Gentlemen of the Blade: A Social and Literary History of the British Army Since 1660

(Hardback)

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Brodsky contends that three factors--constitutional, commercial, and technological--in turn, have caused Britain to raise large citizen forces. Because Britain traditionally has been an unmilitary state which has not maintained large standing armies, this ethos of amateurism merged with the professionalism of the Regular Army. He argues that it is this unique influence of amateurism which historically has been central to the British profession of arms and vital to its spirit of service. A wide range of prose and poetry illustrates that spirit and the military cultural experience in which it evolved in Great Britain from the Restoration through World War II. In an overview of later developments, including the Falklands War, Brodsky enunciates the challenge facing the traditional ethos in the nuclear age. Analyzing the effect of the literary idiom, he questions the future direction of representative literature.

Reviews

. . . Brodsky writes easily and informatively about his subject, devoting about two-thirds of his space to the historical and about one-third to the literary from the days of Oliver Cromwell to the present. . . . there is a lot to be learned here . . .-Albion
Gentlemen of the Blade is the work of a fine soldier and a superb teacher. A combination of military knowledge and academic excellence shines throughout this masterful work. In the Preface the author says of his book, May it be worthy of the profession it has been written to serve'. This reviewer feels it is truly worthy. This work contains five chapters covering the period from 1660 to the Falklands. The careful treatment of British Army history and the literature of the various periods is cleverly done, and the book therefore gives a double bonus of history and the wealth of literature concerning the military. Gentlemen of the Blade should be required reading for every cadet at our three military colleges, for reservists and regulars who worry about the future, and for all those who have never truly understood the regimental system'.-Canadian Defence Quarterly
." . . Brodsky writes easily and informatively about his subject, devoting about two-thirds of his space to the historical and about one-third to the literary from the days of Oliver Cromwell to the present. . . . there is a lot to be learned here . . ."-Albion
"Gentlemen of the Blade is the work of a fine soldier and a superb teacher. A combination of military knowledge and academic excellence shines throughout this masterful work. In the Preface the author says of his book, May it be worthy of the profession it has been written to serve'. This reviewer feels it is truly worthy. This work contains five chapters covering the period from 1660 to the Falklands. The careful treatment of British Army history and the literature of the various periods is cleverly done, and the book therefore gives a double bonus of history and the wealth of literature concerning the military. Gentlemen of the Blade should be required reading for every cadet at our three military colleges, for reservists and regulars who worry about the future, and for all those who have never truly understood the regimental system'."-Canadian Defence Quarterly

Author Bio

G.W. STEPHEN BRODSKY is a retired Canadian Forces infantry officer, with service in conventional and airborne units. He teaches Literature at Royal Roads Military College.