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 Negotiating Corruption by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Six Children by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Our Lady Cinema by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Setting the PACE in Product Development by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book The Bengali Drama by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Self-Evaluation by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book The Texture of Treatment by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Exploring LGBT Spaces and Communities by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Behavioral Methods in Social Welfare by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Econometric Analysis of the Real Estate Market and Investment by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Historians Debate the Rise of the West by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Cities, Diversity and Ethnicity by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Transformations of Late Antiquity by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book Culture and Economy in the Indian Diaspora by Joseph Bristow
Cover of the book The Qur'an in Christian-Muslim Dialogue 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