Pastors and Masters

This short, sharp novel marked the real beginning of Ivy Compton-Burnett’s distinctive art. It centers on a shabby boys’ preparatory school nominally run by the elderly, self-important Nicholas Herrick, who does little of the actual teaching and takes credit for a book he did not write. Told almost entirely through crisp, barbed dialogue, the story lays bare the vanity, laziness, and quiet cruelty of a small circle of schoolmasters, clergymen, and their dependents. Little happens by conventional standards, yet every exchange cuts. Compton-Burnett strips away sentiment to show how people wound one another with words alone. Admirers have long valued its cold wit and originality. This free PDF and EPUB edition brings it to new readers.