cyphomandra

Wanted, An English Girl: The Adventures of an English Schoolgirl in Germany, Dorothea Moore. Moore was in the VAD in WWI and her brother Edmund was in the medical corps; this book is dedicated to him. It was published in 1916 and has a “ripped from the headlines” quality to it, and it’s also the first vintage girls’ school (technically - there isn’t any of it set at school) story I’ve read that needs a content warning for sexual violence and torture. It’s available as an ebook from Books to Treasure.

( Wanted is set mainly in Insterburg, a thinly veiled Luxembourg (Moore wrote Ruritanian stories as well as school ones). )

Most of the books I’ve read in this era go on about the atrocities committed by German troops in Belgium, and it’s presented over and over again as a reason for fighting (far more than the invasion itself). The Bryce Report, which looked into these allegations, was published in May 1915, and I am pretty sure Moore was using it as a reference. There is discussion about its accuracy, particularly some of the more lurid stories, but much of it seems supported by events; regardless, it was highly effective as propaganda (the Germans published a retaliatory report about all the horrible things Belgian civilians did to German soldiers and how justified their invasion was, but this appears to be far less based in reality). I was startled by how much violence Moore put in her book, but all these things would have been the topic of daily conversations and in the newspapers.

regshoe has recommended Moore's Head of the Lower School for more German spies - it's published after WWI but obviously evil does not rest. It's on Gutenberg so I will check it out.

I've been reading pre-1950s school stories for years (predominantly British or Commonwealth) and find them soothing, in similar ways to detective stories and other strongly formulaic genres; some transcend the form, some exemplify it, some have occasional good bits and some fail completely (there's also the entertainingly bad form). I do find them interesting as social history as well, in terms of what's expected and what isn't, although attitudes and expectations can sometimes be a bit difficult to calmly accept (class particularly in these ones, although gender sometimes gets a little bit of consideration).

( Margaret Biggs, The Blakes come to Melling (re-read). )
( Margaret Biggs, The new prefect at Melling (re-read) )
( Margaret Biggs, Last term for Helen (re-read). )
( Margaret Biggs, The head girl at Melling (re-read). )
( Margaret Biggs, Summer term at Melling (re-read). )
( Margaret Biggs, Susan in the sixth (re-read). )
( Margaret Biggs, Changes at Melling. )

( Angela Brazil, The youngest girl in the fifth. )
( Angela Brazil, Monitoress Merle. )

( Dorothea Moore, Tenth at Trinders. )

( Helen Barber, A Chalet School Headmistress (re-read) )

( Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Janie Steps In. )