Soldier Heroes

Presents a ground-breaking exploration of the imagining of masculinities in adventure stories, considering such great hero-figures as T.E. Lawrence and Henry Havelock. It traces a history from nineteenth century imperialism to the present Soldier Heroes explores the imagining of masculinities within adventure stories. Drawing on literary theory, cultural materialism and Kleinian psychoanalysis, it analyses modern British adventure heroes as historical forms of masculinity originating in the era of nineteenth-century popular imperialism, traces their subsequent transformations and examines the way these identities are internalized and lived by men and boys.