Helpful Score: 1
Of the fourteen stories (nine of Basil and five of Josephine) collected in this book, five of the Basil series and three of the Josephine series were previously published in "Taps At Reveille." Three other Basil stories appeared in "Afternoon of an Author." Many were also printed in "The Saturday Evening Post."
The nine Basil stories trace a young mans maturation from a pre-teen awareness of girls (age 11) through his tribulations as a teenager up to his matriculation to college (at age 17) when Cupids dart sets him reeling. Given the relative era of the stories, Basil just might be and extension of Penrod, Or, the stories could be viewed as an update of Tom Browns Schooldays. So, if the linked events in Penrod and Tom Brown constitute a novel, the Basil stories may be considered one too: a sort of stovel. (I wonder if the Oxford Dictionary will include this term as it did with duh.) Stovel: a series of stories that are linked together by a common protagonist and a sequential time frame that have been compiled into one volume to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Josephine, the female counterpart of Basil, is seen at the latter part of her teens (ages 16-18). Sexual awareness has evolved into precociousness. The author traces her through several periods of flirtation to a final awareness of what love is all about.
The nine Basil stories trace a young mans maturation from a pre-teen awareness of girls (age 11) through his tribulations as a teenager up to his matriculation to college (at age 17) when Cupids dart sets him reeling. Given the relative era of the stories, Basil just might be and extension of Penrod, Or, the stories could be viewed as an update of Tom Browns Schooldays. So, if the linked events in Penrod and Tom Brown constitute a novel, the Basil stories may be considered one too: a sort of stovel. (I wonder if the Oxford Dictionary will include this term as it did with duh.) Stovel: a series of stories that are linked together by a common protagonist and a sequential time frame that have been compiled into one volume to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Josephine, the female counterpart of Basil, is seen at the latter part of her teens (ages 16-18). Sexual awareness has evolved into precociousness. The author traces her through several periods of flirtation to a final awareness of what love is all about.
