Abstract
This chapter explores the relationship between the James Bond books and films and the historical condition of the ‘end of empire’. It examines how Ian Fleming’s books were a product of the ideological and cultural conditions of the 1950s and early 1960s, and explores their representation of nationhood, class and imperialism. It argues that the literary Bond responded to the decline of the British Empire by promoting a counter-narrative of British power in which the Pax Britannica still operates. It also considers how the films, following Dr. No, have adopted a more ironic stance towards Britain’s great power ambitions, while occasionally harking back to past glories.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
‘The Exclusive Bond’, Manchester Guardian, 31 March 1958, p. 6.
- 2.
For an overview, see Part II of Arthur Marwick , Culture in Britain Since 1945 (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1991), pp. 67–132. On cinema, theatre and literature, respectively, see John Hill , Sex, Class and Realism: British Cinema 1956–1963 (London: British Film Institute, 1986); Stephen Lacey, British Realist Theatre: The New Wave in Its Context 1956–1965 (London: Routledge, 1995); and Blake Morrison , The Movement: English Poetry and Fiction of the 1950s (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980).
- 3.
Acheson’s remark was made during a speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point on 5 December 1962. On the context of the speech, see Douglas Brinkley, ‘Dean Acheson and the “Special Relationship”: The West Point Speech of December 1962’, The Historical Association, 33: 3 (1990), pp. 599–608.
Works Cited
Amis, Kingsley. (1965) The James Bond Dossier. London: Jonathan Cape.
‘An Extremely Engaging Affair’, The Times Literary Supplement, 17 April 1953, p. 249.
Bennett, Tony & Woollacott, Janet. (1987) Bond and Beyond: The Political Career of a Popular Hero. London: Macmillan.
Bergonzi, Bernard. (1958) ‘The Case of Mr Fleming’, Twentieth Century, March 1958, pp. 220–228.
Cannadine, David. (1979) ‘James Bond and the Decline of England’, Encounter, 53: 3, pp. 46–55.
Chapman, James. (2007) Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films. London: I.B. Tauris.
Durgnat, Raymond. (1970) A Mirror for England: British Movies from Austerity to Affluence. London: Faber and Faber.
Fleming, Ian. (1963) ‘How to Write a Thriller’, Books and Bookmen. pp. 14–19.
Fleming, Ian. (2006) The Man with the Golden Gun. London: Penguin Classics. [1965].
Fleming, Ian. (2004a) You Only Live Twice. London: Penguin Classics. [1964].
Fleming, Ian. (2004b) From Russia, with Love. London: Penguin Classics. [1957].
Fleming, Ian. (2004c) Goldfinger. London: Penguin Classics. [1959].
Fleming, Ian. (2004d) Thunderball. London: Penguin Classics. [1961].
Fleming, Ian. (2004e) Dr. No. London: Penguin Classics. [1958].
Fleming, Ian. (2004f) On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. London: Penguin Classics. [1963].
Fleming, Ian. (2004g) Live and Let Die. London: Penguin Classics. [1954].
Fleming, Ian. (2004h) Casino Royale. London: Penguin Classics. [1953].
Fleming, Ian. (2004i) For Your Eyes Only. London: Penguin Classics. [1960].
Fleming, Ian. (1959) ‘If I Were Prime Minister’, The Spectator, 9 October 1959.
Fleming, Ian. (2004j) Moonraker. London: Penguin Classics. [1955].
Hibbin, Nina. (1962) Daily Worker. 6 October 1962.
Hill, John. (1986) Sex, Class and Realism: British Cinema 1956–1963. London: British Film Institute.
Johnson, Paul. (1958) ‘Sex, Snobbery and Sadism’, The New Statesman, 5 April 1958.
Lacey, Stephen. (1995) British Realist Theatre: The New Wave in Its Context 1956–1965. London: Routledge.
Lane, John Francis. (1967) ‘Young Romantic’, Films and Filming, 13: 5 (February 1967).
Lilli, Laura. (1966) ‘James Bond and Criticism’, in Oreste Del Buono and Umberto Eco (eds), The Bond Affair, trans. R.A. Downie. London: Macdonald.
‘Long Shot’, Kinematograph Weekly, 20 July 1961, p. 7.
Lycett, Andrew. (1995) Ian Fleming. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
McGilligan, Pat. (ed.) (1986) Backstory: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Marwick, Arthur. (1991) Culture in Britain Since 1945. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Morgan, Kenneth O. (1992) The People’s Peace: Britain 1945–1990. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Morrison, Blake. (1980) The Movement: English Poetry and Fiction of the 1950s. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Perkin, Harold. (1989) The Rise of Professional Society: England Since 1880. London: Routledge.
Sellers, Robert. (2007) The Battle for Bond: The Genesis of Cinema’s Greatest Hero. Sheffield: Tomahawk Press.
Strachey, John. (1959) The End of Empire. London: Victor Gollancz.
Sutherland, John A. (1978) Fiction and the Fiction Industry. London: Athlone Press.
Taylor, A.J.P. (1965) English History 1914–1945. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Chapman, J. (2018). James Bond and the End of Empire. In: Strong, J. (eds) James Bond Uncovered. Palgrave Studies in Adaptation and Visual Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76123-7_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76123-7_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-76122-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-76123-7
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)