Invasions - Fears and Fantasies of Imagined Wars in Britain, 1871-1918

Modern Britain was invaded hundreds of times--on paper, on stage and in the imagination. Beginning with the publication of George T. Chesney's short story The Battle of Dorking in 1871, texts, plays, cartoons and other media depicting fictional near-future British military disasters had reached millions of readers and constituted a publishing phenomenon by 1918. These fears and fantasies of imagined wars signalled the birth not only of modern science-fiction, but also of a new way of thinking about public engagement in a nascent democratic society.

A new study of one of nineteenth- and twentieth century Britain's most enduring literary genres, Invasions analyses invasion-scare fiction from its inception in 1871 to the end of the First World War. Invasion narratives were arguably the most successful British literary invention of the nineteenth century: exported, adopted and adapted across the world. More than any other literary genre, invasion-scare fiction was also intimately tied up with the dominating social, political and military questions of Victorian and Edwardian Britain. Invasions outlines the development and form of this literature, and traces the function, use and reception of the stories. It offers a cultural history of the language of invasion-scare fiction, a social history of their promotors and audience, and a political history of their influence.

About the author

Christian K. Melby is Associate Professor of History at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

Product details

• Authors: Christian K. Melby
• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 15.04.2025
• EAN: 9781526168856
• ISBN: 978-1-5261-6885-6
• No. of pages: 344
• Series: Interventions: Rethinking the Nineteenth Century
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama; Humanities, art, music > History > Modern era up to 1918; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; HISTORY / Military / General, 20th Century, military history, LITERARY CRITICISM / Science Fiction & Fantasy, LITERARY CRITICISM / Modern / 19th Century, LITERARY CRITICISM / Modern / 20th Century, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900, Later 19th century c 1850 to c 1899, Literary studies: from c 1900 -, Literary studies: c 1900 to c 2000, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / General