The Good Companions
The Good Companions by J.B. Priestley explores the themes of camaraderie and the search for belonging as Mr. Oakroyd finds himself in a dimly lit inn, grappling with unease about his companions' dubious plans while yearning for a fresh start away from the complications of his current life. As he navigates the tension of their conversations and reflects on his past, he ultimately resolves to seek a new beginning at dawn, holding onto a flicker of hope for the future.
By J.B. Priestley · First published 1929 · Genre: Literary Fiction, Social Commentary, Adventure · 20 chapters · 319,526 words
First lines
There, far below, is the knobbly backbone of England, the Pennine Range. At first, the whole dark length of it, from the Peak to Cross Fell, is visible. Then the Derbyshire hills and the Cumberland fells disappear, for you are descending, somewhere about the middle of the range, where the high moorland thrusts itself between the woollen mills of Yorkshire and the cotton mills of Lancashire. Great winds blow over miles and miles of ling and bog and black rock, and the curlews still go crying in that empty air as they did before the Romans came. There is a glitter of water here and there, from the moorland tarns that are now called reservoirs. In summer you could wander here all day, listening to the larks, and never meet a soul. In winter you could lose your way in an hour or two and die of exposure perhaps, not a dozen miles from where the Bradford trams end or the Burnley trams begin. Here are Bodkin Top and High Greave and Black Moor and Four Gates End, and though these are lonely places, almost unchanged since the Domesday Book was compiled, you cannot understand industrial Yorkshire and Lancashire, the wool trade and the cotton trade and many other things besides, such as the popularity of Handel's Messiah or the Northern Union Rugby game, without having seen such places. They hide many secrets. Where the moor thins out are patches of ground called "Intake," which means that they are land wrested from the grasp of the moor. Over to the right is a long smudge of smoke, beneath which the towns of the West Riding lie buried, and fleeces, tops, noils, yarns, stuffs, come and go, in and out of the mills, down to the railways and canals and lorries. All this too, you may say, is a kind of Intake.
What this Textopian page supports
The Good Companions is listed on Textopian as a novel by J.B. Priestley, dated 1929 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: J.B. Priestley
- Date: 1929 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Literary Fiction, Social Commentary, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Comedy
- Length: 319,526 words
- Structure: 20 chapters, 4,410 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Good Companions by J.B. Priestley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Good Companions?
- How does this novel by J.B. Priestley fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Literary Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Literary Fiction — The novel explores complex characters and themes, focusing on human experiences and relationships.
- Social Commentary — It critiques societal norms and the impact of economic conditions on individuals and communities.
- Adventure — The plot follows a group of characters on a journey, highlighting their adventures and interactions.
- Historical Fiction — Set in a specific historical context, it reflects the social and cultural dynamics of the time.
Tags
Coming-of-age · Social commentary · Literary fiction · Humor · Satire · Realism · British literature · 20th-century literature · Novel of manners · Character study · Psychological insight · Relationships
Contents
- Mr. Oakroyd Leaves Home
- In which they all Become "Good Companions"
- A Wind in the Triangle
- Epilogue
- Miss Trant Takes a Holiday
- Very Short, and Devoted to Rehearsals
- A Chapter of Encounters
- Inigo Jollifant Quotes Shakespeare and Departs in the Night
- In which Colonel Trant's Daughter Goes into Action, Sticks to her Guns, and May be Considered Victorious
- Inigo in Wonderland
- Mr. Oakroyd on t'Road
- Mr. Oakroyd Plays "the Hunted Man" for a Short Season
- A Benefit Performance
- Miss Trant is Almost a Second Columbus
- Inigo Jumps out of a Train and Finds himself in Love
- Long, and Full of Salvage Work
- Inigo Meets a Member of the Profession and Turns Pianist
- The Black Week
- Mr. Oakroyd Goes Home
- All Stolen from the Mail Bag