History made easy - the George MacDonald Fraser way...........

[tim]

I've been re-reading a couple of George MacDonald Fraser's excellent "Flashman" novels.
Start with the fine upstanding character of Brigadier-General Sir Harry Paget Flashman, V.C., K.C.B., K.C.I.E., Chevalier, Legion of Honour, U.S. Medal of Honour, etc., etc. Flashman is a professional soldier, and fights his way through the nineteenth century - Afghanistan, India, the U.S., China, Sarawak, Madagascar, Africa - anywhere the British Empire was having a war.
The thing is, Flashman is a coward, a bully, a lecher and fornicator. He stumbles from one disaster to another, farting with fear, but comes out of it all smelling like roses.
The books, to me at least, are very funny, and very accurate historically. Fraser really does his homework, so while you're enjoying Flashman's adventures you learn more about the British Army and the campaigns it was involved in than by reading a textbook. Cut out the Flashy bits, et voila!
Highly recommended!

[Dcdrac]

I like Flashman a great character lifted from Tow Brownes School days and brought ot life in the Flashman novels. Always found them an illuminating and entertaining foilf to throw at epople who went around claiming the vicrotians were moral. Yes I know they were fiction.

[Giz]

I've been re-reading a couple of George MacDonald Fraser's excellent "Flashman" novels.
Start with the fine upstanding character of Brigadier-General Sir Harry Paget Flashman, V.C., K.C.B., K.C.I.E., Chevalier, Legion of Honour, U.S. Medal of Honour, etc., etc. Flashman is a professional soldier, and fights his way through the nineteenth century - Afghanistan, India, the U.S., China, Sarawak, Madagascar, Africa - anywhere the British Empire was having a war.
The thing is, Flashman is a coward, a bully, a lecher and fornicator. He stumbles from one disaster to another, farting with fear, but comes out of it all smelling like roses.
The books, to me at least, are very funny, and very accurate historically. Fraser really does his homework, so while you're enjoying Flashman's adventures you learn more about the British Army and the campaigns it was involved in than by reading a textbook. Cut out the Flashy bits, et voila!
Highly recommended!

Seconded, if you like history and/or a good yarn then you'll love the Flashman series (or pretty much anything else by GMF).

Tim, have you read the author's WW2 memoirs "Quartered safe out here"? V. highly recommended...

[buffalocust]

Also recommend GMF's autobiographical "The Light's On At Signpost". Highly enjoyable.

[tim]

Yep, I've read those. And the McAuslan stories. The Hollywood History of the World I keep meaning to read. 'Course, I'm old enough to have bought the original "Flashman" when it was first published.............

[The Don]

Don't forget Mr American.

[Beady]

Anybody here want a complete(I think) set of Flashman? I'm culling my library and, much as I like Flashy, I really doubt I'll ever read them again. Caveat: a few of the volumes are old enough that the glue has dried out.

Anyway, free to a good home, you pay shipping. PM me. I'd prefer they go to a Flashy "virgin," but it really doesn't matter.

[a_unique_person]

Put me down as another fan. Interesting history of Custers Last Stand on TV the other night by historical 'forensics' specialists. The battlefield must be about the most raked over site on the earth. They can actually trace the movement of troops by the cartridges and bullets that were used at different spots. The "Last Stand" wasn't. Custer's end on the top of the hill was over very quickly, a few troopers escaped down the hill, which is where the last stand really took place.

Apart from that, it is a fascinating series of books, and I would love to know what one of Flashy's bastard sons would make of the 20th Century.

[Beady]

Apart from that, it is a fascinating series of books, and I would love to know what one of Flashy's bastard sons would make of the 20th Century.

IIRC, he had one son and one daughter. The son was partly Creole, brought up by the Sioux, and was last seen shortly after the Little Big Horn. Don't remember much about the daughter.

[Giz]

Yep, I've read those. And the McAuslan stories. The Hollywood History of the World I keep meaning to read. 'Course, I'm old enough to have bought the original "Flashman" when it was first published.............

The Hollywood History of the World is good (of course!). For those of us that have seen all the recent bruhaha over Pearl Harbour and The Patriot and Braveheart GMF actually gives Hollywood pretty good marks in giving a decent impression of history (... he does slam braveheart though; something like [regarding William Wallace] "he was a lowlander born and bred, of gentle parents, his father a landowner who was probably a knight, his mother a knight's daughter. The film depicts him ludicrously as a highlander, occupying a squalid croft and and runnig about the glens in a kilt, a garment as appropriate to Wallace as a grass skirt. In battle, his face is painted blue, which prompts the thought that the film-makers may have envisaged him as an early Ranger's supporter ..."

[tim]

IIRC, he had one son and one daughter. The son was partly Creole, brought up by the Sioux, and was last seen shortly after the Little Big Horn. Don't remember much about the daughter.

In "Flashman and the Tiger" he mentions many "grandlings" (lovely word.......) and great-grandlings to numerous to count........

What about "The Pyrates"?

[Beady]

What about "The Pyrates"?

A chuckle on every page. :)

[Deus Ex Machina]

The Hollywood History of the World is good (of course!). For those of us that have seen all the recent bruhaha over Pearl Harbour and The Patriot and Braveheart GMF actually gives Hollywood pretty good marks in giving a decent impression of history (... he does slam braveheart though; something like [regarding William Wallace] "he was a lowlander born and bred, of gentle parents, his father a landowner who was probably a knight, his mother a knight's daughter. The film depicts him ludicrously as a highlander, occupying a squalid croft and and runnig about the glens in a kilt, a garment as appropriate to Wallace as a grass skirt. In battle, his face is painted blue, which prompts the thought that the film-makers may have envisaged him as an early Ranger's supporter ..."

