419:". Pesold highlights this school story subversion by what the school lacks: an ancient school building, clear class distinctions, admiration for the Headmaster, school traditions, house and school pride. Pesold wrote, "What is more, whereas the ordinary school story shows boarding school as a safe place where children grow up, make friends and acquire skills that are seen as vital for their future lives, Larwood School is a bleak place, where the pupils are kept under surveillance, true friendship is not to be found and
246:
gradually coming to terms with the fact that they are witches. Mayhem gradually ensues as magic is used to make birds appear in the classroom, to rain shoes, to curse a classmate into having his words always be true, and other pranks. When the magic gets totally out of control, one of the students runs away, leaving notes that blame the witch for controlling him. The headmistress of the school calls in an
Inquisitor to find the missing student and locate the source of the trouble.
250:
summoning the enchanter
Chrestomanci. He and the children conclude that their world diverged from 12B (ours) by a particular historical accident. They work to outwit the local inquisition and to merge their history, thus their world, with ours. It turns out that most of the schoolchildren are witches and all must lose any such powers by revising history in that way.
361:, and others, most readers would be discouraged, to put it mildly. In fact Wynne Jones develops the text in such a way that the concepts are conveyed through a discourse which provides great fun for young readers, while also challenging adults to rethink some of the easily ignored yet problematic aspects of fiction-writing highlighted by recent theorists:
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different, and to find purpose. By gaining access to another world, the children are able to make their own world anew, to undo a whole history of violence, to know themselves and be free. I’m glad that the next generation have more ways to reach these other worlds where they can see themselves; I’m also glad I had this book".
249:
Four more of the students flee the school and two seek help from an "underground railroad" system that is known to save witches by sending them to a world where they are not persecuted. Instead they are given a spell to summon unknown help and all five students converge where they are able to use it,
423:
is dangerous, even lethal". When
Chrestomanci enters the story "he is too handsome, elegant and vain to be immediately recognized as the man who will save the children" and while over time the children come to trust Chrestomanci, he never occupies similar heights for the children as a character like
452:
save themselves in the end by finding help from other worlds, including one where witchcraft is practised freely. Until that point, they struggle even to articulate what they are. It’s only when they learn that there is another place and another way that they’re able to imagine that things could be
447:
setting is introduced in mundane detail which disturbed me much more as an adult than when I first read it: 'bone-fires' are announced on the radio; almost all the characters’ parents have been executed or imprisoned. It’s an education in the banality of evil. Reading again this year, I was struck
365:
takes up matters such as the very nature of language as it functions via the arbitrary relationship between signifiers and what they signify, and so how we (mis)read a text; and the self-reflexive nature of a novel, as it plays with our presuppositions about how a fictional world relates to the one
386:
powerful adult intervention to help them get control of their powers and keep their powers from taking control of them. Instead of using them for immediate self-gratification, the children instead have to create and respect certain limits to avoid destroying themselves and others. Not that anyone
245:
At
Larwood House, a boarding school where many of the children of executed witches are sent, a note claiming "Someone in this class is a witch" is found by a teacher. This launches an internal investigation of the more unpopular students at the school (Nan Pilgrim and Charles Morgan), who are
381:
Thus it is that underneath what seems to be rather low comedy—brooms that demand to be taken riding by witches (and hoes and rakes and mops that can be ridden, but behave more like mules and pigs than noble steeds); prankster spells at about the level of magic spitwads—there is a continuous
269:
The
Chrestomanci is unique to what it calls "World 12A", the primary setting for the series and entire setting for some stories. There are other worlds with British governments, perhaps all of series 12 or even more. Our world is 12B, a next-door neighbour in some sense, and
226:("witches", male or female) but their use is a capital crime and convicted witches are burnt to death. The story begins with a teacher's discovery of an ambiguous note and dilemma whether to take it as a joke. "The note said: SOMEONE IN THIS CLASS IS A WITCH."
