Grantchester Grind
Encyclopedia
Tom Sharpe
Tom Sharpe is an English satirical author, best known for his Wilt series of novels.Sharpe was born in London and moved to South Africa in 1951, where he worked as a social worker and a teacher, before being deported for sedition in 1961...
, a British novelist born in 1928 who was educated at Lancing College
Lancing College
Lancing College is a co-educational English independent school in the British public school tradition, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith." Lancing was the first of a...
and then at Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
.
Premise
Grantchester Grind follows on from the story of the fictitious Porterhouse College, CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, started in the previous book, Porterhouse Blue
Porterhouse Blue
Porterhouse Blue is a novel written by Tom Sharpe, first published in 1974. There was a Channel 4 TV series in 1987 based on the novel, adapted by Malcolm Bradbury...
.
Plot
Porterhouse is a college which had an incident involving a bedderBedder
The term "bedder" is short for "bedmaker" and is a housekeeper in a college of the University of Cambridge and the University of Durham. The equivalent at the University of Oxford is known as a "scout"...
and the college's only research graduate student
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
which caused the Bull Tower to be severely damaged. Since the college's funds were exhausted by a previous bursar
Bursar
A bursar is a senior professional financial administrator in a school or university.Billing of student tuition accounts are the responsibility of the Office of the Bursar. This involves sending bills and making payment plans with the ultimate goal of getting the student accounts paid off...
with a tendency to gamble, one of the story's central themes is guided by the Senior Members' attempts to acquire funds for the college.
The new Master, Skullion
Skullion
Skullion is a central character in Porterhouse Blue and Grantchester Grind , two novels about life in the fictitious Porterhouse College at Cambridge by British novelist Tom Sharpe. For centuries, Porterhouse College has been renowned for its cuisine, the prowess of its rowers and the low level of...
, the previous Head Porter of the college, is frail after a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
(or a 'Porterhouse Blue' , hence the previous book's title) and the issues surrounding the death of the previous Master, Sir Godber Evans
Sir Godber Evans
Sir Godber Evans is a central character in Porterhouse Blue and, posthumously, Grantchester Grind , two novels about life in the fictitious Porterhouse College at Cambridge by British novelist Tom Sharpe...
, prompt his widow to instigate a plan to investigate the death through a planted Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
, backed by a large, anonymous donation to the College.
Meanwhile, the Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the College takes it upon himself to visit prosperous Old Porterthusians (previous members of Porterhouse) in the hope that one is willing and able to become Master if and when Skullion cannot continue. At the same time, the current Bursar is contacted by an American media mogul who seems to be interested in supporting the college without clarifying what it is he wants in return. At the end of the novel the alcoholic Lord Jeremy Pimpole
Lord Jeremy Pimpole
Lord Jeremy Pimpole is a fictional character created by author Tom Sharpe, a British novelist. The character of Lord Pimpole is first mentioned in Porterhouse Blue , set in the fictitious Porterhouse College in Cambridge, where his name, with that of a former student, Launcelot Gutterby, is often...
is appointed as Master of the College.
See also
- Tom SharpeTom SharpeTom Sharpe is an English satirical author, best known for his Wilt series of novels.Sharpe was born in London and moved to South Africa in 1951, where he worked as a social worker and a teacher, before being deported for sedition in 1961...
- Porterhouse BluePorterhouse BluePorterhouse Blue is a novel written by Tom Sharpe, first published in 1974. There was a Channel 4 TV series in 1987 based on the novel, adapted by Malcolm Bradbury...
- Porterhouse College, Cambridge
- Sir Godber EvansSir Godber EvansSir Godber Evans is a central character in Porterhouse Blue and, posthumously, Grantchester Grind , two novels about life in the fictitious Porterhouse College at Cambridge by British novelist Tom Sharpe...
- SkullionSkullionSkullion is a central character in Porterhouse Blue and Grantchester Grind , two novels about life in the fictitious Porterhouse College at Cambridge by British novelist Tom Sharpe. For centuries, Porterhouse College has been renowned for its cuisine, the prowess of its rowers and the low level of...
- Lord Jeremy PimpoleLord Jeremy PimpoleLord Jeremy Pimpole is a fictional character created by author Tom Sharpe, a British novelist. The character of Lord Pimpole is first mentioned in Porterhouse Blue , set in the fictitious Porterhouse College in Cambridge, where his name, with that of a former student, Launcelot Gutterby, is often...
- Poppleton UniversityPoppleton UniversityPoppleton University is a British fictional university in the column that Laurie Taylor writes for Times Higher Education. Taylor's column, referred to as "like Nelson’s, one of the truly great columns" by author Malcolm Bradbury, and "suavely mischievous" by The Independent newspaper, satirically...