Preface -- Introduction: a brief story of adventure -- 1. Power and politics as adventure: Robert Louis Stevenson's The black arrow: a tale of the two roses -- 2. The swashbuckling pirate as rebel hero: Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood: his odyssey -- 3. Justified bloodshed and the origins of the vigilante hero: Robert Montgomery Bird's Nick of the woods -- 4. The romance of adventure: Baroness Orczy's The scarlet pimpernel -- 5. Revolution and revenge: Rafael Sabatini's Scaramouche -- 6. Empires in decline: C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne's The lost continent: the story of Atlantis -- 7. The Ruritanian romance: Anthony Hope's The prisoner of Zenda -- 8. Science fantasy and the adventure story: Edwin L. Arnold's Lieut. Gullivar Jones: his vacation -- 9. Empire and the bright face of danger: A.E.W. Mason's The four feathers -- 10. Soldiering for fortune: Robert E. Howard's "The treasures of Tartary" -- 11. Mystery as adventure: Elizabeth Peters' The last camel died at noon -- 12. Redemption and honor: P.C. Wren's Beau geste -- 13. Popular fiction as thriller propaganda: Ian Fleming's From Russia, with love -- 14. Dinosaur doctors and jurassic geniuses: the changing image of the scientist adventurer in The lost world adventure.
Summary:
"This collection of essays attempts to characterize adventure fiction through the exploration of key elements in the genre's 19th and 20th century British and American works like The Scarlet Pimpernel by Orczy and Captain Blood by Sabatini. The author explores the cultural and literary impact of such works, presenting forgotten classics in a new light"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.