The Read Through

I’d always had a bit of an aversion to Alan Bennett, based on a host of preconceived notions – too cosy, too middle class, too middle aged, all a bit safe – but The History Boys has quite the reputation as a modern classic. So did it dispel my prejudices? To some extent. The play is engrossing in its depiction of warring approaches to education – facts, performative cleverness or “sheer calculated silliness”. Whatever system of education the reader or viewer has suffered through, these battles will strike a powerful chord. As will the central characters as they grope towards meaning and understanding.

But the play doesn’t feel entirely satisfying. It is set in the 1980s but Bennett has said “its period didn’t seem important”, and this shows. Rather than timelessness, there’s a sense of 1950s schoolboys wandering around the 1980s so I couldn’t get completely invested in their story. It would also be difficult to bring a whole class of students to life and while some of the boys are distinctive and interesting, half the class remains anonymous, dampening the emotional engagement.

And for a 2004 play the dismissive treatment of sexual abuse of pupils by a teacher is lazy. Yes, Hector is removed (quietly) but any impact is dealt with by a perfunctory shrug and a hint of Wilde:

– Are we scarred for life do you think?
– We must hope so…

I would also have liked an ending that felt less easy and more complex than what was offered. Nevertheless, there is much to take from the play and it rewards repeated reading with some wonderful depictions of what education could be and what it is. As someone who has encountered the education system at various stages of his life and in different contexts, some lines leap with great satisfaction from off of the page:

“I’ll be glad when we can be shot of all this shit.”

Pass it on.