Empire Boys: Adventures in a Man's World

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Children&
Cover of the book Empire Boys: Adventures in a Man's World by Joseph Bristow, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Joseph Bristow ISBN: 9781317365594
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: August 27, 2015
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Joseph Bristow
ISBN: 9781317365594
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: August 27, 2015
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Originally published in 1991. Focusing on ‘boys' own’ literature, this book examines the reasons why such a distinct type of combative masculinity developed during the heyday of the British Empire. This book reveals the motives that produced this obsessive focus on boyhood. In Victorian Britain many kinds of writing, from the popular juvenile weeklies to parliamentary reports, celebrated boys of all classes as the heroes of their day. Fighting fit, morally upright, and proudly patriotic - these adventurous young men were set forth on imperial missions, civilizing a savage world. Such noble heroes included the strapping lads who brought an end to cannibalism on Ballantyne's "Coral Island" who came into their own in the highly respectable "Boys' Own Paper", and who eventually grew up into the men of Haggard's romances, advancing into the Dark Continent. The author here demonstrates why these young heroes have enjoyed a lasting appeal to readers of children's classics by Stevenson, Kipling and Henty, among many others. He shows why the political intent of many of these stories has been obscured by traditional literary criticism, a form of criticism itself moulded by ideals of empire and ‘Englishness’. Throughout, imperial boyhood is related to wide-ranging debates about culture, literacy, realism and romance. This is a book of interest to students of literature, social history and education.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Originally published in 1991. Focusing on ‘boys' own’ literature, this book examines the reasons why such a distinct type of combative masculinity developed during the heyday of the British Empire. This book reveals the motives that produced this obsessive focus on boyhood. In Victorian Britain many kinds of writing, from the popular juvenile weeklies to parliamentary reports, celebrated boys of all classes as the heroes of their day. Fighting fit, morally upright, and proudly patriotic - these adventurous young men were set forth on imperial missions, civilizing a savage world. Such noble heroes included the strapping lads who brought an end to cannibalism on Ballantyne's "Coral Island" who came into their own in the highly respectable "Boys' Own Paper", and who eventually grew up into the men of Haggard's romances, advancing into the Dark Continent. The author here demonstrates why these young heroes have enjoyed a lasting appeal to readers of children's classics by Stevenson, Kipling and Henty, among many others. He shows why the political intent of many of these stories has been obscured by traditional literary criticism, a form of criticism itself moulded by ideals of empire and ‘Englishness’. Throughout, imperial boyhood is related to wide-ranging debates about culture, literacy, realism and romance. This is a book of interest to students of literature, social history and education.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Indian Culture and Work Organisations in Transition by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Addiction, Behavioral Change and Social Identity by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Hindu Manners, Customs & Ceremon by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Music by Pedro de Cristo (c. 1550-1618) by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book The Government of Chronic Poverty by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Understanding Integrated Reporting by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Progressive and Conservative Religious Ideologies by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Teaching Multicultured Students by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Mediating Human Rights by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book The Korean Economy at the Crossroads by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Managing the Non-Profit Organization by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Princ Literary Criticism V3 by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book The Changing Role of the Interpreter by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Judicial Review and Contemporary Democratic Theory by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book The Wiltshire Woollen Industry in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries by Joseph Bristow
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy