Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I started reading them when the first one first came out in paperback; back in the days before "quality" paperbacks when a paperback was a pocket book.
I haven't but I experienced him being introduced as an old man in Mr. American. I will certainly be looking those books up, but I had no idea he was a historical character--figured he was pure fiction.
I haven't but I experienced him being introduced as an old man in Mr. American. I will certainly be looking those books up, but I had no idea he was a historical character--figured he was pure fiction.
He is fictional, but Fraser did an amazing job of surrounding him with factual historical details that, while often seeming incredible, are nevertheless true. Indeed, as the Wikipedia article on Flashman points out, when the first book appeared in the U.S., 10 out of 34 reviews took it for a genuine memoir of a historical person, including several by academics.
The books, collectively, are an incredibly fun read, but at the same time are almost morbidly cynical about the motives and actions of both Flashman and the historical figures he moves among.
I've read all of the "Flashman" novels, and I enjoyed them greatly. Fraser's a very good author, IMHO. I suggest reading his non-fiction memoir of his service in Burma during WWII, " Quartered Safe Out Here."
For "Flashman", I found that it helps to have a good background in 19th century British Army campaigns, which I do, but it's certainly not essential to still enjoy the books.
This past spring and early summer I read the entire Flashman series in chronological order of events. It was a wonderfully painless way to learn a great deal about Britain in the 19th Century. There were some events with which I was already familiar, and the others I looked up and read about to give myself a background for the novel's setting. Entertainment and education, I enjoyed them all a great deal.
When I was a kid, there was a children's book series called "We Were There" which had titles like "We Were There At The Alamo" or "We Were There At Lexington"...that sort of thing. Some juvenile character would be thrust into the historic setting and the story would unfold through the young narrator's perspective.
The Flashman series is sort of ther adult version of that.
The history was interesting, but I never enjoyed the writing style remotely as much as I enjoyed the Sharpe novels. Part of it is that Flashman never does anything, brave, honorable, selfless etc. Few people are ever totally hopeless, even the worse fiends have redeeming moments. Sharpe certainly has moments that potray him as anything than positive, although he is the hero.
Part of it is that Flashman never does anything, brave, honorable, selfless etc. .
Did you not understand that Flashman's depraved character was a deliberate device employed so that the author might provide us with a cynical, less flowery perspective on the events? If it had been some heroic fellow who deliberately has the multiple impacts on history that Flashman winds up having inadvertently, the series would have had severe problems with credibility. I enjoyed Flashman's moral shortcomings. Whether he's bribing an official to sabotage his dueling opponent's pistol, or dumping the lady in distress to aid in his own getaway, I can relate to his choices.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
