Play Up and Play the Game: The Heroes of Popular Fiction

Play Up and Play the Game (1973) explores Sir Henry Newbolt's fictional hero, characterized by fairplay, loyalty, fearlessness, and conformity, found in the works of Rider Haggard, Conan Doyle, Edgar Wallace, Anthony Hope, and P.C. Wren. It traces his development from a Victorian schoolboy to a twentieth-century secret agent.

Format: Hardback
Length: 194 pages
Publication date: 08 March 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Play Up and Play the Game, a 1973 book, delves into the portrayal of a specific type of fictional hero found in the writings, characters, poetry, and philosophy of Sir Henry Newbolt. This hero, known as the "Newbolt Man," is characterized by a blend of qualities such as fairplay, loyalty, fearlessness, conformity, and a slight touch of philistinism and sexlessness. While his influence can be traced in the works of various authors, including Rider Haggard, Conan Doyle, Edgar Wallace, Anthony Hope, and P.C. Wren, the book specifically focuses on his evolution from a Victorian schoolboy portrayed in Tom Brown's School Days and Kipling to a twentieth-century secret agent featured in Buchan's Richard Hannay novels. The journey continues as Newbolt Man reaches his tragic end in Sheriffs' Journeys End and Aldington's Death of a Hero.

Weight: 520g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032498973