340:; aside from opening and closing chapters consisting entirely of dialogue the story is told through memos from the office, fragments of notes dropped in the trash can, essays handed in to be graded, lesson plans, suggestions dropped in the class suggestion box, and most often by inter-classroom notes that are a dialogue between Sylvia and an older teacher. Sylvia also writes letters to a friend from college who chose to get married and start a family rather than pursuing a career. The letters serve as a recap and summary of key events in the book, and offer a portrait of women's roles and responsibilities in American society in the mid-1960s.
44:
332:
and writing). She quickly becomes discouraged during her first year of teaching, frustrated by bureaucracy, the indifference of her students, and the incompetence of many of her colleagues. The title of the book is taken from a memo telling her why a student was being punished: he had gone "up the
333:
down staircase". She decides to leave the public school (government-funded) system to work in a smaller private setting. She changes her mind, though, when she realizes that she has, indeed, touched the lives of her students.
148:
464:
343:
An inter-classroom note in which the older teacher, Bea
Schachter, is translating the jargon of the memos from the office includes the memorable epigram
454:
108:
469:
351:'Keep on file in numerical order' means throw in waste-basket." Another, "It has come to my attention" means "You're in trouble."
80:
61:
87:
347:'Let it be a challenge to you' means you're stuck with it." Calling a trash can a circular file comes from the same memo:
290:
94:
233:
127:
371:
as Sylvia
Barrett. The play is frequently performed in high school drama classes. The film version was parodied in
76:
65:
449:
364:
256:
20:
459:
101:
54:
305:
8:
391:
28:
328:
high school, hopes to nurture her students' interest in classic literature (especially
241:
228:
400:
337:
329:
267:
32:
301:
147:
395:
373:
313:
309:
443:
179:
368:
297:
421:
286:
248:
161:
386:
325:
360:
212:
208:
43:
377:
magazine as "In the Out Exit" in regular issue #118, April 1968.
242:
268:
223:
340 p. (hardback edition) & 368 p. (paperback edition)
289:, published on January 27, 1965, which spent 64 weeks on
324:
Sylvia
Barrett, an idealistic English teacher at an
68:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
359:The novel has been adapted to film and the stage.
465:Novels set in high schools and secondary schools
441:
296:. In 1967 it was released as a film starring
146:
128:Learn how and when to remove this message
442:
19:For the film based on this novel, see
66:adding citations to reliable sources
37:
31:. For the Porcupine Tree album, see
13:
455:American novels adapted into films
363:wrote the screenplay for the 1967
14:
481:
42:
470:Novels set in the United States
424:. Doug Gilford's Mad Cover Site
53:needs additional citations for
414:
354:
1:
407:
21:Up the Down Staircase (film)
7:
404:is an homage to the novel.
10:
486:
384:title was parodied by the
18:
266:
254:
240:
227:
219:
203:
195:
185:
175:
167:
157:
145:
16:1964 novel by Bel Kaufman
319:
77:"Up the Down Staircase"
285:is a novel written by
141:Up the Down Staircase
379:Up the Down Staircase
282:Up the Down Staircase
450:1964 American novels
62:improve this article
392:Up the Down Steroid
236:(paperback edition)
142:
29:Up the Down Steroid
292:The New York Times
274:PS3561.A83 U6 1991
140:
460:Epistolary novels
394:". The title of
278:
277:
196:Publication place
138:
137:
130:
112:
477:
434:
433:
431:
429:
418:
401:Up The Downstair
383:
350:
346:
294:Best Seller list
270:
244:
191:January 27, 1965
187:Publication date
150:
143:
139:
133:
126:
122:
119:
113:
111:
70:
46:
38:
33:Up the Downstair
485:
484:
480:
479:
478:
476:
475:
474:
440:
439:
438:
437:
427:
425:
420:
419:
415:
410:
381:
357:
348:
344:
322:
302:Patrick Bedford
259:
204:Media type
188:
153:
134:
123:
117:
114:
71:
69:
59:
47:
36:
17:
12:
11:
5:
483:
473:
472:
467:
462:
457:
452:
436:
435:
412:
411:
409:
406:
398:'s 1993 album
396:Porcupine Tree
356:
353:
321:
318:
314:Eileen Heckart
310:Jean Stapleton
276:
275:
272:
264:
263:
260:
255:
252:
251:
246:
238:
237:
231:
225:
224:
221:
217:
216:
205:
201:
200:
197:
193:
192:
189:
186:
183:
182:
177:
173:
172:
169:
165:
164:
159:
155:
154:
151:
136:
135:
118:September 2014
50:
48:
41:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
482:
471:
468:
466:
463:
461:
458:
456:
453:
451:
448:
447:
445:
423:
417:
413:
405:
403:
402:
397:
393:
389:
388:
380:
376:
375:
370:
366:
362:
352:
341:
339:
336:The novel is
334:
331:
327:
317:
315:
311:
307:
303:
299:
295:
293:
288:
284:
283:
273:
271:
269:LC Class
265:
261:
258:
257:Dewey Decimal
253:
250:
247:
245:
239:
235:
234:0-06-097361-7
232:
230:
226:
222:
218:
214:
210:
206:
202:
199:United States
198:
194:
190:
184:
181:
180:Prentice-Hall
178:
174:
170:
166:
163:
160:
156:
152:First edition
149:
144:
132:
129:
121:
110:
107:
103:
100:
96:
93:
89:
86:
82:
79: –
78:
74:
73:Find sources:
67:
63:
57:
56:
51:This article
49:
45:
40:
39:
34:
30:
27:episode, see
26:
22:
428:16 September
426:. Retrieved
416:
399:
385:
378:
372:
369:Sandy Dennis
365:film version
358:
342:
335:
323:
298:Sandy Dennis
291:
281:
280:
279:
124:
115:
105:
98:
91:
84:
72:
60:Please help
55:verification
52:
24:
355:Adaptations
287:Bel Kaufman
162:Bel Kaufman
444:Categories
422:"Mad #118"
408:References
387:South Park
338:epistolary
326:inner city
306:Ruth White
262:813/.54 20
88:newspapers
25:South Park
23:. For the
390:episode "
367:starring
361:Tad Mosel
213:Paperback
176:Publisher
249:23255071
209:Hardback
168:Language
330:Chaucer
207:Print (
171:English
102:scholar
382:'s
211:&
158:Author
104:
97:
90:
83:
75:
220:Pages
109:JSTOR
95:books
430:2014
320:Plot
312:and
243:OCLC
229:ISBN
81:news
374:Mad
64:by
446::
316:.
308:,
304:,
300:,
432:.
349:"
345:"
215:)
131:)
125:(
120:)
116:(
106:·
99:·
92:·
85:·
58:.
35:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
