Flashman - a wrap up

So now I've read through Flashman, the first book of the Flashman Papers, what are my thoughts on the book as a whole and it's place in the series?

A couple of things need to be cleared up. I should have mentioned that poor old Elphy Bey never made it out of Afghanistan. He was held as a prisoner/hostage and died in captivity before he could be handed back to the British. He was incredibly incompetent and largely responsible for the disaster that followed, but it wasn't a good way to go out. Akbar Khan became a hero amongst the Afghan people briefly for his part in the revolt. He died in 1845, and was believed to have been poisoned by his father Dost Mohammad, who feared his ambitions.

Gul Shah, Narreeman and Ilderim Khan are all fictional creations. Gul Shah was killed by Sergeant Hudson (also fictional) in Flashman and Narreeman ran off, never to be heard from again, although she does live on in Flashman's memory. Ilderim appears again in Flashman and the Great Game.

I've always found it of interest that George MacDonald Fraser chose to focus on the First Anglo-Afghan War as his subject for the first of the books. It was a little known, and not often talked about, defeat for the British forces at the beginning of one of their great ages under Queen Victoria. Given that Flashman was the right age at the right time it made sense, but the empire was big enough that he could have focussed on other more victorious campaigns. As I go through the books defeat is something that I feel Fraser likes to highlight in his narratives. Flashman seems to be the one victorious person in defeat.

The historical notes in the back of Flashman are only just the tip of the iceberg, they get longer and more numerous, and I find them a highlight of the books. They bring larger than life people like Avitabile and Cotton into sharp relief, and prompt me to find out more about them. Those two themselves could have books written just about them that would read every bit as exciting as any of Flashman's adventures.

If you can get past how bad Harry Flashman is, then you should enjoy the books. For what it's worth I think he's at his worst in the first book. He does mellow and doesn't repeat all the mistakes he made in Flashman.

It was a promising star,t and I'm very pleased that readers gave the character a chance and we got 12 rip roaring stories of Harry Flashman, the biggest bounder in history.

I'm aiming to do one book a month, I kind of made that decision after I'd started this and it spilled over 2 months. So join me in January when I'll take you through Royal Flash as Harry cuts a swathe through the bedrooms of the continent and makes a mockery of The Prisoner of Zenda.

Flashman - Chapter 3

The 3rd chapter of Flashman opens with young Harry getting his wish of being given a junior officership in Cardigan’s 11th Light Dragoons (the name was later changed to 11th Hussars, but early on Cardigan even makes a joke that Flashman is a little heavy for a ‘light’ dragoon).

This is the first time readers of the books would encounter James Brudenell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan. Cardigan has gone down in history as the man who led the disastrous Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War (the event was later immortalised in verse by poet laureate Alfred Tennyson), the name has also become famous as a knitted button up garment generally worn by elderly men and women. The Cardigan of the Flashman books seems to embody everything that was wrong with the British Army’s aristocratic, often incompetent leaders. He’s arrogant and spoiled, he’s also petty and completely unable to ever admit that he was wrong about anything. I’m not sure if this was historically factual, or whether George MacDonald Fraser did it for comic effect, but Flashman’s Cardigan has a speech impediment similar to that of noted ‘wabbit hunter’ Elmer Fudd, he regularly pronounces his ‘r’s and 'l's as ‘w’s. He’s also referred to by some of his men (not of course to his face) as ‘Lord Haw Haw’.

There was an interesting split in the 11th Hussars at the time, something which Flashman explains. Cardigan had dreams of leading an elite regiment, and although he did serve briefly in India, he had little time for the career officers in his unit who had spent a large amount of time on the subcontinent. The high handed peer referred disparagingly to these men as ‘Indians’. The newer younger officers, like Flashman, became known as ‘plungers’. Flashman was probably set to rise under Cardigan’s leadership. His commander was largely about appearance, and Flashman looked great in the uniform and on a horse, he was also extremely good at toadying up to his leader, despite his personal feelings about the man’s shortcomings as a military commander.

