#harry flashman

[coupleofdays]

Many years ago I heard an amusing theory on a podcast that Boba Fett is actually completely incompetent, but has managed to gain a reputation as a fearsome bounty hunter because of his cool-looking armor and being lucky enough to always end up in the right place at the right time. This was of course based entirely on his appearances in the original trilogy films. The one part of the theory I remember was that when all the other bounty hunters had parked their ships in the landing bay of Vader's Star Destroyer, Boba had by accident parked his in the garbage hold, and was lucky that Solo decided to sneak away when the garbage was jettisoned. And eventually, his luck ran out on Tatooine, leading to an embarrasing end.

I still like this theory, despite the many other canon sources opposing it. I guess I have a fondness for characters who are secretly more or less incompetent, but manages to get reputations of competence through sheer luck. Guys like Harry Flashman, Jacques Clouseau, or Ciaphas Cain. Probably has something to do with my own occasional bouts of impostor syndrome.

[werewolfetone]

We should put horatio hornblower and jack aubrey and harry flashman and richard sharpe in some sort of gladiatorial match together I think

[krinsbez]

Random Crossover Thought

So, as i continue to explore Battletech lore in the most dilettante manner possible (going through it's TvTropes page), I have discovered that there is a Mech called the Flashman.

As I am currently making my way through the Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser, I am now left wondering what a Battletech version of Harry Flashman would be like.

Granted, WH40K has done that gag first, but it's still a solid idea!

[rlyehtaxidermist]

web fantasy fiction authors were the only ones brave enough to ask questions like "would someone read hundreds of thousands of words of completely unironic harry flashman?" and unfortunately the answer turned out to be yes

[pocketbelt]

Flashman (Harper Books eBook ver)

This one I came across via an offhand recommendation by one of the various internet ronin (as I’m tickled to call them) on I think cohost, which is dead and I think entirely gone now, and in doing do seemed to take the last public social media accounts of a few such people with it. I hope they’re doing well.

It was in the context of swashbuckling adventures and the old romances, which Flashman as a book is very clearly and openly inspired by; a letter by the author a few years before his passing mentions a litany of 1930s-60s movies, books, tales and so on that inspired it in some way, and because of it I think it ends up a little at odds with itself.

Lot more under the cut, but the tl;dr is while I read it to the end, and it is fascinating to think about critically, I don’t think the writing or character is enough to make me return for more. I began to glaze over parts toward the end and it gets repetitious and the unappealing kind of dry at points; might improve as they go on, but the hook didn’t pierce in to get a hold.

Flashman is the auto-biographical account of a fictional English soldier and eventual general, Harry Flashman, choosing in his last years to have a truly honest account of his sparkling, starry career as one of the British Empire’s great heroes, and revealing that he was, in fact, a liar, a cheat, a massive coward, and a rapist. He physically assaulted anyone beneath him in the social order at random and will, acquired and sold slaves, pretty much any and every crime you can expect of a young man from a rich family in Victorian England at the height of the British Empire in the 19th century is something he did. And for his crimes, a series of unfathomable strokes of luck allows him to fail upwards at ridiculous speed, going from being expelled from college to meeting the Queen within a few years, all the while his 80-year-old narrator self remarks on the ridiculousness and incompetence of all involved, his own disregard for English patriotism except where it could benefit him, and every other criticism one could make of the British Empire’s activities in Afghanistan that cause the First Afghan War.

In the letter used as a foreword, specifically on the topic of "How did you get the idea for Flashman?", one thing the author, George MacDonald Fraiser (a routine novelist of swashbuckling and historically placed stories, and also screenwriter for James Bond film Octopussy, something the publishing company is delighted to front), is that his approach to writing the story was to draw from as many historians’ writings, primary sources, letters, writings, even fiction of or closer to the time to get both the Victorian writing voice and also as much accuracy and historical verisimilitude as possible to ground and thread Flashman’s career. He also notes a litany of different responses and interpretations of the novel series, and in particular specifies an anti-imperialist leftist’s review citing it as a biting satire of Imperial Britain and its military and culture, which he rejects as his intent, among others, such as an assertion by some critics (positively) that it’s "the 20th century striking back at the 19th". And that strikes very oddly.

