ENGLISH LITERATURE
Geoffrey Trease: A national treasure
meeting God”. Both Cooper’s novel (King of Shadows) her: “Though I have the weak body of a woman, I have
and Trease’s emerge with different kinds of credit from the heart and stomach of a man.”
this and a term in which both books are studied together only when she is a playing Juliet (playing a boy
with Romeo and Juliet and/or A Midsummer Night’s playing a girl) are her looks admired. and only at the
Dream would give students a brilliant introduction to end of the story is her physical beauty as a woman
the man and his mileu. revealed and it is as much a surprise to Peter as it is to
Trease’s Shakespeare is “the most understanding the reader. He already loves her, as do we. a healthy
person I ever knew” and the only one to see through corrective to modern publications for teenage girls.
Kit’s male disguise and it was a great idea and starting Trease does not make an idyll of this. Kit’s body,
point to let the child reader meet the legend (and the though fast and strong, is not as fast or strong as
man of the theatre) behind the printed plays. Peter’s, but in the “friendly argument” that typifies their
Trease’s plot builds in detailed information about relationship, his male vanity has to concede that she is
the Elizabethan theatre companies, including the boys’ never more than 10 yards behind in the flight for their
players, and the paranoid political context of the lives and her wits are frequently ahead of his. and she
way Shakespeare’s late Elizabethan plays were staged has centre stage in some of the physical adventures too
(including the one where a planned assassination of – not just the plays in which she outshines Peter. She
Elizabeth was to follow a cue in one of Shakespeare’s can use her femininity too, when it is useful!
productions – hence the title). It is no surprise to learn that she will teach her future
The novel uses Shakespearean theatre in two central sons how to climb her own apple trees. SecEd
ways. first, Peter – with quiet Treasonian comedy
– escapes from Sir Philip Morton first as a part of the • Gareth Calway is a consultant for the National
stage furniture (in a coffin) and later as a costumed Association for the Teaching of English and author of
boy-member of the company (playing the nurse). This OUP’s Rollercoaster Reader’s Guide: King of Shadows.
links with work done on Shakespeare’s incessant use of
disguise as both political theme and metaphor. Kit also
Geoffrey Trease: Factfile
escapes from Sir Philip (who is trying to marry her for
her lands in Cumberland) by the same means.
Geoffrey Trease was born in Nottingham
Second, at the climax of the book, it is the ability of in 1909 and died in 1998, was a prolific
theatre to hold the mirror up to life that actually foils the
writer, publishing more than 110 books
real-life plot of the northern rebels.
between 1934 (Bows Against the Barons)
Saving the country and getting ‘the girl’
and 1997 (Cloak for a Spy). His work has
“Your mother’s on to me to wear some of your sister’s
been translated into 20 languages.
clothes,” she said, with a grin, as she sauntered away His ground-breaking study Tales Out
to the kitchen, “but I’m staying a man until this thing’s
of School (1949) pioneered the idea that
finished.”
children’s literature should be a serious
not “staying as a man”, but “staying a man” – why,
subject for study and debate.
almost as if manhood is merely a costume one wears,
He was one of the first authors who
a role one plays! deliberately set out to appeal to both boys
She justifies her tomboy actions at the end of the
and girls and to feature strong leading
novel to the terrifying Queen herself by quoting the old
characters of both sexes.
lady’s own famous gender subversion at Tilbury back at
Psycho babble
Bring back the spelling test
Many of today’s teenagers have failed to acquire prove conclusively whether spelling standards were
the 40,000 words that should be firmly fixed in their rising or falling, but people in their 40s were found
vocabulary arsenal by age 16, and each day use as to be the best spellers, getting, on average, more than
few as 800. There is also increasing evidence that the 90 per cent. Every young person tested made at least
standard of spelling among teenagers and university one mistake in a list of words including caffeine,
students is poor. embarrass, occurred, receive, weird and independent.
There are various theories for the downfall of The results came despite the fact that all the correct
language in teens, from too much television, poor spellings were given – the youngsters were asked to
verbal and written interaction with adults, “teenspeak” select the correct spelling from three versions of the
messaging that cannibalises words and grammar, and same word (see list below).
under-emphasis on vocabulary and spelling in school How can we change this? Bring back the spelling
(not being marked down for misspellings in subjects test. Start with the list of commonly misspelled
I mustn’t give up. I mustn’t give up. I think I panted the won’t get within a mile of you again. I grinned weakly. outside of English). words (also below) and set a 20-word test first
words aloud, above the roaring in my ears. Everything This was going back to childhood with a vengeance, Learning to spell helps to cement the thing in the morning. Set a benchmark, offering
depended on my reaching that thin line of grey shingle, back to the comforting little world in which Father and connection between the letters and their rewards (certificates will do) for every 100
that fringe of oaks and pines. If I gave up now, and Big Brother can save one from every possible peril. I sounds, and learning high-frequency words mastered. ask other teachers to
let myself slip down into the sweet peace of green couldn’t go back like that. These last months had made “sight words” to mastery level make a note of words that are most often
water, the Queen (Elizabeth I) would be murdered a man of me, perhaps a little before my time and, man- improves both reading and writing. misspelled and add these to the list.