During this time Flashman took an intense dislike to a brother officer by the name of Bernier. The feeling was mutual. Bernier was the regiment’s crack shot and best blade, he had been the best horseman until the arrival of Flashman. One day in London Flashman chanced to see Bernier with his girlfriend; a pretty little French girl by the name of Josette. Being the unpleasant sort of man he is, Flashman seduced Josette, just so he could have something else over Bernier. It was always going to be discovered, and Bernier surprised the two of them in the act. He later hit Flashman in a fit of jealous rage.

Although Flashman knew that discovery meant disaster he was unable help himself. Once Bernier hits him, he’s between a rock and a hard place. If he allows it to go unanswered then his reputation is shot and he’ll lose any respect anyone had for him. On the other hand Bernier’s a crack shot, and would be likely to kill or seriously injure Flashman if it comes to a duel. Eventually Flashman answers the slight and challenges Bernier to a duel. Pistols at dawn.

Again Harry’s planning comes to the fore. He’s managed to cultivate the friendship of another junior officer called Bryant. Bryant is the regiment’s pauper. It was not possible to survive as an officer in the British Army during Queen Victoria’s reign without some sort of monetary backing. Bryant manages to scrape by, and as he’s funny and good at games of chance he keeps up goodwill and his funds. How exactly Bryant got to where he has, is never explained, he’s too young to have risen from the ranks, but his sleight of hand suggests that he may not have come by all his money honestly. Flashman explains his plan to Bryant. Bryant will offer to act as loader for the two men. and ensure that Bernier’s pistol is unloaded, and Flashman will shoot wide. This upholds Flashman’s honour and saves his skin at the same time. If the deception is discovered then both men will probably be hung for the crime. Flashman offers Bryant 10,000 pounds to do the act. He has no intention of ever paying, but as long as it works he’ll walk out of the duel with honour and life intact.

It was just as well that Flashman did have Bryant unload Bernier’s weapon, because as it is he actually feels the passage of the wadding and the powder past his face. Had the gun been loaded at best Flashman would have suffered a severe and disfiguring facial injury. He then fired wide and accidentally whipped the top off the attending doctor’s bottle of some medicine, and was hailed as a brilliant shot who took the honourable action and deloped, when he could have killed his opponent. During this affair readers discover a slight peculiarity in Flashman’s physical make up. Most people when scared go white in the face, not Flashman. He goes red in the face, the more scared he is the redder he gets. People often mistake his cowardice for anger, it’s helped his reputation no end over the years.

The aftermath of the duel, which will impact on Flashman’s life in years to come concerns Tommy Bryant. Once the duel is over Bryant wants the 10,000 pounds Flashman promised. Flashman predictably refuses, and he knew he had Bryant over a barrel. Bryant can’t publicly admit to his actions, he’d be putting his own neck in the noose. Flashman will just deny the accusations and he’ll probably be believed. Bryant has no option, but to swallow it. He does vow revenge though, and he proves to be a bad man to make an enemy of.

The duel and it’s outcome creates a small wave through London society, and Flashman becomes a minor celebrity, even being praised by the Duke of Wellington. It also has another unintended affect. Strictly speaking duelling is illegal. However out of the public and legal eye, especially in the military, it is not only accepted, it’s encouraged. The old school tie types who run the British military machine see duelling as a perfectly acceptable way for men to settle matters of honour. Cardigan even had to rubber stamp the Bernier Flashman duel before it could go ahead. Unfortunately the attention the duel creates brings it into the busy eyes of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria. Albert does not approve of duelling and makes his displeasure known.

Cardigan has to discharge Flashman from the Hussars for a brief period until the fuss over the duel dies down. Albert actually wanted Flashman decommissioned, but Cardigan refused as he felt Flashman was a ‘pwomising officer’ (ahhh how little did he know). It was common practice in the British Army in those days for officers to be handed around from regiment to regiment as needs demanded. Flashman, to his horror, is going to be posted to Scotland!

Flashman - Chapter 2

In the 2nd chapter of Flashman readers see the ‘heros’ true colours.

Despite his father’s volatile temperament the young Flashman does not seem overly concerned about his reaction to the news that his son has been expelled from Rugby. Possibly Harry realises even then that he and his father are not all that dissimilar and that neither of them have much love for Dr Arnold and his teachings. Although they have very similar characters there is one significant difference between Harry and his father. No one could ever call Buck Flashman a coward.

