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The Rotters' Club (book)
Encyclopedia
The Rotters' Club is a 2001
novel
by British
author Jonathan Coe
, set in Birmingham
, England
during the 1970s
. The title is taken from the album The Rotters' Club
by experimental rock
band Hatfield and the North
. In 2004
the book was followed by a sequel, The Closed Circle
.
The Rotters' Club is inspired by Coe's own experiences at King Edward's School, Birmingham
in the 1970s.
The book held the record for the longest sentence in English literature
with 13,955 words. That record was broken by Nigel Tomm's one-sentence, 469,375-word book, The Blah Story, Volume 4. The sentence was inspired by Bohumil Hrabal
's Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age, a Czech language
novel that consisted of one great sentence.
bombs, progressive
and punk rock
, girls and political strikes.
adaptation written by Simon Littlefield was broadcast. In early 2005, a three-part television adaptation written by Dick Clement
and Ian La Frenais
was broadcast on BBC Two
, starring Geoff Breton
as Ben Trotter, Nicholas Shaw
as Doug Anderton, Rasmus Hardiker
as Phillip Chase and David Tennant
as Bill Trotter.
, which picked up the characters' lives at the very end of the 1990s, was published in 2004
.
2001 in literature
The year 2001 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The film version of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is released to movie theaters...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author Jonathan Coe
Jonathan Coe
Jonathan Coe is an English novelist and writer. His work has an underlying preoccupation with political issues, although this serious engagement is often expressed comically in the form of satire. For example, What a Carve Up! reworks the plot of an old 1960s spoof horror film of the same name...
, set in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
during the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
. The title is taken from the album The Rotters' Club
The Rotters' Club (album)
The Rotters' Club is the second album by Hatfield and the North. It was also in part an inspiration for novel of the same name by Jonathan Coe.-Track listing:#"Share It" – 3:03#"Lounging There Trying" – 3:15...
by experimental rock
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
band Hatfield and the North
Hatfield and the North
Hatfield and the North were an experimental Canterbury scene rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975, with some reunions thereafter.-Career:...
. In 2004
2004 in literature
The year 2004 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Canada Reads selects Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Last Crossing to be read across the nation....
the book was followed by a sequel, The Closed Circle
The Closed Circle (novel)
The Closed Circle is a 2004 novel by British author Jonathan Coe, and is the sequel to his 2001 novel The Rotters' Club. We re-encounter the main characters from The Rotters' Club - Benjamin Trotter, Doug Anderton and Philip Chase, and also become better-acquainted with some of the more minor...
.
The Rotters' Club is inspired by Coe's own experiences at King Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...
in the 1970s.
The book held the record for the longest sentence in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
with 13,955 words. That record was broken by Nigel Tomm's one-sentence, 469,375-word book, The Blah Story, Volume 4. The sentence was inspired by Bohumil Hrabal
Bohumil Hrabal
Bohumil Hrabal was a Czech writer, regarded as one of the best writers of the 20th century.- Life and work :...
's Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age, a Czech language
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
novel that consisted of one great sentence.
Plot summary
Three teenage friends grow up in the British 1970s watching their lives change as their world gets involved with Provisional Irish Republican ArmyProvisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bombs, progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, girls and political strikes.
Characters
- Ben Trotter: A romantic musician and writer who has fallen for Cicely Boyd, the most beautiful pupil at the adjoining girls' school.
- Philip Chase: Best friend of Ben. He is heavily into progressive rock and attempts to form a band named "GandalfGandalfGandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...
's Pikestaff". - Doug Anderton: A passionate writer and opinionated young man, Doug attempts to transfer the socialistSocialismSocialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
values of his father Bill to his mostly middle-class school. - Colin Trotter: In middle management at British Leyland's Longbridge plantLongbridge plantThe Longbridge plant is an industrial complex situated in the Longbridge area of Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is currently owned by SAIC Group and is a manufacturing and research and development facility for its MG Motor subsidiary....
. - Sheila Trotter: Ben's mother.
- Paul Trotter: Ben's younger brother.
- Lois Trotter: Paul and Ben's sister. She attends the adjoining girls' school.
- Malcolm: Amiable guitarist and self-professed 'Hairy Guy' Malcolm is Lois's boyfriend, whom she met when she answered his personal ad in the newspaper.
- Bill Anderton: Shop steward at the Longbridge factory and an active UnionTrade unionA trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
man, he begins an affair with one of his colleagues, Miriam. - Irene Anderton: Bill's wife and Doug's mother.
- Miriam Newman: The attractive secretary at the Longbridge factory.
- Claire Newman: Miriam's younger sister.
- Sam Chase: Philip's dad, who works as a bus driver; friend of Ben, Philip and Doug.
- Barbara Chase: Wife of Sam and mother of Philip, she begins an affair with Miles Plumb, her son's art teacher.
- Miles Plumb: The flamboyant art teacher at King William's, the school the teenagers attend.
- Cicely Boyd: The most beautiful girl at the adjoining girls' school. She is the object of many of the boys' affections, particularly Ben Trotter's.
- Sean Harding: Attends King William's. Harding is viewed as a practical joker. He writes letters to the school newspaper, The Billboard, under the pseudonym Arthur Pusey-Hamilton.
Adaptation
In 2003, a four part BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
adaptation written by Simon Littlefield was broadcast. In early 2005, a three-part television adaptation written by Dick Clement
Dick Clement
Dick Clement, OBE is an English writer.Born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, Clement was educated at Bishop's Stortford College and is best known for his writing partnership with Ian La Frenais. Generally, Clement and La Frenais write comedies, or dramas with a comic tone...
and Ian La Frenais
Ian La Frenais
Ian La Frenais, OBE, , is an English writer best known for his creative partnership with Dick Clement. They are most famous for television series including, The Likely Lads, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Porridge, Lovejoy and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.They have also written various other work...
was broadcast on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, starring Geoff Breton
Geoff Breton
Geoff Breton is a British actor. He graduated from the Drama Centre London in 2006.-TV:* Blue Murder * The Rotters' Club * The Old Curiosity Shop * Chemical Wedding...
as Ben Trotter, Nicholas Shaw
Nicholas Shaw
Nicholas Shaw is an English actor. He attended Macauley Catholic High School in Doncaster. He then attended the Drama Centre London and graduated in 2004...
as Doug Anderton, Rasmus Hardiker
Rasmus Hardiker
Rasmus Kip Hardiker is an English actor from Sutton Coldfield. He is best known for his roles as Raymond in Steve Coogan's sitcom Saxondale and Ben in the Jack Dee comedy Lead Balloon. Hardiker was also in the BBC3 sketch series The Wrong Door.-Personal life:Hardiker was born in Sutton Coldfield,...
as Phillip Chase and David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
as Bill Trotter.
Sequel
A sequel to the book, titled The Closed CircleThe Closed Circle (novel)
The Closed Circle is a 2004 novel by British author Jonathan Coe, and is the sequel to his 2001 novel The Rotters' Club. We re-encounter the main characters from The Rotters' Club - Benjamin Trotter, Doug Anderton and Philip Chase, and also become better-acquainted with some of the more minor...
, which picked up the characters' lives at the very end of the 1990s, was published in 2004
2004 in literature
The year 2004 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Canada Reads selects Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Last Crossing to be read across the nation....
.
Influence
- The British Punk band The Rotters named themselves after the novel. The band were known for featuring a young Faris BadwanFaris BadwanFaris Badwan is a British musician, best known for being the lead vocalist for the English Alternative Rock band The Horrors, and more recently one half of his side project Cat's Eyes with Rachel Zeffira.-Early life:...
on drums.