What Happened to the Corbetts (US title: Ordeal) is a novel by Nevil Shute, a fictional depiction of the effect of aerial bombing on the British city of Southampton, a major maritime centre. It was written in 1938, and published in April 1939 by William Heinemann Ltd, when the outbreak of World War II was already a very likely development.
The novel addresses the issues of the aftermath of bombing, such as the spread of disease from lack of clean water, and what may be done to relieve the distress of those affected by it although the author concedes he "overlooked the importance of fire" as a consequence of bombing raids.[1] On the initial day of publication, a thousand copies of the novel were distributed free of charge to members of the Air Raid Precautions team to inform them of what they might expect.[2]
The novel does not say which nation is bombing Southampton and many other towns in England. France and the United States are neutral, but the Dominions except possibly Ireland declare war on Britain's side. Early in chapter 1 there is a mention of a newspaper cartoon which "represented the Prime Minister, very jocular, dangling a carrot before two donkeys separated from him by a wire fence. One of the donkeys had the head of Hitler, and the other, Mussolini".
^Shute, Nevil (1939). What Happened to the Corbetts (1956 edn). William Heinmann ltd. p. preface. ISBN 9781409086673.
^Grayzel, Susan (2011). At Home and Under Fire: Air Raids and Culture in Britain from the Great War to the Blitz. Cambridge University Press. p. 116. ISBN 9781139502504.
and 21 Related for: What Happened to the Corbetts information
WhatHappenedtotheCorbetts (US title: Ordeal) is a novel by Nevil Shute, a fictional depiction of the effect of aerial bombing on the British city of...
Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy Ordeal, the American title of WhatHappenedtotheCorbetts, a 1939 novel by Nevil Shute The Ordeal (film), a 1922 American silent...
his own aircraft company. What HappenedtotheCorbetts (1938) ISBN 1-84232-302-4. U.S. title: Ordeal. Foretells the German bombing of Southampton early...
(1939). "Chapter 3". WhatHappenedtotheCorbetts. William Morrow. Meyers 1997, p. 67. Lax, Eric. Audio commentary for Disc One of the 2006 three-disc DVD...
that her priority is to build a well in a Malayan village. The second part of the story flashes back to Jean's experiences during the war, when she was working...
Happened totheCorbetts, published in early 1939, posited a surprise attack on British cities, and described the experiences of a family during the bombing...
reminiscent of the Corbett's trip to France in WhatHappenedtotheCorbetts, written in 1938 but taking a wartime theme. Ryan, A. P. "Extract from the Dictionary...
knowledge to sabotage it as soon as it lands, putting his credibility further in doubt. The plot weaves together many themes, such as attitudes to safety...
has recently qualified as a barrister (called tothe bar) in England. His arrival home is marred by the apparent suicide, a few hours earlier, of a young...
immigrated with his family to New York City in 1840. TheCorbetts moved frequently before settling in Troy, New York. As a teenager, Corbett began apprenticing...
Naturally, only the non-technical characters find this contrast amusing, since to an engineer the ultimate seriousness is that what he designs works...
his own way. The novel ends with what will be his last visit to his medical specialist. Underlying the novel is the Buddhist belief in reincarnation and...
keeps the finances of the station. Over the course of the explorations (which proved unsuccessful), he notes the unique lifestyle on what amounts tothe Australian...
turns out to have been framed for embezzlement by his Italian half-brother, Baron Rodrigo Mattani, who is smuggling drugs into England. The story tells...
Paper Tiger (ISBN 1-8894-39-11-8). In his preface tothe script, Shute says “I put a very little of [the story] into a novel which was published in 1939”...
an Oxford don, Cyril Lockwood, to pilot an air survey mission of Brattalid in Greenland. Lockwood's interest is in the early Viking seafarers and their...
hospital’s almoner, he takes stock of the local situation, and resolves to use his wealth to help the community. Knowing that the shipyard is for sale at a knockdown...
head injury, he lies in the house of the child he had been sent to help, which is inaccessible by road and in contact with the outside world only by radio...
to a maximum of seven. Anderson himself has three votes in Australian elections. At first absorbed by the job, Anderson slowly becomes aware of what is...
Global Information