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{{work|wppage=The Flashman Papers}}
[[File:Flashy_4168.jpg|frame|[[Blackadder|Flash by name! Flash by nature!]]]]
{{quote|''Damn yer eyes!''}}▼
This is [[George Macdonald Fraser]]'s politically incorrect series of novels, presented as the memoirs of a Victorian war hero who is actually a bully, rapist, lecher, backstabber, and [[Dirty Coward|coward]]. The character Flashman is taken from the Victorian novel, ''[[Tom
▲{{quote|Damn yer eyes!}}
▲This is [[George Macdonald Fraser]]'s politically incorrect series of novels, presented as the memoirs of a Victorian war hero who is actually a bully, rapist, lecher, backstabber, and [[Dirty Coward|coward]]. The character Flashman is taken from the Victorian novel, ''[[Tom Browns Schooldays]]'', where he is presented without any redeeming qualities. He has no redeeming qualities in Frasier's books, either, despite occasional feelings of love for his wife and always coming out of a situation alright, so he might be considered a [[Magnificent Bastard]]. There is the ''very'' occasional indication that Flashy doth protest too much, and, to be honest, in the situations he finds himself in, "being a coward" also counts as "being the [[Only Sane Man]]".
It's the nineteenth century, it's the British Army - very little of it is going to make sense.
[[Name's the Same|Not to be confused with]] ''[[Choushinsei Flashman]]''.
{{tropelist}}
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* [[Altum Videtur]]: John Charity Spring the slave trader never misses an opportunity to quote a line from Virgil or Tacitus in the original Latin.
* [[Anti-Hero]]: Flashman himself.
* [[Ascended Extra]]: From ''[[Tom
* [[Author Existence Failure]]: Fraser's
** Fraser indicated in various interviews (see [https://web.archive.org/web/20120420230316/http://www.andrewmueller.net/display.lasso?id=147 here]) that he found the Civil War a "colossal bore" and researching it tiresome. Considering this, and that several of his later novels featured events never alluded to in earlier books (eg. ''Flashman on the March''), one may conclude Fraser never intended to write the Civil War novel.
* [[Badass Moustache|Badass Whiskers]]: Flashman's "tart-catchers".
* [[Becoming the Mask]]: {{spoiler|Joe Simmons}} was a member of the Kuklos, and a highly-respected slave, who was tasked with infiltrating John Brown's army to keep an eye on Flashman in ''Flashman and the Angel of the Lord''. Brown's fanatic idealism gets to him, and after Harry planned out the Harper's Ferry raid and was getting ready to leave, though, {{spoiler|Simmons}} threatens to ''shoot'' Flashy for deserting John Brown's cause, along with an awesome speech declaring that he is going to live as a man, not a slave. The really ironic thing is that it was Harry who first planted the seeds of doubt in his mind just to spite him--and, characteristically, his own actions come around to bite him in the arse. {{spoiler|When the raid fails and Harper's Ferry is surrounded by soldiers, Joe is the one who takes it the hardest, calling out Brown for a stupid, brainless execution of the plan, and losing sight of his goal of leading a slave rebellion.}}
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** Count Nicholas Ignatieff in ''Flashman at the Charge'' and ''Flashman in the Great Game'' is another example as he tries to invade India.
* [[Cold-Blooded Torture]]: In just about every book, whether it's being done to Flashman, someone else, or by Flashman himself.
** In ''Flashman and the Mountain of Light'', the Sikh high command captured Flashy. Dirty Coward that he is, he told them everything about his secret mission before they even showed him the torture instruments. Since they believed his '''reputation''', though, this convinced them he was '''concealing''' information of vital importance. Obviously, no one as heroic as the great Flashman would spill the secrets so readily unless giving out '''false''' info was worth seeming to be a coward. One Sikh general had tears of admiration in his eyes as he told Flashy [[Interrogated for Nothing|they would torture him until he gave them the "truth."]]
* [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]]: Flashman's father-in-law is a money-grubbing [[National Stereotypes|Scot]] who besides running a mill under awful conditions is revealed to have investments in the slave trade.
** The ''illegal'' slave trade that the Royal Navy held an extensive military campaign to abolish, mind you.
* [[Deliberate Values Dissonance]]: Flashman is one hell of a bigot.
** ''Flash For Freedom!'' is made of this trope, to the point where it's almost painful to read. On the other hand, Flashy, despite his intense racism, is more than willing to admit that the British soldier is not automatically superior to the natives whom other officers and civilians consider nothing more than barbaric savages. Flashman has had too many near-death experiences to underestimate a Sikh or a Ghazi.
** Flashman has all of the worst opinions held by his peers towards the less "civilized" cultures he encounters. He stands out as an equal-opportunity cynic, though; his opinion of his peers is little better.
* [[Dirty Coward]]: Flashman himself, to the maximum possible and then some. However, [[Even Evil Has Standards|Even Cowardice Has Standards]] -- in the original book, Flashman has nothing but scorn for some reinforcements that fled as opposed to pretending to attack. He says this whilst himself fleeing from attacking Afghans, but he at least turns around and yells various disparaging remarks about the Afghan's leader. Also, he looks down upon anyone who displays [[Cower Power]], at least if they can still run.
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* [[Omniglot]]: One of Flashman's great talents is the ability to learn languages preposterously quickly.
** Flashman claimed that the best way to learn a language is in bed with a hooker that speaks that language. He said that he learned more Greek from one encounter with a Greek whore than in all his years at Rugby. Language is one of his three self-proclaimed talents, along with horses and women.
* [[Pet the Dog]]: Once in a long while, Flashy '''may''' do something genuinely kind. In ''Flashman and the Great Game'', being [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowing_from_a_gun tied over the muzzle of a cannon to be executed] had such an effect on him that, once he'd proven his identity, {{Spoiler|he ordered that the men who were to be executed with him should be set free instead}}.
* [[Politically-Correct History]]: Consciously subverted, as Flashman's opinions are those of the more bigoted men of the time.
* [[Prisoner of Zenda Exit]]: Lord Cardigan.
* [[Public Domain Character]]: Not only is Flashman this, but one novel has unnamed characters who are clearly Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, and another parodies ''The Prisoner of Zenda''. (Although according to Flashman, his own tale-telling is what gave Anthony Hope the idea for ''Zenda''.) Flashman himself shows up in several novels set in his heyday, including two by [[S.M. Stirling]].
** [[Tom
* [[Sadist Teacher]]: The teacher in question is the real individual Thomas Arnold who is presented as angelic in ''[[Tom
* [[Samus Is a Girl]]: Used in ''Flashman at the Charge'' with Ko Dali's daughter.
* [[Sherlock Scan]]: Flashman gets one from [[Trope Namer|the man]] [[Sherlock Holmes|himself]] in ''Flashman and the Tiger'', but between his deliberate disguise and the Prussian-style [[Dueling Scar|dueling scars]] he got in ''Royal Flash'', Holmes misidentifies him as a German sailor.
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[[Category:Historical Fiction Literature]]
[[Category:Flashman]]
[[Category:Pages with working Wikipedia tabs]]
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