Just as I am: a life of J.R. Darling, by Peter Gronn

Howlett, John

Abstract

Despite contemporary philosophical and epistemological attempts to question and in some cases undermine the role of biography in our understandings of the past, there remains, still, a strong element of such an approach in the history of education. Perhaps, given the often cyclical nature of education, this wider desire speaks to Thomas Carlyle’s assertion that understanding the human motivations and personal events of historical figures – and taking into account the vastly different contexts in which they lived and worked – aids us in ‘uncover[ing] something about [our] true nature’ (On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic In History, London, 1888, p. 2) As such, comparatively recent works in the field such as those of Gary McCulloch (Cyril Norwood and the Ideal of Secondary Education, 2007) in relation to Cyril Norwood, Jane Martin (Making Socialists: Mary Bridges Adams and the Fight for Knowledge and Power, 1855–1939, Manchester, 2010) writing on Mary Bridges Adams and my own (Edmond Holmes and Progressive Education, London, 2016) discussion of Edmond Holmes have sought critically to re-interrogate the importance and legacy of their respective subjects through the lens and method of the biographer. Adding to that tradition comes this magisterial tome whose focus is James Darling (1899–1995), the celebrated headmaster, teacher, broadcaster and educational theorist. Whilst it may be an overused epithet, it is perhaps possible to go so far as to call this account ‘definitive’ for this is an old-fashioned biography of the very best kind; when the author early on laments the absence of records pertaining to ‘Details of diet and household expenditure’ and ‘family members’ health’ (p. 5), one is immediately aware of the attention to ephemera present here. No archive or cache is left unturned and the minute chronicling of events and decisions and the vast cast of characters give this book a feel of the Victorian ‘three-decker’.

Citation

Howlett, J. (2020). Just as I am: a life of J.R. Darling, by Peter Gronn. History of Education, 49(5), 729-731. https://doi.org/10.1080/0046760x.2019.1666925

• Journal Article Type: Book Review
• Online Publication Date: Sep 26, 2019
• Publication Date: Sep 2, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jun 6, 2023
• Journal: History of Education
• Print ISSN: 0046-760X
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-5130
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 49
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 729-731
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0046760x.2019.1666925
• Keywords: History and Philosophy of Science; Education
• Additional Information: Peer Review Statement: The publishing and review policy for this title is described in its Aims & Scope.; Aim & Scope: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=thed20; Published: 2019-09-26