The British Empire has often been portrayed in fiction. Originally such works described the Empire because it was a contemporary part of life; nowadays fictional references are also frequently made in a steampunk context.
Historical events This section includes fiction that attempts to re-create historical events. This is an incomplete list. Please add significant examples in order of date published
Prose The Diamond Rock (1950) by Geoffrey Bennett is set around the garrisoning of Diamond Rock in the Caribbean during the Napoleonic Wars. Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian (1972) by Richard Hough is a novel describing the events on the Bounty in 1789. Dark Eagle : A Novel of Benedict Arnold and the American Revolution (1999) by John Ensor Harr is a historical account of Benedict Arnold. Rise to Rebellion (2001) and The Glorious Cause (2002) are a duology by Jeff Shaara retelling the American Revolution. Benedict Arnold: A Drama of the American Revolution in Five Acts (2005) by Robert Zubrin is another historical account of Benedict Arnold, attempting to humanize him and show his multiple dimensions. Young Bloods (2006) by Simon Scarrow narrates mostly in alternate chapters, the story of a young Anglo-Irish nobleman Arthur Wesley and the Corsican cadet Naboleone Buonaparte. The Generals (2007) by Simon Scarrow sequel to Young Bloods.
Films
Set in Africa Zulu (1964) is set during the British defence of Rorke's Drift during the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded in the action, the most ever awarded to a regiment in a single battle, thus ensuring its place in British military history. Khartoum (1966) takes places during the Mahdist War and mainly focuses on the Siege of Khartoum, in which a small Anglo-Egyptian force stationed at Khartoum that was led by General Charles "Chinese" Gordon held out for over ten months against a numerically superior army of Sudanese Rebels before being completely annihilated. East of Sudan (1964) is a highly fictionalized story set against the backdrop of the Mahdist War. Zulu Dawn (1979) is a prequel to the film Zulu set during the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879 during the Anglo-Zulu War. Breaker Morant (1980) is about the court martial of three Australian soldiers during the Second Boer War by the British military authorities. White Mischief (1987) film dramatisation of the Happy Valley murder case in Kenya in 1941. The Making of the Mahatma (1996) about Gandhi's experiences in South Africa. The Four Feathers (2002) directed by Shekhar Kapur. Loosely based on A.E.W. Mason's 1902 novel the movie follows a young man accused of cowardice and his path to redemption during the British army's Gordon Relief Expedition (late 1884 to early 1885) in Sudan. Starring Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, Djimon Hounsou, Kate Hudson.
Set in Australasia The Mutiny of the Bounty (1916), In the Wake of the Bounty (1933), The Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) and The Bounty (1984) are all film versions of the story of the mutiny on the Bounty in 1789. Eureka Stockade (1907), Eureka Stockade (1949) and Eureka Stockade (miniseries) (1984) are about the Eureka Rebellion, during the Victorian gold rush at Ballarat in 1854. Botany Bay (1953), a heavily fictionalized story about the First Fleet and convict transportation, set in 1787.
Set in Europe The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) Set during the Crimean War (although much of the plot is loosely based on the Sepoy Rebellion) and features the titular cavalry charge from the Battle of Balaclava as the film's climax. The infamous charge was also the main subject of a 1968 film of the same name.
Set in India Gunga Din (1939), a George Stevens film based on the poem by Rudyard Kipling. Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977), a Satyajit Ray film set in 1856, on the eve of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Junoon (1978), based on the novel A Flight of Pigeons by Ruskin Bond, is set during the backdrop of the Mutiny of 1857. Gandhi (1982), about the life of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the non-violent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India during the first half of the 20th century. A Passage to India (1984), based on the 1924 novel of the same name, is a British film about an Indian doctor accused of assaulting an Englishwoman. Sardar (1993) a biopic of Vallabhbhai Patel, a political and social leader of India who played a major role in the country's struggle for independence. Jinnah (1998), about the life of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000) about the life of B. R. Ambedkar, an instrumental figure in the Indian Independence movement. Veer Savarkar (2000) about the life of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, an instrumental figure in the Indian Independence movement. The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), a Bollywood biopic about the life of Bhagat Singh. 23rd March 1931: Shaheed (2002), a Bollywood dramatization of the life of Bhagat Singh. Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005) is based on the life of Mangal Pandey and details his role as a leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 which led to the downfall of the British East India Company. Rang De Basanti (2006), an Indian film with references to, and flashbacks of, the Indian freedom fighters Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Ashfaqulla Khan and Ram Prasad Bismil.
Set in the United States The Scarlet Coat (1955) Film directed by John Sturges, focused on Benedict Arnold. John Paul Jones (1959) a biographical epic film about John Paul Jones, the United States Navy officer during the American Revolution. La Fayette (1961) Biography of the Marquis de La Fayette, a French diplomat during the American Revolution. The Crossing (2000) about George Washington crossing the Delaware River and the Battle of Trenton in 1776.
Television George Washington (1983) TV miniseries starring Barry Bostwick. Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (2003) is a dramatization of the life of Benedict Arnold who plotted to surrender the American fort at West Point, New York to the British during the American Revolution in 1780. John Adams (2008) TV drama series portraying the life of the future president; before, during and after the American Revolution.
