There’s four sorts of people tryin’ to get to be rulers. William’s friend Ginger offers the following summary of the political landscape: Yet even here, the ultimate message appears to be somewhat sceptical. However, in ‘William, Prime Minister’ (1929), William stands as a Conservative in a mock school election, and inevitably wins. In ‘William Enters Politics’ (1924) our hero ultimately withdraws from the political arena, unable to fathom the ‘confusions’ of both Conservatives and Liberals. The efforts of reformers and campaigners of all persuasions are seen as foolish and futile: it’s best that things should remain as they are. Even so, the story has been deemed sufficiently sensitive that it has been omitted from subsequent editions.Īs this implies, politics are often seen satirically, albeit from an implicitly conservative position. As is so often the case in William stories, an initially unsympathetic adult, a tight-fisted Jewish sweetshop owner, is eventually transformed into the Outlaws’ benefactor, and they give up their campaign against him. ‘William and the Nasties’ (1934) has attracted some criticism for its apparent anti-semitism, although this might be to mis-read Crompton’s intentions. As we shall see, Crompton provides a similarly satirical treatment of the counter-cultural student protest movements of the 1960s. ‘What’s in a Name?’ (1928) finds William witnessing a Moseleyite fascist demonstration, and going on to organize a group of ‘Greenshirts’ in a bid to become a Dictator – although here again, he ends up in failure. In ‘The Weak Spot’ (1921), William’s older brother Robert briefly joins the Bolsheviks, although he quickly becomes disillusioned, not least when William attempts to redistribute his wealth, in the form of his bicycle and prize watch. Extremes on either side of the spectrum are gently mocked.

Yet while politics do make occasional appearances in the William books, they are typically the focus for mild satire. This is partly a matter of how they deal with the theme of politics itself but it is also to do with how they represent the social world, and how they respond to modernity.Īs I have noted, Richmal Crompton was a High Anglican and a loyal Conservative, who campaigned for the party in local elections. The series of books is better known in the United Kingdom than in the U.S.Some critics have argued that the continuing success of the William books reflects a long-standing conservatism in English culture.

William is a mischievous eleven year old who is puzzled by the adult world, which is no less puzzled by him. Download cover art Download CD case insert Just William

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