Fraser wanted a historical commentary on the British invasion of Afghanistan, but also clearly a rogue antihero who’s a send-up of all the gallantry and ‘noble heroes’ who often star in the material that inspired it; the result is, entirely independent of Fraser’s claimed intent, invariably an extensive and fairly obvious screed about the myriad flaws and evils of Victorian England, the British Empire and its military. It couldn’t not be, and it’s kind of hilarious that if it truthfully wasn’t the intent, it ended up that way anyway.

I mean, for fuck’s sake, Flashman tells a governor in India of his expulsion from college for drunkenness and the man responds "What? They’ll be expelling for rape next!" with a completely straight face, uncommented on by anyone. No-one remarks on Flashman’s acquiring and beating of slaves, all the Englishmen refer to the various peoples of Afghanistan as beasts, animals, savages, paedophiles, inhuman, etc (being Victorians, of course, it’s what they do to everyone), Flashman takes part in Parliament-ordered suppression of workers’ riots over poor treatment and encroaching industrialisation advancements and admits he didn’t even know why they were fighting them or what for, and that hell, they were probably right but soldiers didn’t think for shit because they had it easy and most bought their way into military positions for quick and easy social standing. The extremely scant few genuinely decent people invariably end up dead or shuffled out of the way, leaving all the glory to fall upon Flashman for being in the exact right spot at the time. The British military leaders are invariably shown to be incompetent braggarts, indecisive worriers or plainly deluded, and even the martially capable are said to be otherwise stupid, disliked and end up dead too. A lieutenant who weeps for a slain coloured child is captured and vanishes from the narrative, mostly, his efforts feeding glory for Flashman to reap, and the valiant effort of a True Noble Soldier, an honest and genuine gentleman reputable in all ways, to save lives with no help from the whining, cowardly Flashman leads to the soldier’s death and Flashman’s veneration for the soldier’s efforts.

Flashman ends the book having a near-breakdown over realising that he’s being cucked because young men aim for army wives left behind by their husbands. If you were writing a scathing putdown of militaries in general, never mind the British military in specific, you’d struggle to hit more regular talking points!

There is some chafing; the desire to also write a rogue-ish antihero in the swashbuckling romance fashion also shines through, and from the letter used as a foreword it’s clear the author came to adore his own creation as a result of that, which chafes against some of the contents, in particular the rape, and it’s there that I think the desires and intentions stumble over each other. I know, that isn’t unheard of for such tales and characters, I know non-con exists pretty readily and I’m not even saying you couldn’t make these elements cohere, I just think they don’t, here. The guts of the historical commentary rife with extensive descriptions and observations about the incompetencies and failures and moral hypocrisies of the British, paired with this walking failure failing upward so rapidly, set it up such that that avenue simply doesn’t work for Flashman, who is simply not charismatic or daring or interesting enough to provide the glue to pull that together. Mind you, I’m no great reader of swashbuckling tales or old romances or the like, so perhaps it’s simply a disconnect.

Perhaps he’s simply too Victorian to pull it off for me, I don’t know.

It’s still an interesting book to think about - the origin of the character, for example, being adopted from a 1857 novel where he surreptitiously vanishes halfway through as that author seemed to think twice about his presence - and fascinating to think about with that letter from the author in tow, but I’m not sure I’ll read the rest of the series as it didn’t completely get a hook in. There’s not enough candour or wryness or zest and zang to the prose to keep me at it, if nothing else; that may well improve as it goes on but I don’t know that I want to drop the money and time to find out. Much is said in descriptions of the book about its humour but I found it kind of lacking in that department a lot of the time, the actual humour few and far between, too.

