Mapping Men and Empire: Geographies of Adventure [Paperback]

Richard Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0415137721 | ISBN-13: 978-0415137720 | Edition: 1

Adventure stories, produced and consumed in vast quantities in 18th, 19th and 20th-century Europe, narrate encounters between Europeans and the non-European world. They map both European and non-European peoples and places. "Robinson Crusoe" maps a white, male, Christian, middle-class adventurer - a vision for Britain - and it maps a "petit-bourgeois" , settled island with a white master and a black slave - a vision for British colonialism. Exotic, malleable, uncomplicated settings serve to neutralise and normalise constructs, that seem implausible in more immediately familiar, textured settings. Victorian boys story writers such as Robert Ballantyne, map hegemonic masculinities, notably Christian manliness, and imperial geographies, including particular colonies. But beneath the superficial realism of adventure stories there lies an undercurrent of ambivalence, which makes "adventures" maps more fragile than they appear. While adventure stories map, they also unmap geographies and identities, destabilizing and sometimes recasting them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Richard Phillips treats us to an interesting discourse on the complex relationships between imperialism and gender from the late 1600s to modern times.
–-Peter J. Hugill The Geographical Review

About the Author

Richard Phillips is a Lecturer in the Department of Geography, University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (December 8, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415137721
• ISBN-13: 978-0415137720
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,763,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Critically looking at British adventure, June 14, 2003

By 

Mark E. Hall (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mapping Men and Empire: Geographies of Adventure (Paperback)

Richard Phillips, lecturer in Geography at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, adds to the body of literature on imperialism and Imperial fiction. His primary goal in this book is to see how adventure stories from the eighteenth century through the early twentieth century �gmapped�h masculinity, colonialism and imperialism. The term �gmapping�h is used since Phillips sees realistic adventure stories as describing both geography and identity. While his overall analysis is deconstructionist in nature, Phillips notes in the introduction that he intends to place the stories in their appropriate historical and social context (p.18), and focus on the plot of the story instead of its other facets (p. 21). Working chronologically through the material, he looks at how the definitions of colonialism and masculinity change through time.

The majority of the works reviewed range in date from the seventeenth century through the early twentieth century, but some space is devoted to more recent post-colonial writers. In addition to Defoe and Verne, probably the best known of the pre-20th century authors covered in this book, the works of Ballantyne, Favenc, and Marchant are also examined. For the 20th century, Phillips deals with the works of Coetzee, Golding and Selvon. Readers may be surprised by these choices, but they should keep in mind his emphasis is the realistic adventure story.

Several points arise in Phillips review of adventure literature. While Said and other critics may vilify adventure fiction, Phillips comes to its defense by noting that it must be studied in its proper historical context (p. 161-163). Further, as demonstrated throughout the text, the values and morals espoused by adventure literature changed over time. Admittedly, as Phillips duly notes, the change is slow and in that regard, adventure literature must be considered a �gconservative�h genre, but it is neither a monolithic nor simplistic genre.

A variety of critical stances are taken to task for their view of adventure stories. In a critique of Woods�f famous essay, he makes a strong case that the homosocial relationships portrayed in many of the adventure stories should not be read as implying a homosexual relationship. He notes that men can be mentors to boys and young adults and there not be any sexual overtones involved. Camaraderie between males, while indicating an emotional relationship between men, does not equate to a sexual relationship either. From a historical perspective, it must also be kept in mind that women were often absent in the early stages of exploration and colonization of the New World and Australasia. Their absence in adventure stories should not be seen as an implicit statement of homosexuality.
And while employing Frye�fs theory of archetypes and symbols, Phillips is not slavish to the theory. For example, he rejects equating homosociality with a homosexual Achilles and Patroclus archetype. He also argues throughout the book, in opposition to Frye, that adventure stories portray a historical masculinity instead of an archetypical one.
Unlike many other critics, Phillips also sounds out a cautionary note on his interpretations. For example, Phillips firmly believes that readers themselves are the ones to interpret a text; these interpretations have their basis in the reader and the reader�fs experience, and may be entirely different than what the writer and publisher intend. Also noted to add that his interpretation is not necessarily the one that the original audience may have embraced. It is refreshing to see a critic express doubts about their interpretations.
I recommend this book with some caveats. It provides a useful framework for examining masculinity, race and imperialism in the 19th century adventure stories. By focusing on some of the lesser-known writers, Philips helps provide more background on the literary climate of Victorian England. While an intriguing look at the portrayal of masculinity in adventure stories, I feel in numerous places Phillips�f arguments need more detailed development. In addition, while the authors he examines will be new to many people, I also feel he should have given more attention to some of the more �gclassic�f and better known adventure writers such as H. Rider Haggard and Rudyard Kipling. Chapters 6 (Verne and a few other French adventure writers) and 7 (Golding, Seldon, and Coetzee overview), I feel detract from his emphasis on British imperialism and masculinity.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A critical look at adventure stories, June 12, 2003

