A Question of Upbringing

A Question of Upbringing is the first novel in Anthony Powell's twelve-volume series A Dance to the Music of Time, set in England during the early 1920s. The story follows narrator Nicholas Jenkins and his school friends Charles Stringham and Peter Templer at their elite boarding school, with particular focus on their relationship to fellow student Kenneth Widmerpool. The novel tracks the paths of these young men as they navigate their final school years and begin to venture into the adult world. Through visits to each other's homes and families, their different social backgrounds and personalities emerge against the backdrop of post-WWI British society. Set within the privileged sphere of English public school life, the narrative examines how education, family connections, and social class shape young people's trajectories. The work serves as a portrait of the British establishment during a time of transition, setting up themes of power, ambition, and social mobility that develop throughout the series.

Readers note this first volume sets a slow, meandering pace that continues throughout Powell's series. The book gets compared to Proust in both positive and negative reviews, with some finding it a lighter, more accessible version of remembrance-focused literature. Readers appreciate: - The dry humor and social observations - Detailed portrayal of British upper-class life - Character development over time - Powell's precise writing style Common criticisms: - Plot moves too slowly - Characters can seem cold and distant - Social references require knowledge of British culture - Some find the narrator passive Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (2,100+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (150+ ratings) Many reviewers mention needing to read multiple volumes before fully connecting with the series. As one Goodreads reviewer noted: "Like a slow-building friendship, it takes time to appreciate what Powell is doing here." Several readers recommend the audiobook version for helping navigate Powell's complex sentences and British terminology.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh The story follows an outsider's observations of an aristocratic English family between the wars, examining class, friendship, and the end of an era.

In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust This chronicle of French society traces the narrator's memories and relationships from childhood through adulthood, revealing the passage of time and social change.

The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford The narrative unfolds through a series of memories and impressions as an unreliable narrator pieces together the dissolution of two marriages in pre-war Europe.

The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell Four interconnected novels present the same events from different perspectives, creating a portrait of relationships and society in pre-war Alexandria.

The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard This series chronicles three generations of an upper-middle-class English family from the 1930s through the 1950s, depicting social change and family dynamics.

🔶 Powell wrote "A Dance to the Music of Time" series over 24 years (1951-1975), making it one of the longest sustained works of fiction in English literature. 🔶 The series title was inspired by Nicolas Poussin's painting of the same name, which depicts the passing of time through dancing figures representing the seasons. 🔶 Anthony Powell attended Eton College, and his experiences there heavily influenced the school scenes in "A Question of Upbringing," though he always denied writing a purely autobiographical work. 🔶 The character of Kenneth Widmerpool has become so iconic in British literature that "Widmerpool" is sometimes used as shorthand for an ambitious but socially awkward person who succeeds through sheer determination. 🔶 The entire twelve-novel sequence comprises approximately one million words, making it longer than Marcel Proust's "In Search of Lost Time," to which it is often compared.