and the kingdom thrown into anarchy. Thousands of like, I had to stand on my own feet. “Dad can’t save the In their 2008 review, Joshi, Take it a step further; introduce
Englishmen would die in the quarrel. English homes Queen’s life in London,” I said. Treiman, Carreker and Moats the idea of journaling or blogging for
would flare skywards. English women and children describe this connection: “The students. you can give them topics
would run shrieking to the safety of forest and fell, It is typical of Trease, however, that instead of falling correlation between spelling or simply encourage them to jot
and the horror our people had not known for years out with his parents over how grown up and important and reading comprehension is down, daily, whatever interests
would come again. That was what kept me swimming. he is (and he is), he just smiles and gets on with saving high because both depend on a them. as long as the entries are
It wasn’t just the life of an old lady with a crown. It the kingdom. The point is that Peter’s behaviour common denominator: proficiency grammatically correct and spelled
was for all of us. No-one in England knew what I knew towards his mother and his father is commendable with language. The more deeply properly, they will be on the right
– except the conspirators whose mad dreams were rather than idyllic: the strains are shown (to the child’s and thoroughly a student knows track. They must, however, use at
rushing us towards the horror. I mustn’t sink with that advantage) but he acknowledges and then overcomes a word, the more likely he or she least five words, daily, from their
secret into the lake. his irritation and moves on. It doesn’t stop him being is to recognise it, spell it, define it, spelling list.
“a man”. and use it appropriately in speech This may sound like going back to
Trease has plenty of heroic sensational adventure, but Mr Brownrigg is a father of his time – strong, and writing.” basics, but perhaps this is exactly what
not many authors have such conscientious citizens to protective, independent, paternalistic. Peter must Reading and writing fluently not is required to get those students up to the
narrate them. as with aristotle’s poetics, sensation has outgrow him, but they fight a common enemy in their only encourages healthy communication, magical 40,000 words.
its place (behind plot, character, thought, language, and different ways. The Cumbrian father is local (A man but inspires confidence on many levels. If
melody). Trease puts it at the service of a profounder must defend his own home and his folk); the adventure- students are able to articulate their thoughts on Words that students could not spell: accidentally,
concern: citizenship – just as the character puts his own schooled son extends this to the whole nation. This paper, they acquire the confidence they need to accommodation, amateur, beginning, caffeine,
concerns at the service of society. good father is rarer than the good mother in Trease, so use a broader variety of words in speech as well. category, definitely, desperate, embarrass,
Cue for Treason is an intriguing exception. In a global economy, where email communication environment, existence, independent, interest,
The generation gap
is the mainstay, it is increasingly important that our occurred, preferred, receive, separate, transferring,
Peter begins the book sparring with his elder brother,
Shakespeare
students are able to be produce accurate, succinct, truly, until, useful, weird.
in physical awe of his father and physically dependent Shakespeare is alone reason enough to study Cue for comprehensive and professional written work (a word Misspellings they could not spot when given the
on his mother. He is thrown in at the deep end of self- Treason. The conventional gender subversion – and spelled incorrectly in international correspondence can correct spellings: borne (born), eght (eight), quarrell
reliance and grows up. When he returns home, just all it says about social stereotypes – that Shakespeare change entire meanings). (quarrel), realy (really), seperated (separated), a part
before the climax of the plot, with wry realism, all this made his comedy trademark is not just referenced in Studies have repeatedly shown that regular spelling (apart), hollidays (holidays), medecine (medicine),
is as nothing. this story, it is at the very heart of its plot and purpose. If tests are by far the most effective way to cement litterature (literature), caracters (characters).
Peter learns to be “a man”, Kit also lives as one. spelling knowledge and, through that, encourage the
“Everything’s all right; don’t worry,” said Mother, We also meet The Man from Stratford himself in acquisition of language. • Karen Sullivan is a bestselling author, psychologist
patting my pillow. Tom and your dad will be in soon: these pages, which, as Susan Cooper’s hero commented Research from the University of Ulster did not and childcare expert. Email KESullivan@aol.com
they’ve got the business in hand, and those scoundrels in a more recent attempt on the same idea, is “a bit like
SecEd • March 4 2010 9
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