[markhodderauthor]

I just read for the #MyNovelLife challenge (rules in the comments): FLASHMAN no.8 — FLASHMAN AND THE DRAGON by George MacDonald Fraser (from 1985, when I was 23). My own novels usually involve fictional characters dealing with real events from history. I'm also a bit of a Victorian history buff. It should come as no surprise, then, that I adore the Flashman series. I read the first seven volumes in quick succession, then needed a rest, which somehow turned into a five-year gap. Now, I have returned, and wow, I've missed Harry Flashman! He is an amazing character and Fraser was a genius author. This one sees our cowardly hero caught up in China's Taiping Rebellion, which culminates in the destruction of the Old Summer Palace. All the usual high jinx are present and correct…violence, narrow escapes, comedy, deceptions, and a lot of shagging, but what really dominates is the sheer horror of British (and French) imperialism at its savage worst. The depiction of the wanton looting and burning of one of the wonders of any age filled me with rage and despair. That a novel can be entertaining, funny, exciting, yet still incite such an emotional response is incredible. I LOVED this one and will be reading the next in short order. A brilliant, brilliant, brilliant series.

[jakecosmosaller]

Flashman Novels

Flashman Novels Review of the Flashman  Novels George MacDonald Fraser The Flashman novels are a series of historical fiction books written by George MacDonald Fraser, following the adventures of Harry Paget Flashman, a fictional British army officer. The series spans from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, covering various historical events and figures.  The Flashman novels are…

[kaijudirector]

Heads up for all you fans of a certain Harry Flashman. I can’t help but think this, plus The 1968 Charge of the Light Brigade movie, is the adaptation of Flashman at the Charge we never got.

[assortedantics]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Clarke Gable as Harry Flashman!

[sidenotescribbles]

You'd think now that I'm pushing tcoaal stuff and going all in on problematic content is more and more tolerated I'd feel comfortable talking about my actual favourite book series but man I straight up have no defense for the Flashman papers if an anti came at me about the shit Harry did I can only sigh and nod.

[movienation]

Movie Review: A Portuguese Adventurer/Explorer tells his tale, and tries to get the World to Believe Him -- "Pilgrimage"

Fernão Mendes Pinto was a 16th century Portuguese explorer, adventurer, memoirist and fabulist whose life reads like a conflation of the quests of Cabeza de Vaca or Marco Polo and the picaresque invented misadventures of Baron Munchausen or Harry Flashman. He sailed from Portugal to become one of the first Europeans to experience Japan, with colorful stops at kingdoms, islands and royal courts…

[gatorstims]

A Harry Flashman (Royal flash) stimboard for @micktravis ! With pocket watches, jewels, clothing, and royalty themes!

⚜️ 👑 ⚜️ | 👑 ⚜️ 👑 | ⚜️ 👑 ⚜️

[cccovers]

Cover for the book Flashman at the Charge (1974 edition) by Frank Frazetta.

Reprinted in Schwermetall #63 (April 1985).

[catsquishy]

Harry Flashman (Royal Flash) Stimboard for anon!

🇬🇧 | 🇬🇧 | 🇬🇧 🇬🇧 | 👑 | 🇬🇧 🇬🇧 | 🇬🇧 | 🇬🇧

[blackswaneuroparedux]

The advantage to being a wicked bastard is that everyone pesters the Lord on your behalf; if volume of prayers from my saintly enemies means anything, I'll be saved when the Archbishop of Canterbury is damned. It's a comforting thought.

- Sir Harry Paget Flashman, VC, KCB, KCIE

A guilty pleasure to read the legendary comic adventures of the colonial rogue Harry Flashman. Read the Flashman Papers series before they get cancelled.