I have not (yet) read that - but it sounds like vintage GMF.

[Jekyll]

Anybody here want a complete(I think) set of Flashman? I'm culling my library and, much as I like Flashy, I really doubt I'll ever read them again. Caveat: a few of the volumes are old enough that the glue has dried out.

Anyway, free to a good home, you pay shipping. PM me. I'd prefer they go to a Flashy "virgin," but it really doesn't matter.
So.... which continent are you on?

[Beady]

So.... which continent are you on?

Too late. Sorry. They've been spoken for.

ETA: Which continent am I on? The answer is looking right at you. :)

[anor277]

Was it in Flash for Freedom (the 3rd novel?) that Flashy met Abe Lincoln and told him (Lincoln) "that you could fool some of the people some of the time.....etc"? I haven't read the later novels, but the novels I did read told me that Lincoln had later blackmailed Flashy into switching sides during the American Civil War (hence his resume in the front of the novels, Major Union Army 1861, Colonel Army of the Confederacy 1862 or somesuch). And it was all to preserve the American Union (something that mattered to Flashman "not at all", in one of GMF's immortal phrases).

Just on the Flashman novels, I wonder why the term "toad eater" (and Flashy was a great toady) never came into modern usage. One sees numerous toad eaters in the modern media.

[a_unique_person]

IIRC, he had one son and one daughter. The son was partly Creole, brought up by the Sioux, and was last seen shortly after the Little Big Horn. Don't remember much about the daughter.

Only one of each? Yeah, right.

[Beady]

Only one of each? Yeah, right.

That we were told about.

[NeilC]

Flashman is the business. Refreshingly un-PC in a PC world.

The guy is such an entertaining writer. Although Pyrates was *****.

[Deus Ex Machina]

IIRC, he had one son and one daughter. The son was partly Creole, brought up by the Sioux, and was last seen shortly after the Little Big Horn. Don't remember much about the daughter.

now I am going to do my pedantic prat routine - Harry Flashman had two legitimate children - "Havvy" who was the elder and who, if memory serves, Flashman describes as having gone into the CofE MInistry and one daughter.

The Sioux/white/creole son was according to Flashman among the Redskins his illegitmate son by Cleonie the Creole slave girl that Flashman had betrayed to the Navajo via the RC Priest (heh heh that was a lot of fun to write) and who was supposedly the historical figure of Standing Bear/Frank Grouard.

[anor277]

now I am going to do my pedantic prat routine - Harry Flashman had two legitimate children - "Havvy" who was the elder and who, if memory serves, Flashman describes as having gone into the CofE MInistry and one daughter......

Right on Frank Grouard, but as a pedantic prat may I remind you that Flashy had legitimate and longstanding suspicion of Elspeth's fidelity. In other words Havvy may have been a cuckoo in the nest. Flashy himself said of Havvy..."the bastard's a bishop too, I can't believe he's mine".

[tim]

Whoah, there!
This is entertainment, folks. These characters are fiction, and light-hearted fiction at that.......... :D :D :D
Let's just enjoy the books for what they are - a rattling good read with a bit of interesting history thrown in as a bonus!

[anor277]

Whoah, there!
This is entertainment, folks. These characters are fiction, and light-hearted fiction at that.......... :D :D :D
Let's just enjoy the books for what they are - a rattling good read with a bit of interesting history thrown in as a bonus!

Damme if I don't!

[Jekyll]

Too late. Sorry. They've been spoken for.

ETA: Which continent am I on? The answer is looking right at you. :)
Bah...:p

[antihippy]

AHa! I'm seeking an opinion on Flashman!

I read the first Flashman book and found it appalling - not even funny. I couldn't put my finger on why I didn't like the book; perhaps because I was expecting a cad (that's what I got) who was blackly loveable (which I didn't get at all). Is it case of "first book blues" and that the rest are much better?
What are your opinions?
If that is the case then I might go and pick up the next one.

I'll give the book this. It painted the idiotic stupidy of the Brits of this period perfectly.

[NeilC]

If you don't like the first you probably won't like the rest.

Sounds like it jarred with your morality. I'm not surprised. I think many people would feel the same. He rapes a girl in that first one if I remember correctly.

Personally it fits with my natural cynicism perfectly. Can't get enough of them.

[antihippy]

The thing is I've read plenty of cynical books with rapes and characters who don't get their come uppance. I just didn't even get a single chuckle out of the book.

[a_unique_person]

AHa! I'm seeking an opinion on Flashman!

I read the first Flashman book and found it appalling - not even funny. I couldn't put my finger on why I didn't like the book; perhaps because I was expecting a cad (that's what I got) who was blackly loveable (which I didn't get at all). Is it case of "first book blues" and that the rest are much better?
What are your opinions?
If that is the case then I might go and pick up the next one.

I'll give the book this. It painted the idiotic stupidy of the Brits of this period perfectly.

I think the idea was that he was not loveable. He was just as repulsive and flawed as the rest of the characters. In later books, he mellows a lot. I had forgotten about there being a 'rape', but that is partly the definition of a 'cad', IMHO. That is what the sexuality of the time was like, and the retreat was what military leadership was. Flashy was not just about the flaws of the military, but the population of the time in which a 'cad' was a well known concept.

[Beady]

Flashy was not just about the flaws of the military, but the population of the time in which a 'cad' was a well known concept.

Wait 'til you get to the one where he runs into Tom Brown as a grown man. Cads may come off as despicable, but "Christians" are just downright pathetic, thoroughly at the mercy of the real world. At least the cad can handle life on its own terms.