16. Himmelfarb's celebration of Buchan is symptomatic of how & why he remains a formative culture figure (despite rampant bigotry in his work): he's the great bard of Empire & its anxieties: celebrating the daring do of a ruling class beset by hidden enemies.
-
Show this thread
-
17. Himmelfarb wasn't only right-wing on right to see Buchan as an essential bulwark of traditionalism. Recently an alt-right body building journal has started serializing The 39 Steps.pic.twitter.com/zDRLAQrvoQ
3 replies 7 retweets 141 likesShow this thread -
18. The fingerprints of John Buchan are all over The King's Man: the aristocratic heroes, the empire under threat, the hidden conspiracy by those trying to wreck civilization as led by the British (led, significantly, by a vengeful Scot & then a Jew).
2 replies 11 retweets 164 likesShow this thread -
19. There's one other aspect of Buchan: he turned to thrillers as a consolation for decline of empire both to scapegoat (the hidden conspiracies) but also as consolation (Britain might be outgunned by other great powers but could still produce top notch spies).
3 replies 9 retweets 154 likesShow this thread -
20. The idea that spying would save Britain as a world power, that Britain could "punch above its weight" by spying, is the hidden consolation of the thriller. Buchan started it but it runs through Bond & even (in much more sophisticated & ironic form) Greene & le Carré
3 replies 16 retweets 209 likesShow this thread -
21. So let's put this together: we have Matthew Vaughn (son of Man From UNCLE & aristo scoundrel) making film that is Buchan Redux: dashing aristos form private spy agency so UK can punch above weight & thwart Scottish/Jewish world conspiracy to destroy civilization/empire
3 replies 14 retweets 160 likesShow this thread -
22. The Scottish theme, which I've touched on tangentially, is also important. In fiction, Buchan distinguished between good minorities (Scots like himself who served King, the odd good Jew or good native) from bad (anti-empire nationalists).
1 reply 6 retweets 148 likesShow this thread -
23. In The King's Man the leader of the world conspiracy is first a Scottish nationalist & then an Austrian Jew: not an accident since both are types that are seen to threaten order of empire. But also echo of Buchan's divided self as good Scot (versus the bad ones)
4 replies 5 retweets 148 likesShow this thread -
24. For much more along this line -- on the origins of English spy fiction & the way King's Man refurbishes aristocratic antisemitism -- I've done a podcast with
@bellye66 &@RobinGanev that lays it all out:https://jeetheer.substack.com/p/the-kings-man-and-antisemitism-in?r=bh54&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email …19 replies 23 retweets 228 likesShow this thread -
Do you use any podcasting services, I wouldl ove to listen in my car
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.