The Four Feathers is the sixth novel of English author A.E.W. Mason and arguably his most successful composition. This masterpiece was published in 1902 by Macmillan as a historical fiction, thriller, and adventure book. The fact that its author was also a politician has induced many critics to read the work as a pro-imperialistic work. Yet, the richness of its content along with the depth of events and complexity of characters has soon proved the novel to be an analysis of imperialism rather than a promotion of it.
The plot stretches against the background of the Mahdist War in the late 19th Century; a period that witnessed the rise of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah who had proclaimed himself the "Guided One" in Islam. This conflict involved Britain, at the time, in an armed confrontation which ultimately resulted in the British control of the Sudanese territory.
The novel follows thus the life and adventures of Harry Feversham, a British officer who, being falsely accused of cowardice, sets out to prove himself innocent of such claims, and restore honor to his title. His efforts in the this line lead him to the war zone in Sudan and Egypt where he manages to free his former comrade Captain Trench. In the end, Harry regains the love and trust of his fiancée through his devotion to the British Empire.
Following its tremendous success, the book inspired many film adaptations of the same title in 1929, 1939, and 1978. In 1955, however, the title of “Storm over the Nile” was adopted for a change. The most recent remains the 2002 war drama directed by Shekhar Kapur and starring the late Heath Ledger in the role of Feversham. Mason’s masterpiece remains till today an interesting work open up for many interpretations and approaches.
