Article #559-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Greenmantle, by John Buchan

Sir Walter lay back in an arm-chair and spoke to the ceiling. It was
the best story, the clearest and the fullest, I had ever got of any bit
of the war. He told me just how and why and when Turkey had left the
rails. I heard about her grievances over our seizure of her ironclads,
of the mischief the coming of the Goeben had wrought, of Enver and
his precious Committee and the way they had got a cinch on the old
Turk. When he had spoken for a bit, he began to question me.

“You are an intelligent fellow, and you will ask how a Polish
adventurer, meaning Enver, and a collection of Jews and gipsies should
have got control of a proud race. The ordinary man will tell you that
it was German organization backed up with German money and German arms.
You will inquire again how, since Turkey is primarily a religious
power, Islam has played so small a part in it all. The Sheikh-ul-Islam
is neglected, and though the Kaiser proclaims a Holy War and calls
himself Hadji Mohammed Guilliamo, and says the Hohenzollerns are
descended from the Prophet, that seems to have fallen pretty flat. The
ordinary man again will answer that Islam in Turkey is becoming a back
number, and that Krupp guns are the new gods. Yet—I don’t know. I do
not quite believe in Islam becoming a back number.”

“Look at it in another way,” he went on. “If it were Enver and Germany
alone dragging Turkey into a European war for purposes that no Turk
cared a rush about, we might expect to find the regular army obedient,
and Constantinople. But in the provinces, where Islam is strong, there
would be trouble. Many of us counted on that. But we have been
disappointed. The Syrian army is as fanatical as the hordes of the
Mahdi. The Senussi have taken a hand in the game. The Persian Moslems
are threatening trouble. There is a dry wind blowing through the East,
and the parched grasses wait the spark. And that wind is blowing
towards the Indian border. Whence comes that wind, think you?”

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Greenmantle by John Buchan**

1. Context of the Source

Greenmantle (1916) is the second of John Buchan’s Richard Hannay adventure novels, set during World War I. The story follows Hannay, a British officer, as he uncovers a German plot to incite a pan-Islamic jihad against the British Empire by exploiting religious fervor in the Middle East and India. The novel reflects British wartime propaganda concerns—particularly the fear that Germany might weaponize Islam to destabilize British colonial rule in India and the Middle East.

This excerpt takes place early in the novel, where Sir Walter Bullivant (a high-ranking British intelligence officer) briefs Hannay on the geopolitical and religious dynamics behind Turkey’s entry into the war on Germany’s side. The conversation reveals the complex interplay of politics, religion, and imperial strategy in the conflict.

2. Themes in the Excerpt

A. The Manipulation of Religion for Political Power

The passage explores how Islam is being exploited—not as a genuine spiritual force, but as a tool of war. Sir Walter questions why, despite Turkey’s secularizing trends (under the Young Turks, led by Enver Pasha), Islamic fervor is suddenly resurging in ways that benefit Germany.

"Enver and his precious Committee" – Refers to the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), the Young Turk government that allied with Germany. Enver Pasha (a key figure) was of partial Albanian and Polish descent, which Sir Walter dismissively calls a "Polish adventurer," suggesting foreign influence over Turkey.
"a collection of Jews and gipsies" – A derogatory and anti-Semitic remark (common in British propaganda of the time) implying that the Young Turks were cosmopolitan, un-Turkish, and manipulative.
"German organization backed up with German money and German arms" – The idea that Turkey’s war effort is not organic but orchestrated by Germany.

Yet, despite this secular control, Islam is still a potent force:

"The Syrian army is as fanatical as the hordes of the Mahdi" – References the Mahdist War (1881–1899), where Sudanese Muslims fought British-Egyptian forces in a religious uprising. The comparison suggests that Islamic militancy is alive and dangerous.
"The Senussi have taken a hand in the game" – The Senussi order (a Sufi Muslim brotherhood in Libya) had allied with the Ottomans and Germans against the British in North Africa.
"The Persian Moslems are threatening trouble" – Refers to Persia (Iran), where British and Russian influence was contested, and local Muslim leaders resisted foreign control.

B. The Fear of a Pan-Islamic Uprising

The central anxiety in the passage is that Germany is igniting a religious war to weaken Britain:

"There is a dry wind blowing through the East, and the parched grasses wait the spark." – A metaphor for latent Islamic unrest, ready to explode into violence.
"That wind is blowing towards the Indian border." – The British Raj (India) had a large Muslim population; a jihad could mean revolt against British rule.

Sir Walter’s question—"Whence comes that wind, think you?"—implies that someone is deliberately stoking this fire, and it’s not just Enver or the Turks, but Germany.

