The General

By C.S. Forester

Book Overview

The book John Kelly reads every time he gets a promotion to remind him of 'the perils of hubris, the pitfalls of patriotism and duty unaccompanied by critical thinking'

The most vivid, moving - and devastating - word-portrait of a World War One British commander ever written, here re-introduced by Max Hastings.

C.S. Forester's 1936 masterpiece follows Lt General Herbert Curzon, who fumbled a fortuitous early step on the path to glory in the Boer War. 1914 finds him an honourable, decent, brave and wholly unimaginative colonel. Survival through the early slaughters in which so many fellow-officers perished then brings him rapid promotion. By 1916, he is a general in command of 100,000 British soldiers, whom he leads through the horrors of the Somme and Passchendaele, a position for which he is entirely unsuited and intellectually unprepared.

Wonderfully human with Forester's droll relish for human folly on full display, this is the story of a man of his time who is anything but wicked, yet presides over appalling sacrifice and tragedy. In his awkwardness and his marriage to a Duke's unlovely, unhappy daughter, Curzon embodies Forester's full powers as a storyteller. His half-hero is patriotic, diligent, even courageous, driven by his sense of duty and refusal to yield to difficulties. But also powerfully damned is the same spirit which caused a hundred real-life British generals to serve as high priests at the bloodiest human sacrifice in the nation's history. A masterful and insightful study about the perils of hubris and unquestioning duty in leadership, The General is a fable for our times.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 000827990X
• ISBN13: 9780008279905
• Release Date: September 2017
• Publisher: William Collins
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Outstanding Critique of WWI

Forester's main character, Gen Curzon, is from the old school, where one does not question orders, nor does one make waves. That being said, from a military leadership perspective, if one has a method, even if it doesnt work, it will continued to be used time and time again. Curzon's character is a representation of the level of British generalship in WWI. Unyielding, unimaginative, and willing to toe the line at all costs, with the blood and treasure of England. The story has a humor woven throughout the narrative. It looks at Curzon's social climbing, his promotions (through no fault of his own, and his old school belief system. If it werent for the tradgedy of the hundred of thousands of lives which were expended based on the unimaginative battle techniques, it would be a very humorous story. Unfortunately, the death toll of WWI is a sobering reminder, thanks to Forester, of the repercussions of Generalship as displayed by Curzon.HIghly recommended. An excellent insight into the class structure of the British Army of WWI.

A MASTERPIECE

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I bless the day many years ago--in college, I think--when I found it in a bookstore quite by accident (for I am not a naval buff and have read none of the Hornblower novels.) It was out of print for many years, and I welcome it back.This is an anti-war novel written by a military historian who grieves over the way his country fought the Great War. It has parts which are hilariously funny (Curzon's courtship and marriage, the family he marries into, the wedding night (nothing graphic here, of course--Forester is a gentleman); it offers a scathing view of England's class system at work; it is dead right (is there a pun here?) in dealing with trench warfare.Buy it, savor it, re-read it. If you happen to teach, assign it to your students along with All Quiet on the Western Front. This is a GREAT book!

Forester's "anti-war" novel

Forester is best known for his works of historical fiction with maritime themes. _The African Queen_ and the exceptionally wonderful Hornblower series are his best known works. _The General_ takes a completely different tack on multiple levels. - On a simple level, _The General_ is Forester's only foray into ground conflict. Herbert Curzon (the title character) is an "old school" cavalry man who is promoted (several times) during World War I and eventually has responsibility for large numbers of land forces: infantry, artillery, etc. - On a deeper level, I think that this is Forester's "anti-war" tome. His subtle, yet indelible, criticisms of the bloody trench-war tactics wielded by Generals who believed in honor through sacrifice. Millions of young lives were sacrificed in useless and ridiculous frontal assaults that benefited only the casket makers.Curzon is a mildly interesting character, consumed with his Generalship and taking only brief moments away from the war. During one such break, he meets his wife-to-be, the daughter of a Duke. His in-law peers are none too happy to have their daughter marrying "beneath her".Without deeply analyzing Curzon's motives - which appear relatively pure - Forester makes it crystal clear that such social climbing had enormous benefits for one's military career. Curzon is portrayed as an honorable man. But he is not very bright, nor skilled tactically or strategically. He is exceptionally dutiful and is filled with a sense of honor at all cost. It is this belief among the British military leadership that leads to the needless deaths of so many.Curzon learns little during the course of his successful military career. The same tactics are employed over and over again with dismal results.I rate this book nine out of ten. If you haven't read Hornblower, you _must_ read the entire series first. It is not be missed. If you are already a Forester fan, read the _General_ for a completely different perspective on combat and the nature of conflict.

Forester's Classic World War One Tale

I read 'the General' shortly after I finished Forester's 'Hornblower' novels and was pleased to find that the same depth and adventure that Forester brought to the British Navy of the 19th century he also brought to the bloody battlefields of WWI Europe. 'The General' lets us into the mind of a British General in the opening months of the war. Forester's protaganist reflects the mindset of those who conducted the war and allowed it to become the bloody mess that history remembers. An Amazing novel.