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Brigadier-General Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE (5th May 1822 - 1915) 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 idea of writing a series of memoirs of the cowardly, Bullying Flashman, portraying him as an Antihero who cuts a swathe through the Victorian wars and uproars (and the boudoirs and harems) of the 19th Century . Flashman - a self-described and unapologetic 'cad' - constantly betrays acquaintances, runs from danger or hides cowering in fear, yet 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. Ultimately, Flashman becomes one of the most notable and honoured figures of the Victorian Era . In ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'' he is called only Flashman or Flashy; Fraser gives him his Forename s, a lifespan from 1822 to 1915, and a birth date of 5 May . In the novel '' Flashman '', Flashman mentions that his mother was a relation of the socially prominent Paget family, but that the Flashman family were descended from a grandfather who'd made his fortune in America trading in rum, slaves, and "probably piracy". His father is a dissolute ex-member of parliament, who is "not quite the thing in society." As Flashman says, quoting Greville , "the coarse streak showed through, generation after generation, like dung beneath a rosebush". Flashman's taste in recreational activities etc. reflect his father's heritage, but, we are encouraged to suspect, his ability to pass himself off as a member of the upper crust, and his arrant cowardice, are traits inherited from his aristocratic mother. 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, mostly pragmatic (or arguably 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 ''. 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 indicating that a particularly outlandish character really existed or that an unlikely event actually occurred. In outline there are some similarities to the Thomas Berger novel (and movie) Little Big Man , in which a 121-year old man recounts his numerous adventures and escapes in the Old West. Mark Twain also wrote a short story, '' Luck '', about a highly decorated English general in the Crimean War who was a total idiot, but whose misadventures always ended in success. 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. Gen. Sir Harry Flashman And Aide Con the Experts, by Alden Whitman, '' The New York Times '', July 29 , 1969 For the purposes of , KCB , KCIE ; Chevalier of the Légion D'Honneur ; Congressional Medal Of Honor ; San Serafino Order of Purity and Truth, 4th Class; and a lot of heartfelt thanks. In addition, he is listed as a major in the Union Army during the American Civil War in 1862, ''and'' a colonel in the Confederate Army the following year. (It is referred to in the narrative of Flashman And The Redskins that Flash did indeed fight on both sides during the American Civil War , changing sides half-way through. Though all conversations with Ulysses S Grant in that book suggest that this was a cover for espionage work.) FLASHMAN THE MAN Harry Paget Flashman described himself as a large man, six feet and two inches tall and close to 13 Stone (about 180 pounds). In ''Flashman and the Tiger'', he mentions that one of his grandchildren has black hair and eyes, resembling him in his younger years; his dark colouring frequently enables him to pass (in disguise) for a Pathan. He describes his only two talents as a gift for horsemanship and languages (but sometimes makes it up to four by adding fornication and cricket). He also had the means to impress important people he met, usually with excessive Toadying . His other gift was his success with women. The list of his sexual conquests (see below) is long and includes several famous women. Despite his natural abilities 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 for drunkenness (from the original novel by Hughes), Flashman looked for a way to an easy life. He joined the military, picking the fashionable 11th Regiment Of Light Dragoons commanded by Lord Cardigan , later of Light Brigade fame, because the 11th had just returned from India and were not likely to go back soon. Flashman threw himself into the social life that the 11th offered and became a leading light of Canterbury society. A Duel over a lady of questionable morals led to his being stationed in Scotland , where he met and deflowered his future wife, Elspeth Morrison. Blackmailed by her family into a Shotgun Wedding , their marriage caused his forced resignation from the 11th Lights, and he was sent East to make a career. This he did in Afghanistan , unwittingly becoming a hero by being known as the defender and surviving officer of Piper's Fort. When found by the relieving troops, he lay wrapped in the flag and surrounded by dead enemy troops. The fact that he had been trying to surrender the colours rather than defend them was lost to history. Needless to say, Flashman arrived at the Fort by accident, tried to avoid all suggestions of involvement in the conflict, had to be bullied into holding a musket by his sergeant and had been 'rumbled' for a complete coward. Happily for him, all inconvenient witnesses perished in the battle. This seems to happen in many of the stories. This incident set the tone for Flashman's life. He spent the next seventy-five years meeting the most famous people of his time and trying to shirk his duty in the most historically important conflicts and events of the 19th century--while being hailed as a hero throughout. Flashman died in 1915. Despite his self-confessed nature as a coward, Flashman was a dab hand at combat, when forced to it. Almost every book contains one or more incidents where Flashman must fight for his life. He does so quite efficiently. 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 '' (1980). His father, Harry Buckley Flashman, has a similar Cameo appearance in '' Black Ajax '' (1997). 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 circumstances of his death have never been related. In early 2006 Fraser confirmed that he plans to write another installment of the Flashman Papers. According to Fraser, he has chosen three possible subjects to write about, though what these are he was not willing to say. This will fuel speculation among fans that he will be writing about Flash's continuing escapades in the American Civil War , the French Intervention In Mexico (from which Flashman escapes at the beginning of ''Flashman on the March''), the Franco-Prussian War or the Australian Gold Rush, all of which are mentioned in the canon. However at the Oxford Literary Festival in 2006, when asked if he ever planned to document Flashman's adventures in Australia, Fraser replied that ''"Australia is on Flashman's CV, but I don't think I will get around to writing about it."'' He estimated that it takes him roughly 3-5 months to research and write a Flashman novel. FLASHMAN'S LADIES Flashman's stories are dominated by his numerous amorous encounters. In ''Flashman in the Great Game'' while in prison he compiles a mental list of all the women he has had up to that point in his life, "not counting return engagements" and he places the figure at 478. The women he gets involved with are not window dressing against the backdrop of Flashy's life, but pivotal characters in the unpredictable twists and turns of the books. Several of them are prominent historical personages.
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. Fraser has said that further film adaptations of the Flashman books have not been made because he "will not let anyone else have control of the script... and that simply does not happen in Hollywood." He also points to a lack of a suitable British actor to portray Flashman; , '' The Daily Telegraph '', 16 April , 2006 As of January 2007, Celtic Films indicate on their website that they have a series of Flashman TV films in development. Picture Palace have announced they are currently developing 's Sharpe (TV Series) HOMAGES
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 prominently and are portrayed "warts-and-all". They include the following:
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