By 

Mark E. Hall (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mapping Men and Empire: Geographies of Adventure (Paperback)

Richard Phillips, lecturer in Geography at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, adds to the body of literature on imperialism and Imperial fiction. His primary goal in this book is to see how adventure stories from the eighteenth century through the early twentieth century �gmapped�h masculinity, colonialism and imperialism. The term �gmapping�h is used since Phillips sees realistic adventure stories as describing both geography and identity. While his overall analysis is deconstructionist in nature, Phillips notes in the introduction that he intends to place the stories in their appropriate historical and social context (p.18), and focus on the plot of the story instead of its other facets (p. 21). Working chronologically through the material, he looks at how the definitions of colonialism and masculinity change through time.

The majority of the works reviewed range in date from the seventeenth century through the early twentieth century, but some space is devoted to more recent post-colonial writers. In addition to Defoe and Verne, probably the best known of the pre-20th century authors covered in this book, the works of Ballantyne, Favenc, and Marchant are also examined. For the 20th century, Phillips deals with the works of Coetzee, Golding and Selvon. Readers may be surprised by these choices, but they should keep in mind his emphasis is the realistic adventure story.

Several points arise in Phillips review of adventure literature. While Said and other critics may vilify adventure fiction, Phillips comes to its defense by noting that it must be studied in its proper historical context (p. 161-163). Further, as demonstrated throughout the text, the values and morals espoused by adventure literature changed over time. Admittedly, as Phillips duly notes, the change is slow and in that regard, adventure literature must be considered a �gconservative�h genre, but it is neither a monolithic nor simplistic genre.

A variety of critical stances are taken to task for their view of adventure stories. In a critique of Woods�f famous essay, he makes a strong case that the homosocial relationships portrayed in many of the adventure stories should not be read as implying a homosexual relationship. He notes that men can be mentors to boys and young adults and there not be any sexual overtones involved. Camaraderie between males, while indicating an emotional relationship between men, does not equate to a sexual relationship either. From a historical perspective, it must also be kept in mind that women were often absent in the early stages of exploration and colonization of the New World and Australasia. Their absence in adventure stories should not be seen as an implicit statement of homosexuality.

And while employing Frye�fs theory of archetypes and symbols, Phillips is not slavish to the theory. For example, he rejects equating homosociality with a homosexual Achilles and Patroclus archetype. He also argues throughout the book, in opposition to Frye, that adventure stories portray a historical masculinity instead of an archetypical one.

Unlike many other critics, Phillips also sounds out a cautionary note on his interpretations. For example, Phillips firmly believes that readers themselves are the ones to interpret a text; these interpretations have their basis in the reader and the reader�fs experience, and may be entirely different than what the writer and publisher intend. Also noted to add that his interpretation is not necessarily the one that the original audience may have embraced. It is refreshing to see a critic express doubts about their interpretations.

I recommend this book with some caveats. It provides a useful framework for examining masculinity, race and imperialism in the 19th century adventure stories. By focusing on some of the lesser-known writers, Philips helps provide more background on the literary climate of Victorian England. While an intriguing look at the portrayal of masculinity in adventure stories, I feel in numerous places Phillips�f arguments need more detailed development. In addition, while the authors he examines will be new to many people, I also feel he should have given more attention to some of the more �gclassic�f and better known adventure writers such as H. Rider Haggard and Rudyard Kipling. Chapters 6 (Verne and a few other French adventure writers) and 7 (Golding, Seldon, and Coetzee overview), I feel detract from his emphasis on British imperialism and masculinity.

3.0 out of 5 stars A BOOK FOR BEGINNERS, August 25, 2008

By 

Carlo Muttoni (Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Mapping Men and Empire: Geographies of Adventure (Paperback)

The author is a bit slow in getting to the point. the title is more promising than the content. Still, you can find some interesting notions but you have to swim through the pages being careful not to sink.