349:, wrote "for a writer to explore with and for children sophisticated concepts such as how fiction is encoded and decoded is a bold venture. Yet encoding and decoding is an area that Diana Wynne Jones tackles with great panache and hilarious humor in
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ever says such a thing outright. Rather the stories are that lesson, learned over and over again, yet with such humor and extravagant imagination and devastating satire that few readers will imagine that they are being civilised as they read.
474:
is a book for the weirdos and the oddballs — which, Jones makes clear in her triumphant denouement, includes just about everybody. That’s why this book is so deeply endearing to readers of any age". Grady also highlighted that while
237:
is set in an alternative modern-day Great
Britain, identical to our world except for the presence of witchcraft. Despite witches being common, witchcraft is illegal and punishable by death by burning, policed by a modern-day
331:
in 2000, calls it 2Y, which suggests that they are in the second year of secondary school and therefore around twelve. This is also the name of the class in the original
Macmillan publication (1982).
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predates J.K. Rowling’s series by 15 years, and it’s a different kind of story entirely. It takes place somewhere grimier and sadder than Harry’s glittering wizard world, and the kids are meaner.
320:
In almost every version of the book published, the class the story focuses on has a different name, according to the age group the publishers were aiming the book at the time. For instance:
487:, the book tells you straightforwardly everything you need to know about him. And he’s there in a strictly advisory capacity to the children, who are the true main characters".
266:
is set in the late 20th century during the tenure of
Christopher Chant, who is the Chrestomanci in five of the seven books and is often called Chrestomanci as a personal name.
345:
222:
is set during the last four days of
October 1981 at Larwood House, a boarding school in southern England, in a world parallel and close to ours. Many people have
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The
Chrestomanci books are collectively named after a powerful enchanter and British government official in a world parallel to ours, who supervises the use of
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The current UK edition calls the class 3Y, which suggests they are in the third year of secondary school and therefore around thirteen.
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is set entirely in one that is even closer to ours. The Chrestomanci has representatives in some worlds but does not know this one.
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The current US edition calls it 6B, which implies the children are in the sixth grade and therefore about eleven.
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353:(1982). If one were to advertise the book by saying that she is drawing on theoretical concepts developed by
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we are stuck with, especially as regards such seemingly inflexible features as its history and geography".
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The infobox provides data from ISFDB for the first UK edition (from "Publisher" to "ISBN").
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encourages readers to think for themselves and seek to make a positive change in the world.
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The Other in the School Stories: A Phenomenon in British Children's Literature
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The Other in the School Stories: A Phenomenon in British Children’s Literature
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reviewed reissues of several Diana Wynne Jones novels. He wrote concerning
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Pesold, Ulrike (2017). "Chapter 7: Witch Week An AntiWitch School Story".
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the miserable conditions of the school are often used for comic effect.
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1982 children's fantasy novel and school story by Diana Wynne Jones
577:. Library of Congress Online Catalogue. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
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series, the book stands alone and when "Chrestomanci shows up in
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730:"Imagining Other Worlds in Diana Wynne Jones' Witch Week"
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Larwood House may be a reference to Lowood School from
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660:The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
537:"Diana Wynne Jones: UK 1st Edition Cover Art"
212:in 1982. It was the third published of seven
8:
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609:Children's Literature Association Quarterly
346:Children's Literature Association Quarterly
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369:Early in 1992, the science fiction writer
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605:"Which Way to Encode and Decode Fiction?"
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565:("OCLC Number" for 2001 US paperback.)
327:Another British edition, published by
787:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
591:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
561:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
519:Harry Potter influences and analogues
7:
754:Grady, Constance (27 October 2020).
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448:by the fact that the characters of
443:, wrote, "The casual horror of the
728:Larkwood, A. K. (7 October 2019).
286:. Like many other books by Jones,
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1246:Children's novels set in schools
1241:Children's books about witches
1135:The Tough Guide to Fantasyland
870:The Lives of Christopher Chant
593:(ISFDB). Retrieved 2012-04-28.
