An Englishman abroad : Englishness vs otherness in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels

Abstract

Ian Fleming's James Bond is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated figures in popular culture: for more than fifty years he has captured the imagination of people of all ages the world over, both in his original role as the hero of a successful series of spy novels and also in his later incarnation as idol of the silver screen. Moreover he has perhaps embodied the virtues and vices of the English people like no other fictional character before or since: to. many, Bond is the quintessential Englishman. But is he really? This dissertation aims to explore constructions of Englishness and Otherness in the various 007 novels. There is a good case to be made that Bond's sometimes problematic Englishness is often amplified by his contact with the Other: as Lacan has suggested, it is the Other that makes the man. It certainly would seem to be the case with James Bond. Whereas within the confines of England he sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb, in more exotic locations he acquires some of the most unfortunate characteristics of the classic Englishman abroad: arrogance, condescension and a knowing superiority. The ultimate purpose of this dissertation is to examine the implications of Bond's worldview, and to speculate on the possible reasons behind such a worldview.