Line #1 Literature/UnderTwoFlags


1	[[quoteright:324:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/under_two_flags.jpg]]
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3	[[TheHero Bertie Cecil]], who is called [[TheBeautifulElite "Beauty of the Brigades"]], is a young nobleman serving in the First Life Guard as a cavalryman. He leads a comfortable, upper-class life full of hunts and horse races, surrounded by a large admiring circle of influential friends. The only faults in his life are that his family is [[ImpoverishedPatrician bankrupt]] and his brother Berkeley has [[TheGamblingAddict a bad gambling problem]].
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5	When he loses a bet on a [[UsefulNotes/HorseRacing horse race]], he has nothing left but his brother – who signed a heavy bill with Bertie's name. Because he was with the 'titled and wedded' Lady Guenevere when the bill was signed, he has no way of proving that the signature is forged except with, at the same time, exposing Lady Guenevere. Such as to not ruin both Berkeley and Lady Guenevere's names, Bertie flees and joins the ''Chasseurs d'Afrique'', where, after twelve years of service, he meets the fascinating camp-follower Cigarette as well as the ruthless Châteauroy, his commander, who is in love with Cigarette.
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7	Her expressing interest in Bertie only worsens his treatment of the same, and the situation is made even more confusing when [[ProperLady Princess Venetia Corona]] shows up, with whom Bertie falls in love after last having seen her when she was a very young girl.
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9	''Under Two Flags'' (1867) is one of the two most well-known works of English author Creator/{{Ouida}}, pen name of Marie Louise de la Ramée (the other is ''Literature/ADogOfFlanders'') and spawned the genre of French Foreign Legion romances, the most famous of which is now Wren's ''Literature/BeauGeste'', despite not even involving the French Foreign Legion.
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11	It was adapted into four movies, the last of which starring Creator/RonaldColman with Creator/ClaudetteColbert as Cigarette, and an obscure comic book. Radio/TheGoonShow play "Under Two Floorboards" is actually their version of ''Beau Geste'', not this thing.
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13	----
14	!! ''Under Two Flags'' contains examples of:
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16	* ActionGirl: Cigarette, oh so very much.
17	* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Bertie joins the ''Chasseurs'' as the Frenchman Louis Victor.
18	* AuthorAppeal: The novel has many an autobiographical aspect.
19	* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Bertie's nickname is “Beauty” for a reason.[[note]]Typical of Ouida, the stronger and more valiant her male characters, the more likely they were to be AgentPeacock. She was one of many writers of her time to portray masculine androgyny, empathy and sensitivity as signs of strong character.[[/note]] His “evil” brother Berkeley, on the other hand, has a “weak chin”.
20	* BettyAndVeronica: Humble English princess Venetia is the Betty in this one, rash soldier girl Cigarette the Veronica.
21	* BilingualBonus: We hope you speak French. The characters certainly do.
22	* BookDumb: Cigarette, again.
23	* BoyishShortHair: One of Cigarette's distinguishing features.
24	* CainAndAbel: Berkeley and Bertie
25	* CampFollower: Cigarette's official profession.
26	* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: The dynamics between Bertie and Châteauroy resemble this.
27	* EmbarrassingNickname: Cigarette calls her friends and co-soldiers ''gros bebées'', meaning big babies.
28	** Bertie's nickname “Beauty” is this to modern readers.
29	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Cigarette is not known by any other name.
30	* [[spoiler:FirstGuyWins: Venetia eventually marries Bertie.]]
31	* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: It is clearly shown that Bertie's actions with Lady Guenevere were wrong, yet he is painted in a very positive light.
32	* HonorBeforeReason: Bertie in a nutshell.
33	* ImpoverishedPatrician: Bertie
34	* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Princess Venetia
35	* TheLadette: Cigarette -- hard-riding, shooting, and sexually aggressive.
36	* LegionOfLostSouls: Despite being often mistaken for this by readers, the ''Chasseurs d'Afrique'' were nothing like the French Foreign Legion. The Legion, back then, were sleazy mercenaries, the ''Chasseurs'' were gentlemen. The films “corrected” this.
37	* LoveTriangle
38	* OfficerAndAGentleman: Bertie
39	* {{Qurac}}: The setting is very romanticised.
40	* SergeantRock: Châteauroy, who has no qualms about treating Bertie (and everybody else) very harshly.
41	* SmokingIsCool: Cigarette being a smoker stressed her masculinity back in the day the book was written, it also illustrates her as a misfit or even vamp, yet she is clearly meant to be a very positive character.
42	* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:How Cigarette dies.]]
43	* TradingBarsForStripes: Bertie's motivation to join the ''Chasseurs'' is to not destroy the reputation of Berkeley, Lady Guenevere, and himself.
44	* TropeMaker: For the French Foreign Legion/desert romance genre.
45	* {{Tsundere}}: Cigarette, of the tsuntsun type.

Context Literature / UnderTwoFlags