I thought that the notion of inspiration to write through feelings of nationalism or patriotism might be a good idea. After all, when I was a boy in the 60s, I devoured the adventure books written just before or just after 1900. The writers of these books, for example: G A Henty, Percy F Westerman, Rider Haggard and others, wrote books of adventure and heroism against the enemy. The "enemy" in question are seen nowadays as freedom fighters and the books themselves are often condemned. Glorifying empire and the qualities of the English gentleman are way out of fashion.
Equally, foreigners are often, but not always, portrayed as cringing, cowardly or savage, while the Brit hero is always a fine figure of an Englishman with the right moral attitudes. A review (2010) by Deirdre H. McMahon refers to Henty's novels as jingoist and racist. At the time, they were applauded by many (judging by the popularity of the books) as model readings and thoughtful presents for children, especially boys. Henty’s alleged racism was packaged at the time as being heroic and patriotic. Henty's novel, "With Lee in Virginia" presents us with a hero who fights on the side of the "aristocratic" Confederacy against the Union. Such a book would hardly be popular in the UK today. I cannot imagine what readers in the US would make of it.
Nationalism in the novel is a delicate matter. Contemporary cynicism makes it sound hollow. Therefore, a writer should approach the topic with a delicate touch.
What is nationalism anyway? Is it a belief that my nation is superior to all others. Where does this belief come from: shared ethnicity, shared language, shared religion, a shared set of values? And is nationalism the same as patriotism? For me, patriotism is a focus on internal aspects of a country, for example: the recent celebrations in the UK concerning the end of WW1, football, singing the national anthem.
And what of the "new" nationalism of Donald Trump? Has he not urged the world to reject globalism? He has done this by putting America first, by stigmatising Muslims and Mexicans, by rejecting the Paris climate agreement and so on. The problem for writers is that by the time their book is published, it is likely that the BBC and CNN will be focusing on something other than "the wall" or "America First." Any novel describing this period should probably be written retrospectively: in other words, only by the time it has a historical perspective and that means years after the events themselves.
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