Ten top working-class heroes in books

Marc Mulholland is a professor of modern history at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. He specialises in the development of international socialism, the history of political thought, revolution and modern Ireland. He is the author of The Murderer of Warren Street, a study of Emmanuel Barthélemy. At the Guardian, tagged ten top working-class heroes in books, including:

The Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwell

Wellington described his own army, overwhelmingly recruited from the bottom ranks of society, as the “scum of the Earth”. The Sharpe novels follow one soldier’s career from the slums of London to the field of Waterloo. Sneered at by snooty officers, Sharpe proves himself an indomitable fighter and natural leader. As an added bonus, Sean Bean, with glorious Yorkshire accent, played Sharpe as the ultimate working-class hero in the long-running television series.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Sharpe novels made Jeff Somers's top five list of 19th century adventure books & series.

--Marshal Zeringue