395:(2017), Ulrike Pesold wrote, "
382:foundation of truth. Children
343:In 1991, Ruth Waterhouse, for
182:The Lives of Christopher Chant
1:
437:In 2019, A. K. Larkwood, for
339:Reviews and literary analysis
559:publication contents at the
514:Boarding schools in fiction
479:is the third volume in the
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1231:Macmillan Publishers books
210:Macmillan Children's Books
1211:British children's novels
1206:Children's fantasy novels
603:Waterhouse, Ruth (1991).
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854:The Magicians of Caprona
294:Allusions to other works
169:The Magicians of Caprona
563:. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
316:Differences in editions
1216:British fantasy novels
589:series listing at the
501:School Library Journal
389:
204:by the British writer
121:210 pp (first edition)
1236:1982 children's books
1095:The Homeward Bounders
1087:The Time of the Ghost
1036:The Merlin Conspiracy
962:Dark Lord of Derkholm
379:
278:Themes and influences
1178:Earwig and the Witch
1170:Howl's Moving Castle
991:Howl's Moving Castle
982:Howl's Moving Castle
699:. pp. 149–168.
254:Fictional background
1226:1982 fantasy novels
1221:1982 British novels
1119:A Tale of Time City
1055:The Ogre Downstairs
970:Year of the Griffin
655:"Books to Look For"
399:hardly follows the
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1201:Chrestomanci books
1071:Eight Days of Luke
1007:House of Many Ways
621:10.1353/chq.0.0756
504:Book of the Year.
214:Chrestomanci books
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999:Castle in the Air
941:Crown of Dalemark
827:Diana Wynne Jones
783:Diana Wynne Jones
706:978-90-04-34172-2
653:(February 1992),
651:Card, Orson Scott
456:In October 2020,
411:as a reaction to
206:Diana Wynne Jones
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113:Print (hardcover)
102:Publication place
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763:. Retrieved
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1162:Adaptations
1028:Deep Secret
555:Witch Week
413:Thatcherism
240:Inquisition
22:Witch Week
1195:Categories
862:Witch Week
765:27 October
739:27 October
695:. Leiden:
615:(1): 2–6.
525:References
496:Witch Week
485:Witch Week
477:Witch Week
472:Witch Week
468:Witch Week
458:Witch Week
450:Witch Week
426:Dumbledore
409:Witch Week
397:Witch Week
375:Witch Week
363:Witch Week
351:Witch Week
310:Witch Week
288:Witch Week
272:Witch Week
264:Witch Week
235:Witch Week
220:Witch Week
193:Witch Week
73:Children's
715:974487750
666:2 October
637:144995721
629:1553-1201
305:Jane Eyre
284:prejudice
86:Macmillan
82:Publisher
1143:The Game
1063:Dogsbody
953:Derkholm
508:See also
428:does in
421:alterity
359:Foucault
355:Saussure
146:47044550
1127:Hexwood
785:at the
734:Tor.com
405:Kipling
329:Collins
53:Ionicus
1181:(2020)
1173:(2004)
1154:(2010)
1146:(2007)
1138:(1997)
1130:(1993)
1122:(1987)
1114:(1984)
1106:(1984)
1098:(1981)
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1082:(1977)
1074:(1975)
1066:(1975)
1058:(1974)
1039:(2003)
1031:(1997)
1019:Magids
1010:(2008)
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936:(1979)
928:(1977)
920:(1975)
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849:(1977)
713:
703:
635:
627:
491:Awards
184:
171:
59:Series
39:Author
823:Works
633:S2CID
260:magic
118:Pages
69:Genre
767:2020
741:2020
711:OCLC
701:ISBN
668:2008
625:ISSN
384:need
200:and
140:OCLC
127:ISBN
97:1982
825:by
760:Vox
617:doi
463:Vox
440:Tor
302:'s
1197::
758:.
732:.
709:.
675:^
657:,
631:.
623:.
613:16
611:.
607:.
539:.
434:.
377::
357:,
242:.
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808:t
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769:.
743:.
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639:.
619::
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