Readers also discover where the Flashman’s money came from, Harry’s grandfather was a nabob, who made a fortune out of the slave trade, and Harry even muses that there was more than likely some piracy involved. Although Buck married into respectability (Harry’s mother was a Paget, and according to Flashman they sit on the right hand of God), the family is still not well regarded, their coarse streak shows through generation after generation.

Although the older Flashman is not greatly concerned at his son’s plight being expelled, he still doesn’t really want him hanging around the Leicester estate. Even then he knew what Harry was like. Harry himself gave his future some thought on the journey home, and says he wants to join the army. Now why would a self confessed coward want to do something like that? The thing is Harry has no intention of ever seeing action or even serving overseas, and for that reason he chose his regiment carefully. Lord Cardigan’s 11th Hussars had recently returned from active duty in India, so were unlikely to be sent back or pressed into service unless absolutely necessary, being commanded by one of the rising stars of the British military in Cardigan they were well regarded, and most importantly to a young Harry they cut a fine figure in their uniforms. Buck Flashman’s first question is how much is it going to cost him? In the 19th century no one could get ahead in the British Army unless they had money or a good name, usually both, and the money was the most important thing. First you had to purchase a commission. A 17 year old like Flashman would be looking at shelling out for the rank of cornet or junior lieutenant, then there’s the uniform and horses on top of that, plus money for the officer’s mess and to keep up appearances. It all adds up. Flashman gives his opinion that even though positions aren’t generally bought now, the recent showing by the British army in South Africa hasn’t proved that it wasn’t a sound policy. It sounds as if Flashman is referring to the Boer War with his South African comment, which would suggest that this particular packet was written in the early 1900’s, post 1902. This is the first time that Flashman prevails upon his Uncle Bindley to use his family name of Paget and his considerable influence with the Horse Guards to get Harry the commission he wants with his preferred regiment. Uncle Bindley proved very useful in the early years of Harry’s career.

It is during his conversation with Uncle Bindley and listing his qualifications, such as they were, for the calvary that readers were made aware of two of Flashman's natural talents. He later claims to have 4: women, horses, languages and cricket. Here he mentions two of them: horses and languages. Flashman is an excellent rider, always has been, he's a natural born horseman, this will appeal to Cardigan, who appreciates a soldier who looks good in the saddle. Despite not being particularly good at the classics (Greek and Latin), Flashman does have an ear for languages, and picks them up very quickly. Both of these talents have saved his life more times than he comfortably cares to remember.

While this was being done Harry set his cap for his father’s mistress; Judy. She seemed receptive to his original advances, and even spent an afternoon ‘playing’ with Harry, but when he tried it on again he was rebuffed, with the woman telling him once for fun was fine, but she had a position and a name, and that afternoon was all he was going to get. Flashman’s mean streak shows, and he threatens to blackmail her, unfortunately for him Judy is made of sterner stuff and tells him to go ahead. He wasn’t expecting his bluff to be called and takes no further action, but he’s not a man to be scorned, and he darkly plots revenge. He tries apologising to her for his behaviour and when it is accepted, again attempts to force himself on her. It ends badly and in violence. Flashman proves, not for the last time, that he is no gentleman by hitting the woman. This particular action reinforces Harry Flashman’s amorality and readers wondered what exactly they were letting themselves in for by following this sort of character.

This chapter also contained the first of the footnotes. George MacDonald Fraser’s footnotes were a feature of the books. Some people found them a little irritating, but I thought they added to the authenticity of the manuscript and often contained some delicious historical nuggets that made the events covered really come alive. There are probably less of them in Flashman than subsequent volumes, but Flashman is one of the shortest packets at just shy of 300 pages in length in the paperback edition I’m using. George MacDonald Fraser quite often had Flashman’s memory for historical facts play him false, errors which he would then mischievously correct in the historical notes at the back of the book. They really made you wonder if somehow he hadn’t really stumbled across an actual historical document.