**George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman at the charge

[claudia1829things]

"FLASHMAN AND THE TIGER" (1999) Book Review

"FLASHMAN AND THE TIGER" (1999) Book Review Out of all the books featured in George MacDonald Fraser's The Flashman Papers, only one featured more than one tale. This turned out to be "FLASHMAN AND THE TIGER", first published in 1999. Instead of one novel, the book contained three novellas featuring an aging Harry Flashman between the ages of 56 and 72.

As I had stated earlier, "FLASHMAN AND THE TIGER" featured three novellas - "The Road to Charing Cross", "The Subtleties of Baccarat", and "Flashman and the Tiger". The first story deals with Flashman involved in a plot to thwart the assassination of Austria's Emperor Franz Josef. The second involves the infamous Tranby Croft Scandal, which involved the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII) and someone close to Flashman. And the third story featured Flashman's encounters with the villainous Tiger Jack Moran during the Anglo-Zulu War, and later in London of the 1890s. Let us begin . . . shall we?

"The Road to Charing Cross" The longest novella in the book, "The Road to Charing Cross" begins in 1878, when Flashman is invited by the famous journalist, Henri Blowitz, to help get a copy of the Treaty of Berlin. During his trip to Germany, Flashman will a beautiful member of the French Secret Service named Caprice. Five years later in 1883, Flashy is invited by Blowitz to journey on the inaugural trip of the Orient Express. Flashman accepts the invitation as an excuse to avoid being sent to the Sudan. During the train journey, he is introduced to Princess Kralta of Germany, who has expressed interest in him of the romantic nature. As it turns out, Kralta's interest in Flashman is nothing more than a ruse devised by his old nemesis from , Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, in order to get the British Army officer to help prevent Emperor Franz Josef from being assassinated and prevent a major European war. One of Flashman's colleagues in this plot turns out to be Willem von Starnberg, the son of Rudi von Starnberg, another former nemesis from the 1970 novel. In the end, it turns out that von Starnberg has other plans of his own. For me, "The Road to Charing Cross" turned out to be the best of three novellas. Regardless of its length, I thought it was a well-written adventure set during the political upheavals of Central Europe. Fraser did an excellent job in re-creating the first rail journey of the Orient Express. He must have did his homework in researching this piece of history. And the sequence featuring Flashman's efforts to save the Austrian emperor and his own hide were truly outstanding. His characterizations of Princess Kralta, Henri Blowitz, and Emperor Franz Josef were first-rate. Fraser's pièce de résistance turned out to be Willem von Starnberg, the son of Flashman's old nemesis, Rudi von Starnberg. Dear old Willy turned out to be a chip off the old block . . . and a lot more. He possessed Rudi's wit, joie de vivre and ruthlessness. Did "The Road to Charing Cross" have any flaws? Well . . . it had one. And that flaw had a lot to do with the character of Willem von Starnberg. Although Willem was well written by Fraser, the latter described him as being half-German (Prussian) and half-Hungarian. Which meant according to this story, Rudi von Starnberg was Austrian. Apparently, George MacDonald Fraser seemed incapable of determining Rudi's nationality. Fraser described him as an Austrian in "ROYAL FLASH", as a Hungarian in the 1975 movie adaptation of the novel, and as a German in this story. Whatever. Despite this major flaw, "The Road to Charing Cross" is still an excellent story. "The Subtleties of Baccarat" This novella finds Sir Harry Flashman and his wife, Elspeth, Lady Flashman; visiting Tranby Croft, the estate of one Sir Arthur Wilson in early September 1890. Sir Arthur is hosting a house party in honor of his royal visitor, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. During the house party, both Flashman and Elspeth witness a baccarat game, which was considered illegal in Britain. The legalities were brushed aside, due to the Prince of Wales' love of the game. During the days between September 8 and 9, several guests claimed that one of the players, Sir William Gordon-Cumming, cheating. Guests informed the Prince of Wales, who confronted Gordon-Cumming. To the very end, the latter claimed that he was innocent and even sued the Prince of Wales and a few others for defamation of character. Alas, the label of