Period fiction This section deals with fictional characters set within the wider backdrop of the British Empire. This is an incomplete list. Please add significant examples in order of date published
Prose
Set on an isolated island Robinson Crusoe (1719) by Daniel Defoe: Crusoe finds himself stranded on an isolated Island. From a few belongings he rebuilds English civilization and christens a tribesman. A drama fueled by capitalism, Christian faith and efforts to 'colonialize' and 'civilize' both the island and the tribesman. The Coral Island (1857) by R.M. Ballantyne tells the story of three children shipwrecked on a South Pacific island. William Golding parodied the optimism of the book in his satire Lord of the Flies (1954).
Set in Africa King Solomon's Mines (1885) by Sir Henry Rider Haggard introduces Allan Quatermain – a British hunter and explorer, but who displays a remarkably modern attitude to de-colonialization, and shows a great respect for the African cultures. Nevertheless, he is a patriot. Quatermain appears in a total of eighteen stories by Haggard, fourteen of which are novel-length. She (1887) by Sir Henry Rider Haggard is the first of four novels featuring Ayesha, also called She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, an immortal queen ruling the ruins of the lost African city of Kôr. It features three British adventurers who are captured by Ayesha's subjects. In one of these explorers she recognises the reincarnation of Kallikrates, an ancient Greco-Egyptian priest whom she loved. Heart of Darkness (1899) a reflection on the savage Belgian empire compared to Britain's and the many kinds of evil perceived to be in Africa. The Four Feathers (1902) by A.E.W. Mason tells the story of British officer Harry Faversham, who resigns his commission from his regiment just prior to the Battle of Omdurman, in the Sudan, in 1898. He questions his own true motives, and resolves to redeem himself in combat, travelling on his own to the Sudan. Sanders of the River (1911) by Edgar Wallace, highly popular at the time, and its various sequels – The People of the River (1911), Bosambo of the River (1914), Bones of the River (1923), Sanders (1926), Again Sanders (1928) – focus on the adventures of a British governor in a fictional African colony loosely modeled on Nigeria, where British power in maintained by gunboats sailing up and down a major river. The protagonist is not gratuitously cruel, and by the standards of his time is open-minded towards the culture of the African tribes under his rule. Nevertheless, he (like the author and the general British public at the time) takes for granted the right of Britain to rule over the natives and the necessity of using brute force against any attempt at rebellion. Weep Not, Child (1964) by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Set in Asia "The Sandokan novels" (1888 onwards) by Emilio Salgari portray the eponymous fictional pirate in his struggles against the British Empire. Burmese Days (1934) by George Orwell is the somewhat autobiographical story of John Flory and a small, corrupt and bigoted group of British Imperialists living in Burma. Tai-Pan (1966) by James Clavell is the second book in Clavell's Asian Saga. It concerns European and American traders who move into Hong Kong in 1841 towards the end of the First Opium War (18391842). Tournament of Shadows (1978) by Nicholas Carnac, a Great Game adventure set during the 1880s, Captain Mark Aspern finds himself in a private battle with the Tsarist secret agent Colonel Vassily Danin. The Singapore Grip (1978) by J. G. Farrell is the final book in Farrell's empire trilogy. It is set in 1939 just before the Japanese invasion of Singapore and is a reflection on the final days of the Empire. Noble House (1981) by James Clavell is an epic novel set in Hong Kong in 1963.
Set in India Confessions of a Thug (1839), by Philip Meadows Taylor, a novel about Thuggee cult member Ameer Ali, and his adventures and murders in British India. The Man Who Would Be King (1888) by Rudyard Kipling, about two deserters from the British Army discover a hidden kingdom in the mountains and pretend to be gods to control (and rob) the natives. The Jungle Book (1894) by Rudyard Kipling, a collection of stories about Mowgli, an Indian feral child in the jungles of 19th-century British India. Kim (1901) by Rudyard Kipling portrays an orphan of British descent becoming a spy for Britain. A commentary on how 'British' you can be when you are born overseas. King of the Khyber Rifles (1916) by Talbot Mundy. Athelstan King is a secret agent for the British Raj at the beginning of World War I. A Passage to India (1924) by E M Forster set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. Nightrunners of Bengal (1951) by John Masters is set at the time of The Indian Rebellion of 1857. The central character, Captain Rodney Savage, is an officer in a Bengal Native Infantry regiment. Bhowani Junction (1952) by John Masters set amidst the turbulence of the British withdrawal from India. The Deceivers (1952) by John Masters on the Thuggee movement in India during British imperial rule. Raj Quartet (1965 onwards) is a four-volume novel sequence by Paul Scott about the concluding years of the British Raj in India. The Ravi Lancers (1972) by John Masters concerns an Indian regiment which is sent to Western Front of World War I. The Siege of Krishnapur (1973) by J. G. Farrell is a satirical novel set during the siege of an Indian town during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 from three perspectives: the British, the Indian sepoys and the Indian princes. Its point of view is very much of the early 1970s and, in its dealings with the Empire.