ABSTRACT
At the beginning o f this study the point was made that this is a case study. It has traced the development and decay o f one minor literary genre, the boys’ school story. The conclusions, therefore, inevitably are o f two kinds. Some definite findings can be reported that are o f a social historical nature, that relate in the main either to the literary or educational history of the period 1860 to 1940. These concern the actual historical development o f boys’ school stories that has been set out here. Second, however, there are a number o f points o f a theoretical nature that can be made. These relate to the sociologies o f literature and o f culture, although, since the material here presented relates to children and schools there are some implications also for the sociology of education. Yet, because this is a case study, no sociological conclusions o f general validity are possible. Only speculative points can be made which must ultimately be tested in other case studies, some suggestions for which are made, or by research especially designed to examine one or more of these specific points alone. The social historical conclusions will be presented first prior to examining matters o f sociological concern.
