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Brigadier-General Sir Harry Paget Flashman V.C. K.C.B. is a Fictional Character originally created by the author Thomas Hughes in his semi-autobiographical work '' Tom Brown's Schooldays '', first published in 1857. The book is set at Rugby School , where Flashman is a notorious bully who persecutes its eponymous hero, Tom Brown . In Hughes' book, Flashman is finally expelled for drunkenness. 20th century author George MacDonald Fraser had the Conceit of writing a series of further fictional memoirs of the cowardly, bullying Flashman as he cuts a swathe through the Victorian wars and uproars (and the boudoirs and harems) of the 19th Century , portraying Flashman as an Antihero . Though Flashman - a self-described and unapologetic 'cad' - constantly betrays acquaintances, runs from danger, or hides cowering in fear, he arrives at the end of each volume with medals, the praise of the mighty, and the love of one or more beautiful and enthusiastic women. Flashman becomes one of the most notable and honoured figures of the Victorian Era . Fraser gives Flashman's life as 1822 to 1915 and gives a birth date of 5 May . In ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'' he is only ever called Flashman or Flashy; his Forename s were most likely invented by Fraser. STYLE AND LAYOUT OF THE STORIES The series is a classic use of False Document s. The books describe the discovery of the nonagenarian General Flashman's memoirs in a Leicestershire saleroom in 1965. Posing as the editor of the papers, Fraser produces a series of Historical Novel s that give a racy, colourful, and decidedly cynical view of British and American History in the 19th Century . Dozens of major and minor characters from history flit in and out of the books, often in an inglorious or hypocritical guise. Other fictional characters, such as Sherlock Holmes can also be found in the tales, complementing Flashman and sundry figures from '' Tom Brown's Schooldays '' and '' Tom Brown At Oxford ''. Because of this, he is a strong member of the Wold Newton Family . In fact, Fraser's research is extensive and the books illuminate the historical events they depict. The books are heavily annotated, with end notes and appendices, as Fraser (in accordance with the fictional existence of the memoirs) attempts to "confirm" (and in some cases "correct") the elderly Flashman's recollections of events; in many cases, the footnotes serve to aid the reader by clearly indicating that a particularly outlandish character existed or event occurred, and was not merely invented by the author. The half-scholarly tone has occasionally led to misunderstandings; when first released in the United States, ten of 34 reviews published took it to be a real, albeit obscure, memoir. Several of these were written by academics - to the delight of the '' New York Times '', which published a selection of the more trusting reviews. For the purposes of , KCB , KCIE ; Chevalier of the Légion D'Honneur ; US Medal Of Honor ; San Serafino Order of Purity and Truth, 4th Class. FLASHMAN THE MAN Harry Paget Flashman described himself as a large man, six feet tall and close to 13 Stone (about 180 pounds). A gifted horseman and linguist, Flashman had the means to impress important people he met, and he did, usually with excessive Toadying . His other gift was his success with the opposite sex. The list of his sexual conquests (see below) is long and includes not just a few famous women. Despite his natural abilites and imposing figure, Flashman was a coward, running from the danger he constantly found himself in. He was also a bully to his (supposed) inferiors and found joy in creating trouble for people he did not like. After his expulsion from Rugby , Flashman looked for a way to an easy life. He joined the military, picking the 11th Light Dragoon s, which had just returned from India and was not likely to go back soon. A duel over a lady of questionable morals led to his being stationed in Scotland, where he met and deflowered the love of his life, Elspeth Morrison. Their marriage caused his forced resignation from the 11th Lights, and he was sent to India to make a name for himself. After seventy-five more years of meeting the most famous people of his time and shirking his duty in the most famous conflicts and events of the 19th century, Flashman died in 1915. FLASHMAN STORIES To date, the following extracts (in publication order) from the Flashman Papers have been published:
Flashman also plays a small part in Fraser's novel '' Mr American '' (1970). His father has a similar cameo appearance in ''Black Ajax''. At one point, it is also mentioned that a member of the Flashman family was present at the Battle of Culloden, 1746. Fraser has confirmed that Flashman died in 1915, but the exact circumstances of his death have never been related. An apocryphal version popular among Flashman fans has it that after the events of ''Mr American'' in 1914, where the elderly General Flashman sought entry to Buckingham Palace in order to urinate, an incandescent King George V had him posted to the Western Front. Rumour has it that a stray shell hit the bordello he was in, just behind the front line. This has never been confirmed or denied in any Flashman book. FLASHMAN'S LADIES Flashman's stories are dominanted by his numerous amorous encounters. The women he gets tangled with are not mere window dressing against the backdrop of Flashy's life. They represent truly pivotal characters in the unpredictable twists and turns of the books. Several of them are prominent historical personages in their own right.
ADAPTATIONS A Film Version of '' Royal Flash '' was released in 1975. It was directed by Richard Lester and starred Malcolm McDowell as Flashman, Oliver Reed as Otto Von Bismarck and Alan Bates as Rudi von Sternberg. It received moderate acclaim, though most Flashy fans avoid it, as Lester chose to focus on bawdy buffoonery and slapstick, and gave short shrift to the historical context of the story. American military historian Raymond M. Saunders created an homage to the Flashman persona in a series of Fenwick Travers novels, set among the US military adventures in the Indian wars, Spanish-American war in Cuba, Boxer Rebellion in China, piracy and Muslim terrorism in the Philippines, and the creation of the Panama Canal. These novels never received the popularity or acclaim of the original Flashman. The noisy, boastful and sexually insatiable Lord Flashheart in the '' Blackadder '' series may be named in homage to Flashman. Eric Nicol's ''Dickens of the Mounted'', a fictional biography of Francis Jeffrey Dickens , the real life third son of novelist Charles Dickens and who joined the North West Mounted Police in 1874, has an alternate and less than flattering take on Flashman - the book itself is something of an homage to the Flashman series. HISTORICAL CHARACTERS REFERENCED IN THE FLASHMAN NOVELS The Flashman books are littered with references to a vast number of notable historical figures. Although many have but a brief mention, some feature more prominantly and are usually are portrayed in a less than flattering light. They include the following:
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