As you point out, the character is an abhorrent cartoon in all other regards -- why should his sexual conduct be rendered any differently? And in '69 it was common for pulp novels to have hard-boiled Galahads who pressed themselves upon women in exactly this way, usually rendered in greater and more sympathetic (toward the lout protagonist) detail. The woman always "surrenders," invariably announcing after the connubials, "I never knew it could be like this," or some similar variant. If anything, it could be argued MacDonald Fraser is making a mockery of this trope, and exposing the rutting Mike Hammers etc that Flashman shares shelf-space with as the contemptible shit-heels they truly are.
Of course, it could also be argued that GMF's later years were marked by stating opinions alarmingly akin to the villainous blowhards he once lampooned -- and thus read-in, after the fact, some sympathy with Flashman's POV on the matter of "rough sex." GMF could in no way be considered a "feminist," I don't think. But within the context of the novel, as written and when published, I think it is a straining virtuosity that seeks to condemn the whole thing outright on just this single episode.
Thanks for helping me put this in context. I had been largely unaware of the 1960s pulp novel tradition.
As I mentioned, the first time I read the series, it didn't even really register with me as something that people would have issue with. Because it did seem to fit with the character and with the story. But I later discovered that a lot of female readers took issue with it, and I think this is because woman are more triggered by this discussion than men are. I think as me we are more capable of considering it in the abstract, but a lot of women are deeply disturbed by any kind of mention of rape. (Or am I generalizing. I often lead myself into erroneous statements when I try to tell things from the female point of view.) As someone who has devoted a fair amount of my blog space to praising and recommending the Flashman series, I really wanted to try to balance this out by acknowledging this could be distasteful or painful for female readers.
As you point out, the character is an abhorrent cartoon in all other regards -- why should his sexual conduct be rendered any differently? And in '69 it was common for pulp novels to have hard-boiled Galahads who pressed themselves upon women in exactly this way, usually rendered in greater and more sympathetic (toward the lout protagonist) detail. The woman always "surrenders," invariably announcing after the connubials, "I never knew it could be like this," or some similar variant. If anything, it could be argued MacDonald Fraser is making a mockery of this trope, and exposing the rutting Mike Hammers etc that Flashman shares shelf-space with as the contemptible shit-heels they truly are.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it could also be argued that GMF's later years were marked by stating opinions alarmingly akin to the villainous blowhards he once lampooned -- and thus read-in, after the fact, some sympathy with Flashman's POV on the matter of "rough sex." GMF could in no way be considered a "feminist," I don't think. But within the context of the novel, as written and when published, I think it is a straining virtuosity that seeks to condemn the whole thing outright on just this single episode.
Thanks for helping me put this in context. I had been largely unaware of the 1960s pulp novel tradition.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned, the first time I read the series, it didn't even really register with me as something that people would have issue with. Because it did seem to fit with the character and with the story. But I later discovered that a lot of female readers took issue with it, and I think this is because woman are more triggered by this discussion than men are. I think as me we are more capable of considering it in the abstract, but a lot of women are deeply disturbed by any kind of mention of rape. (Or am I generalizing. I often lead myself into erroneous statements when I try to tell things from the female point of view.) As someone who has devoted a fair amount of my blog space to praising and recommending the Flashman series, I really wanted to try to balance this out by acknowledging this could be distasteful or painful for female readers.