George Henty was a romantic writer in the second half of the 18th Century who wrote heroic stories for British schoolboys that espoused Victorian values. While his tales may have assumed the right of his nation to overcome all opposition, in his day they also represented the victory of good over evil, and therein lies their allegorical value.
It is oversimplification to dismiss George Henty’s work as a Victorian aberration just because we may not agree with his political platform. Our world continues to resound with tales of young people standing by what they believe is right. If you do not believe this, then you overlook the young firemen who died in New York’s Twin Towers. I shiver at the thought of how Henty’s words might have recorded that day.
Our modern world is a different place from England in Victorian times though. We slumber in an atmosphere of peace and prosperity in which nobody bodes us any ill. Or is this true? What about the terrorist bombs that threaten New York and London, and the passengers in aircraft flying overhead? Dare I say that Henty’s modern heroes might also be the boys in aircraft and bomb disposal squads who give their young lives so preciously these days?
And what do about the generation of young people around the world who have substituted time spent in military service with philanthropic gap years? Princes William and Harry building schools for AIDS Orphans in Swaziland might seem an odd theme here, but is this really so obscure?. Diana’s boys died to self too, just in a different way. And this could have formed the basis of a rollicking good book, with just a little added Henty imagination.
Bullying is a scourge in which weaklings are mistreated just because they do not conform to the pattern. George Henty learned boxing as a boy to stand up for his rights, and he no doubt defended the rights of a few chums too. This battle is still being fought out across the playgrounds of the world today, not just in schools but also in world politics. Every day our young solders are sacrificing their rights in isolated skirmishes –t his time not to defend their countries though, but to defend the rights of others.
Were George Henty alive today he would be rejoicing in opportunities to encourage young men to defend the rule of law as indeed they often do. Sadly though, when they return home they are received with less recognition that they reserve, because defense of right and good has become an old fashioned concept, with nobody left to defend it.
We need a 21st Century George Henty to encourage our young men to stand up for what they believe is good and fair. This is especially true since our politicians and churches have abdicated their role so miserably. When this happens a Victorian writer’s obscure work will remind us how best this should be done, and how best this might serve future generations.
