The Silver-Fork School
Preserved but no longer current.
A name given in amused contempt (about 1830) to the novelists who were sticklers for the etiquette and graces of the Upper Ten and showed great respect for the affectations of gentility. Theodore Hook, Lady Blessington, and Bulwer Lytton might be taken as representatives of it.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Silver-Fork School” mean?
A name given in amused contempt (about 1830) to the novelists who were sticklers for the etiquette and graces of the Upper Ten and showed great respect for the affectations of gentility. Theodore Hook, Lady Blessington, and Bulwer Lytton might be taken as representatives of it.
Is “The Silver-Fork School” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.