Dangerous Men: The SAS and Popular Culture

by John Newsinger

The British soldier-hero has frequently been portrayed in literature as the quintessential figure of masculinity. In recent years however, a new brand of all-male hero has begun to usurp him. The author of this text argues that this character, based on Britain's SAS soldier, is different from its precursors. In the popular imagination, the SAS is perceived as both protector and avenger of the Crown and emblematic of staunch British individualism. Analyzing the glut of fiction, memoirs, videos and film based on the activities of the SAS - in which writers with "inside information", and SAS personnel themselves, extol the virtues of the Service through images of aggressive masculinity and muscular nationalism, graphic violence and military prowess - the author assesses this representation and its use in perpetuating myths of muscle-flexing nationalism. Scenarios in which the SAS are pitted against an array of perceived enemies of the state - from international terrorists to the peace movement - are deconstructed, as is the representation of its role in the storming of the Iranian Embassy, and in conflicts from the Falklands to the Gulf.

196 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 1997

About the author

John Newsinger is a British Marxist professor of History at Bath Spa University.

A book reviewer for the New Left Review, he is also author of numerous books and articles, as well as studies of science fiction and of the cinema. He teaches on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.