1990
First Published
4.44
Average Rating
108
Number of Pages
Part of Series
About this book: "What's Wrong with Civilizashun" was written by Richmal Crompton, with a foreword from Mary Cadogan and first published as a whole collection in book form in 1990 by Macmillan Children's Books, 96pp, ISBN 0333526562. 'People go on an' on tryin' to find out what's wrong with civilizashun an' what they never seem to see is that civilizashun's all wrong anyway an' that nothing will ever be right till we all go back to bein' savages.' So says William Brown, the famous 'Just William' created by Richmal Crompton and hero of the thirty-eight William books she wrote over a forty-year period - the first in 1922. Generations of children-and adults-have read with delighted enjoyment the stories of William and the Outlaws, and their attempts to educate an uncomprehending adult world to an understanding of the straightforward logic of William and his friends. In this collection of articles 'by William', we have his forthright views on education ('at present it is all wrong. You've only got to look at the grown-ups round you to see that'), holidays ('there's far too few of them'), Latin ('I don't wonder the Latin people have all died off, having to speak a language like that'), careers ('pirates are a noble and glorious career') and, of course, civilisashun. The first and only publication of these articles was in magazines in the 1920s and 1930s. Now re-published in book form, today's readers can enjoy the views of one of our youngest, and most practical, philosophers
Avg Rating
4.44
Number of Ratings
16
5 STARS
50%
4 STARS
44%
3 STARS
6%
2 STARS
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1 STARS
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Author
Richmal Crompton
Author · 63 books
Richmal Crompton Lamburn was initially trained as a schoolmistress but later became a popular English writer, best known for her Just William series of books, humorous short stories, and to a lesser extent adult fiction books. Crompton's fiction centres around family and social life, dwelling on the constraints that they place on individuals while also nurturing them. This is best seen in her depiction of children as puzzled onlookers of society's ways. Nevertheless, the children, particularly William and his Outlaws, almost always emerge triumphant.
