✎ Under the Flail — June 1901

Now, Talking About Cricket — July 1901

The Prize Poem (story) — July 1901

✎ Under the Flail — July 1901

L’Affaire Uncle John (story) — August 1901

✎ School Stories — August 1901

Under the Flail — August 1901

Cricket at Dulwich — September 1901

✎ Under the Flail — September 1901

The Season’s Cricket — September 1901

✎ Author! (story) — October 1901

✎ Football, My Dear Sir, Why— — October 1901

✎ Under the Flail — October 1901

✎ The Improbabilities of Fiction — November 1901

✎ Under the Flail — November 1901

✎ The Strange Disappearance of Mr. Buxton-Smythe (story) — December 1901

The Tom Brown Question — December 1901

Under the Flail — December 1901

Acton’s Feud (book review) — January 1902

✎ Treating of Cribs — January 1902

Under the Flail — January 1902

The Pothunters — Part 1 (novel) - January 1902

✎ The Tabby Terror (story) — February 1902

Under the Flail — February 1902

The Pothunters — Part 2 (novel) - February 1902

The Adventure of the Split Infinitive (story) — March 1902

✎ Muddied Oafs — March 1902

✎ Under the Flail — March 1902

The Pothunters - Conclusion (novel) — March 1902