Eric, or, little by little
Encyclopedia
Eric, or, Little by Little is the title of a book by Frederic W. Farrar, first edition 1858. It was published by Adam & Charles Black, Edinburgh and London.
The book deals with the descent into moral turpitude of a boy at a boarding school
.
The author's preface reads:
Eric is a son of a British worker and his wife stationed in India
. As was common at the time of the British Raj
, Eric is sent to Britain to be educated at a boarding school - in this case Roslyn School, where he encounters the good and bad aspects of the traditional boys' school.
He slowly gets beaten down due to erroneously being punished for wrongdoings, getting bullied and such things as drinking, smoking and cheating. The end is tragic for Eric, as he loses everything.
Along with Talbot Baines Reed
's The Fifth Form at St. Dominic’s
and Thomas Hughes
' Tom Brown's Schooldays
, this book was one of three most popular boys' books in mid-Victorian Britain. The school is a thinly disguised cross between Farrar's own school King William's College
in the Isle of Man
, and Marlborough College
, at which he was the master.
The book is credited with helping to increase the popularity of the first name "Eric" in English-speaking countries — although not with Eric Arthur Blair (the writer and journalist George Orwell
) who disliked his given name because of its association with Farrar's book.
In later years, it fell out of favour, in part because of its religious earnestness. For example, in Rudyard Kipling
's Stalky & Co.
, published late in the 19th century, the protagonist Beetle and his friends frequently made fun of "Eric", eg
In the years closely preceding 1974 it was forbidden at King Williams, and certainly not in the library.
The book deals with the descent into moral turpitude of a boy at a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
.
The author's preface reads:
"The story of ‘Eric’ was written with but one single object—the vivid inculcation of inward purity and moral purpose, by the history of a boy who, in spite of the inherent nobleness of his disposition, falls into all folly and wickedness, until he has learnt to seek help from above. I am deeply thankful to know—from testimony public and private, anonymous and acknowledged—that this object has, by God’s blessing, been fulfilled."
Eric is a son of a British worker and his wife stationed in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. As was common at the time of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, Eric is sent to Britain to be educated at a boarding school - in this case Roslyn School, where he encounters the good and bad aspects of the traditional boys' school.
Along with Talbot Baines Reed
Talbot Baines Reed
Talbot Baines Reed was an English writer of boys' fiction who established a genre of school stories that endured into the second half of the 20th century. Among his best-known work is The Fifth Form at St. Dominic's. He was a regular and prolific contributor to The Boy's Own Paper , in which most...
's The Fifth Form at St. Dominic’s
The Fifth Form at St. Dominic’s
The Fifth Form at St. Dominic's is the best known of the school stories of late 19th century author Talbot Baines Reed. The stories as well as the book were written for the Boy's Own Paper and published by the Religious Tract Society, with illustrations by Gordon Browne.Like other authors of...
and Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes was an English lawyer and author. He is most famous for his novel Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. It had a lesser-known sequel, Tom Brown at Oxford .- Biography :Hughes was the second son of John Hughes, editor of...
' Tom Brown's Schooldays
Tom Brown's Schooldays
Tom Brown's Schooldays is a novel by Thomas Hughes. The story is set at Rugby School, a public school for boys, in the 1830s; Hughes attended Rugby School from 1834 to 1842...
, this book was one of three most popular boys' books in mid-Victorian Britain. The school is a thinly disguised cross between Farrar's own school King William's College
King William's College
King William's College is a leading world International Baccalaureate HMC independent school for ages 3 to 18, situated near Castletown on the Isle of Man...
in the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, and Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
, at which he was the master.
The book is credited with helping to increase the popularity of the first name "Eric" in English-speaking countries — although not with Eric Arthur Blair (the writer and journalist George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
) who disliked his given name because of its association with Farrar's book.
In later years, it fell out of favour, in part because of its religious earnestness. For example, in Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
's Stalky & Co.
Stalky & Co.
Stalky & Co. is a book published in 1899 by Rudyard Kipling, about adolescent boys at a British boarding school. It is a collection of linked short stories in format, with some information about the charismatic Stalky character in later life. The character Beetle, one of the main trio, is partly...
, published late in the 19th century, the protagonist Beetle and his friends frequently made fun of "Eric", eg
-
- "Besides, we ain't goin' to have any beastly Erickin" .
In the years closely preceding 1974 it was forbidden at King Williams, and certainly not in the library.