Even for the early 20th century, the book is mostly bland and uses the redundant platform of privileged men at an Ivy League school.

Johnson almost offers a moment of grace when Stover ostracizes himself by shunning the socially hierarchical sophomore societies. Naturally, this is undone by Stover's sellout: he joins the most hierarchical of senior societies: Skulls and Bones.

Sigh. Silly love story, coming into one's own, dropping of the ego...

oh, I just woke up.

Love these campus Novels. Secret societies.
STOVER AT YALE
"suddenly found himself in a school for character, enchained to the discipline of the Caesars, where the test lay in stoicism and the victory was built on the broken hopes of a comrade."The deadly seriousness of the American spirit, the savage fanaticism of its race for sucess

Brockhurst. here's 20 great machines that need new bolts, work harder than the next man, work at only one thing too succeed. It used to be enjoy leisure and youth, ruin wits with everyone. He wants to abolish the societies.

Great thoughts come out in the discussions about ridgid education ruining imagination and ORIGINALITY.

Stover admirable in the end making up his own mind and standing on business.

school book. boring. did not like. will not be elaborating

If Jacques says its his one of his all-time favorites, then I gotta read it!

Read long ago if at all. Maybe it was Frank Merriwell instead. My Dad was a Yalie(me too albeit briefly) so he probably gave it to me. Rings a faint bell... Date read is a guess.

Interesting period novel about college life at Yale during the early twentieth century.

Excellent book!
Interesting how F. Scott Fitzgerald called it “the textbook of our generation,“ and obviously was hugely influenced by it, to the point that his “This Side of Paradise” feels like a copy of it. Yet, when one tries to research this inspirational connection, there is hardly a word to be found. I find “Stover at Yale” to be fresher than Fitzgerald’s work. This is a true forgotten gem.
In any case, the writing is effervescent and extremely witty. I found myself laughing out loud again and again, something that I rarely do when reading novels, even funny ones. I suppose it’s the universality of the story, the uncanny insights and honed talent as gifted narrator Owen Johnson displays. A modern reader can relate very well to the inner workings of the main character. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Stover at Yale is a coming of age tale, set at the beginning of the 20th Century at Yale University, which was then essentially a male world. This doubles as a valuable insight into a reality before emancipation and our modern social attitudes. The political and social problems Dink struggles with go the roots of the beginnings of our modern society. The well-written glimpses found throughout this work effect an understanding and appreciation of our historic struggles and the long road travelled, while at the same time entertain and awe. But be that as it may, Stover at Yale is certainly a terrifically written adventure story. Readers who enjoy masterly use of nuanced language and who do not get discouraged by occasional antiquated word usage — which does require looking up to attain best enjoyment — will get excited about this delightful book. As a bonus: it’s free to download since it’s copyright expired.

Here's the start:

"Stover," said Le Baron, resting a hand on his knee, "I like you. I liked you from the first time we lined up in that Andover-Lawrenceville game. You've got the stuff in I'm trying to make you see this thing as it is. You come from a school that doesn't send many fellows here. You haven't the fellows ahead pulling for you, the way the other crowds have. I don't want you to make any mistake. Remember, you're going to be watched from now on."
"Watched?" said Stover, frowning.
"Yes; everything you do, everything you say that's how you'll be judged. That's why I'm telling you these things."
"I appreciate it," said Stover, but without enthusiasm.

Already running a gauntlet. Seen Everybody Wants Some!!?? Where he says, "When I was in high school, I was the best at what I did [baseball] — but here, everyone was the best at where they came from, and we have to start over" or something like that. He's already being winnowed. This is when you're in a class at all — and with Stover, we're talking no girls, and pre-World Wars.

"They pound out spontaneity," someone says later in the novel, sounding like a Generation X-er (which is why I mention Richard Linklater's movie, above — we all have to go through this, over and over, and so much the worse if we didn't get the notes to begin with!). "They make us do stuff that fits into a line of work later . . . " or something. The fact that they're rebelling, or considering rebelling, is what makes this book a milestone.

From F. Scott Fitzgerald to Thomas Pynchon and Richard Fariña, this book set the tone for what was to come later — what if it was appealing, to conform . . . ?? What if you felt all the eyes on you, and it wasn't so easy . . . ?? What if you said something really stupid to the girl, and didn't know if you could take it back . . . ??

These are the signal virtues of any good dramatist/fiction writer — putting you there, and Johnson qualifies in spades. It's just so different that it snaps back and hits you in the face.

A good book.

Highly recommended!

"I`m going out to lead because I can do it and I believe in the right things" - Dink Stover (also something said to themselves by every dictator ever)

Before reaching the end of the first third of the book I though I was never going to get to the end if it went on like this. I`m glad that I decided to push through, because a few chapters into the second third of it I realized the first third of Stover at Yale was there to provide contrast for the rest of the book.

However, I still feel somewhat conflicted about it. On the one hand, it carries a significant message that is as relevant (if not more so) now as it was back when it was published at the beginning of the 20th century: the necessity for honest discussion between all elements of society as a unifying force and foundation of democracy, the lack of which results in division, radicalization and - ultimately - social unrest. In this sense Stover at Yale, although written more than a century ago, remains relevant today. However, the approach with which this problem is tackled by the author seems highly naive and tends to illustrate a successful campaign of leveling the conversational field for all members of a micro-society (in this case - a university campus) without addressing problems that would prevent such equilibrium from forming. How do you deal with truly radical forces that have no intention of engaging in a conversation or listening? How do you prevent the leveling field from developing into a utilitarian distopia? How do you prevent the leaders from acquiring a monopoly on executive power and, conversely, how do you make a democratic executive mechanism efficient enough to make decisions promptly and avoid endless bickering between different parties within a given society when prompt response and action is required? I obviously do not expect a single medium length novel to answer all of them. However, at least one or two aspects could have been included in order to make the book less of a utopian snapshot. The values expressed in this book are commendable. However, they do feel rather removed from the real life, even though the novel is written in a realist, almost autobiographical, fashion. It is rather ironic how soon after its publication the problems mentioned in Stover at Yale will plague the Western World for the majority of the 20th century.

The absolute highlights of the book for me were monologue/dialogue sections by Brockhurst, which not only express interesting ideas, but are also written in a witty and vibrant vernacular. And, I suspect, are perhaps reflective of the ideas of the author himself. Overall, the book would have benefited significantly by more space being allocated for the depictions of ideological debates between characters, rather than painfully long-winded descriptions of football matches or lackluster depictions of the protagonist's emotional turmoil from a psychological lens.

In summary, reading Stover at Yale for me was an experience similar to reading What Is To Be Done by Nikolai Chernyshevsky: a novel of questionable literary value which is still an interesting insight into thoughts and values disseminated within the intellectual circles at the time of its writing.

Fitzgerald made a reference to this book in This Side of Paradise. Dink Stover is a somewhat cloddish older brother-type to Amory Blaine. Stover is consumed with becoming the Big Man. Blaine has passed this stage in search of the Perfect Girl. It's kind of amusing reading them alternately. You can see the silkiness of Fitzgerald's writing assert itself over Johnson's.

“He had listened as a child listens. He went out bewildered and humble. For the first time
since he had come to Yale, he had felt something real. His mind and his imagination had been stirred, awak-ened, hungry, rebellious.”

This was lovely. Honestly, I really enjoyed the thoughtfulness of Dink Stover and how the book followed no specific plot other than that of Stover understanding who he was and everything he didn’t know.

best book i’ve read all year. good for you dink stover. started for the hyperfixation, hooked on the silly, stayed for the emotional drama. yippee!