cheat stuck and Gordon-Cummings became a social pariah. But "The Subtleties of Baccarat" did not end with Gordon-Cumming's downfall. Instead, it ended with a surprising revelation that left Flashman in total shock. "The Subtleties of Baccarat" was an interesting little tale. But I cannot say that I would ever love it. At least most of the story. The problem is that I am not a card player. And I found it difficult to follow the card games, while the scandal unfolded. It was not until Flashman learned the truth about the scandal from the surprising figure of Elspeth that the story truly became interesting to me. If I must be honest, Elspeth's revelations on what really happened during the baccarat games not only shocked me, but made me become an even bigger fan of Lady Flashman. The novella had a surprising, yet satisfying finale to an otherwise bearable story. "Flashman and the Tiger" The book derived its title from its third novella set in both 1879 and 1894. "Flashman and the Tiger" is mainly about Flashman's encounters with a character named Tiger Jack Moran, who had been originally created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for his SHERLOCK HOLMES stories. Flashman first meets Moran during the Zulu War, when both experience the retreat from the Battle of Isandlwana and the defense of Rorke's Drift. The pair does not meet again until fifteen years later, when Flashman discovers that Moran is blackmailing his granddaughter, Selina, in order to sleep with her. Moran turns out to be the same cabin boy who had propositioned Flashy aboard Captain John Charity Spring's ship, the Balliol College, and traded to King Gezo as a white slave in the 1971 novel, "FLASH FOR FREEDOM!". Moran spent years seeking revenge against the Balliol College's surviving crewmen. He found his opportunity to seek revenge against Flashman, when he learned that the latter's engaged granddaughter was a mistress of the Prince of Wales. The story ended with Moran's arrest and Flashman's brief, yet humorous encounter with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. This novella was a problem for me. One, I found the addition of Flashman's experiences during the Zulu War unnecessary. Fraser could have used the Zulu War as a major novel, instead of adding this useless scene that really had little to do with the main narrative. What made the use of this topic even more unnecessary was that Flashman's first encounter with Moran occurred in 1848, aboard Captain Charity Spring's ship. It was this encounter that had a much bigger impact on the story. I have the deep suspicion that Fraser may have used this story as an excuse to indulge in a little Imperial flag waving.  After all, "Flashman and the Tiger" did not focus on the Battle of Isandlwana, in which the British suffered one of their worst defeats at the hands of the Zulu. Instead, it focused on the following battle at Rorke's Drift, in which the British managed to repel several attacks by the enemy. My second problem with this novella was the fact that Fraser used Tiger Jack Moran, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson as supporting characters. I found that rather cheap. I found it bad enough that Fraser used Sir Anthony Hope's novel, "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" as a premise for his 1970 novel, "ROYAL FLASH" and a historical character as Flashman's illegitimate son in "FLASHMAN AND THE REDSKINS".  Using literary characters created by another author as supporting characters in one's own story? Hmmm . . . cheap. Finally, Fraser must have done a piss poor job in researching the love life of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII.  The latter's mistresses had usually been sexually experienced women who were either married society women, actresses or high-priced prostitutes. I do not recall the Prince of Wales ever taking the virginity of a 19 year-old debutante . . . especially one who was engaged.  Yet, we are supposed to believe that Flashman's unmarried granddaughter was one of Bertie the Bounder's mistresses. The only redeeming trait of this story was Fraser's description of the Isandlwana retreat and the Defense of Rorke's Drift. Apparently, he saved all of his top-notch research for this particular sequence. "FLASHMAN AND THE TIGER" was not a bad piece of literature from George MacDonald Fraser's pen. It possessed a first-rate novella, "The Road to Charing Cross", and a mildly entertaining story with a juicy, surprise ending in "The Subtleties of Baccarat". The book's only misstep . . . at least for me . . . proved to be the last story, "Flashman and Tiger".