Flashman - Chapter 1

Before beginning the chapter reviews I need to say a few words about reading order and explain how the books were written to an extent. The books are not written chronologically. They started to veer off significantly with the 4th book; Flashman at the Charge, and never really got back on track, jumping around all over the place from then on. There is a chronological order on the inside of the 2005 paperback edition that I'm using for this, but even using that there are significant gaps in the old soldier's life. I wouldn't suggest to even attempt reading them chronologically, I've done it and it's not all that satisfying an experience. I've read all the books a number of times; chronologically, in publication order, and just any old how. I recommend reading them in publication order, that was after all how they were written, and that's what I'll be doing in this.

The cover of the 2005 paperback edition has a picture of a youngish Flashman in his dress uniform, leaning on a ceremonial sword, a calvaryman's sabre, I assume, with a scantily clad Indian lady at his feet, wound lovingly around one leg. Flashman himself wears a rather knowing smirk under his magnificent set of calvary whiskers. A horde of heavily armed Afghans can be seen massing in the distance. The first packet of the Flashman Papers covers the years 1839 - 1842.

The back of the book sums it up beautifully:

Can a man who is expelled from Rugby School as a drunken bully, who wantonly seduces his father's mistress, who lies, cheats and proves a coward on the battlefield, who romps his way through the boudoirs of Victorian Britain to the erotic frontiers of her Empire be all bad?

The book opens with an explanatory note from George MacDonald Fraser explaining the discovery of the manuscript and how he came to be in possession of them and was given permission to publish them. He believes that they were written sometime between 1905 and 1910, when Flashman was over 80. There is the possibility that they were dictated. I doubt that due to their expository nature and highly racy contents. His scandalised relatives buried the papers following Flashman's death in 1915, and it is a wonder they weren't destroyed. Fraser said his editing amounts to correcting spelling, punctuation and the addition of a few historical notes.

The passage from Tom Brown's Schooldays where Flashman got himself drunk and was subsequently expelled from Rugby School has been pasted onto the front of the first packet.

Flashman begins the manuscript by saying that Hughes got it wrong, even at the age of 17 (it's often stunning to realise exactly how young Flashman is in this first book) he knew better than to mix his drinks, which he supposedly did in the passage from the book. He blames this on his friend Speedicut.

He claims that he is concerned with facts and that he will be completely truthful in the manuscript, even if he is breaking the habit of 80 years. He asserts that he has a knighthood, a Victoria Cross, high rank (I believe he was a brigadier general when he retired from active service) and popular fame. Looking at the picture of him above his desk from his early days in Cardigan's Hussars (they were originally the 11th Light Dragoons, until Prince Albert changed the name) he can see a tall, roughly handsome young officer. He has always described himself as tall (6'2" or 3"), powerfully built and darkly handsome (even Hughes admitted that he was big and strong and could be charming when he wanted to be). Flashman describes the picture with his usual candour as being the portrait of a scoundrel, a liar, a cheat, a thief, a coward and a toady.

He goes on to cover the episode of his drunkenness in more detail than was in Tom Brown's Schooldays and talks about how he was to face the school's legendary headmaster; Dr Thomas Arnold (Arnold is one of the many real characters that will appear throughout the books, and he is the first genuine historical figure to make an appearance). Flashman admits to being terrified of Arnold, moreso than of any punishment he may choose to levy on the student. He says that facing Arnold in his study he was as scared as at any time throughout his life and when a man has done what Flashman has throughout life (riding into a Russian battery at Balaclava - Flashman at the Charge, and waiting for the torturers in an Afghan dungeon - later in the pages of Flashman) that is saying something. It is interesting that even at this early point in the books George MacDonald Fraser was referencing incidents that would not actually occur until later in the books. He also talks about the sad end to Scud East later in this chapter, and that doesn't happen until book 5 Flashman in the Great Game.

Flashman is expelled, and as he leaves the school Scud East offers him his sorrow that he's being expelled (East was Brown's best friend and had suffered as much at Flashman's hand as any younger boy had), Flashman calls him a liar and damns his sorrow. He later reflects that all East's gallant goodness got him in the end was a painful death by a sepoy's bayonet in the dust at Cawnpore. Thus ends the opening chapter of Flashman.

A New Project

The story of Cerebus is done, all 300 issues of it.

I said when I finished the final Cerebus post to stay tuned for something new, so here it is. The Flashman Papers. I need to do a bit of explaining before continuing.

When I decided to reread and review Cerebus the idea came to me because there were a number of read and review and reread projects going on about the place. I read some of them and thought 'Hey, I can do that!' only what to do? Mostly what I came up with were popular things and had all been done to death. Let's face it did the web really need another A Song of Ice and Fire or Harry Potter reread? In the end I came up with a fairly obscure title. Outside of a few comic collectors not many people are aware of Cerebus, at it's height the book only ever had a circulation of just over 30,000 issues per month. I knew at some stage I'd finish Cerebus, so I wondered what to do next. My initial thought was to do Neil Gaiman's Sandman, mainly because I've never read it, and it's talked about a lot, and I know I'm missing some jokes and pop culture references there. I will still read it and review it, just not sure when. Sandman is another graphic novel and I really wanted to do a book or a series, that's when I remembered the Flashman Papers. I reread all 12 of them early in 2010 and did intend to do a series of reviews, however when i started reviewing them there's just too much for me to put all in one review, so I decided to read and review them a chapter at a time similar to the way I did Cerebus.

Who's this Flashman bloke and what is this all about, I hear you ask. Glad you did. There's a book called Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes, it came out in 1857. It's an English classic, and it covers the adventures of a young man called Tom Brown attending the elite British public school of Rugby (I believe the game is named after the school, that's where legend has it that it was first played when William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it). The villain of the piece is the school bully; Flashman. He's a coward, he smokes, drinks and gambles, he cheats and lies, he uses woman badly, in short he's everything you do not want a young English gentleman of the Victoria era turning out to become. Flashman makes Brown's life a misery until he gets as Hughes' puts it 'beastly drunk' and is expelled. The characters life may have ended there and then, but for a British journalist by the name of George MacDonald Fraser.

George MacDonald Fraser wondered what would have become of someone like Flashman. Wealthy, titled and with an education behind him, but expelled in disgrace from one of the country's top schools. Where would he go? What would he do? The answer; join the army, of course. Thomas Hughes created Flashman as the archetypal bully, he didn't even give the character a first name. MacDonald Fraser gave him a first name, a family history and created the most extraordinary life for him post Rugby. I don't know how many adventures he initially intended to write, but he had completed 12 books between 1969 and his death in 2008, there were also allusions throughout the 12 published packets of the Flashman Papers to other adventures, most notably the American Civil War, that were never written, but were part of Flashman's extensive Who's Who entry, created by George MacDonald Fraser to conform to the conceit that Harry Flashman was a real person and he was only editing and publishing his memoirs, which lay undiscovered for many years before being found in a Midlands salesroom. In the Flashman Papers an elderly Harry sets the record straight about his extraordinary life of adventure and his ill gotten hero status. I've had a ball every time I've read the books, so I hope you will too as you follow Harry and I through his life in an era of adventure.

TBR Pile

Most fantophiles have a TBR (to be read) pile, actually most keen readers have one of these. I was making some headway with mine. I had it down to under 10, I even had a schedule worked out. I’m rereading George MacDonald Fraser’s marvellous Flashman series (it’s historical fiction, which is what I tend to flirt with most when I’m not reading fantasy), so I’d read a Flashman and then whatever happened to be laying around that I hadn’t yet gotten around to reading.
So what went wrong? I’m still trying to figure that out. All of a sudden it just went crazy!
Like I said it was under 10, now it’s jumped to over 20. A couple of things contributed to it. I have 2 Flashmans to go, so it’s not Harry’s fault. One was my self set challenge of trying to read everything recommended in 100 Must-Read Fantasy Novels, (already started that, expect my take on Watership Down soon) and the other was that come March publishers started putting out things I wanted to read.
I think I’m going to have to tackle the ever growing pile this way: read one of the challenge novels and then something not on the list, there will be no rhyme or reason to that I’ll just pick out whatever happens to be on top of the pile (it is an actual pile, it sits in a corner of the lounge room) or possibly if I’m in a specific mood or I’ve got something I’m really dying to read I’ll delve a little deeper. How is your TBR pile going? Growing or shrinking. What’s in it? How do you work out what you’re going to read next?