C. The Decline (or Resilience?) of Islam in Turkey

Sir Walter presents a contradiction:

On one hand, Islam seems weakened in Turkey:
- "Islam in Turkey is becoming a back number" (i.e., outdated).
- "Krupp guns are the new gods" – Military power (from Germany) has replaced religious authority.
Yet, religious fervor persists in the provinces:
- "In the provinces, where Islam is strong, there would be trouble."
- The Sheikh-ul-Islam (Turkey’s top religious authority) is sidelined, but grassroots Islam is still powerful.

This tension suggests that Germany is reviving Islam as a weapon, even if Turkey’s leaders are secular.

3. Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

A. Rhetorical Questions & Dialogue Structure

Sir Walter’s speech is didactic—he poses questions to Hannay (and the reader) to guide their thinking:

"You will ask how a Polish adventurer... should have got control of a proud race?"
"You will inquire again how... Islam has played so small a part in it all?"
"Whence comes that wind, think you?"

This Socratic method makes the reader engage with the geopolitical puzzle rather than passively absorb information.

B. Metaphors & Imagery

"dry wind blowing through the East, and the parched grasses wait the spark" – A vivid metaphor for impending religious upheaval, suggesting that Germany is the spark.
"Krupp guns are the new gods" – Personification of military power as a false religion, replacing Islam.
"the hordes of the Mahdi" – Historical allusion to fanatical Islamic resistance, framing the current threat in apocalyptic terms.

C. Irony & Understatement

"the Kaiser proclaims a Holy War and calls himself Hadji Mohammed Guilliamo" – Sarcastic tone; the idea that Wilhelm II (a Christian German) could pose as a Muslim leader is absurd, yet dangerous.
"that seems to have fallen pretty flat" – Understatement; the implication is that Germany’s Islamic propaganda isn’t working as intended, yet something else is.

D. Anti-Semitic & Orientalist Undertones

"a collection of Jews and gipsies" – Reflects British prejudices of the time, portraying the Young Turks as untrustworthy outsiders.
"proud race" – The Orientalist view of Turks as noble but misled, needing British guidance.

4. Significance of the Passage

A. Historical & Political Context

The excerpt captures British fears during WWI that Germany would use Islam to destabilize the Middle East and India.
The Young Turk Revolution (1908) had secularized Turkey, but Enver Pasha’s alliance with Germany led to Turkey entering WWI (1914).
The German-Turkish propaganda campaign (including the proclamation of jihad by the Ottoman Caliph) was real, though less effective than feared.
The Senussi revolt (1915–1917) and Persian unrest were genuine threats to British interests.

B. Literary Significance

The passage sets up the novel’s central conflict: Hannay’s mission to stop a German-backed Islamic uprising.
It blends spy thriller with geopolitical analysis, a hallmark of Buchan’s style.
The ambiguity—is Islam truly declining, or is Germany reviving it?—creates suspense.

C. Propagandistic Elements

The text reflects British wartime propaganda, portraying:
- Germany as a manipulator of Islam.
- Turks as pawns (either secularized or fanatical).
- British rule as stabilizing against chaotic religious upheaval.

5. Conclusion: What the Text Reveals

This excerpt is not just exposition—it’s a microcosm of WWI-era anxieties about religion, empire, and conspiracy. Sir Walter’s monologue:

Frames the conflict as a clash between German machinations and British imperial control.
Highlights the unpredictability of Islam—is it a dying force or a tinderbox?
Uses vivid, almost mythic language ("dry wind," "spark") to elevate geopolitics into an epic struggle.

For modern readers, the passage is fascinating (and problematic)—it reveals how Western powers viewed Islam as both a tool and a threat, a force to be managed rather than understood on its own terms. The fear of a pan-Islamic revolt would resurface in later conflicts, making Greenmantle prophetic in its paranoia.

Would you like a deeper dive into any specific aspect (e.g., historical accuracy, Buchan’s political views, or comparisons to modern geopolitics)?

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s depiction of Islam’s role in Turkey’s wartime alignment is primarily structured to evoke which of the following in the reader?

A. A sense of historical inevitability regarding the secularization of Muslim societies under Western influence.
B. Confidence in the British Empire’s ability to suppress religious uprisings through military superiority.
C. Moral outrage at the exploitation of a noble faith by cynical European and Turkish elites.
D. Scholarly detachment in analyzing the geopolitical shift from caliphate authority to nationalist militarism.
E. Unease about the unpredictable resurgence of religious fervor despite apparent secular control.

Question 2

Sir Walter’s rhetorical question—“Whence comes that wind, think you?”—is most effectively interpreted as an invitation to consider:

A. The meteorological conditions exacerbating political instability in the Middle East.
B. The psychological motivations of individual Muslim soldiers in the Syrian army.
C. The hidden agency behind the apparent spontaneity of Islamic militancy.
D. The theological contradictions inherent in a Holy War proclaimed by a Christian monarch.
E. The economic disparities between urban and rural populations in the Ottoman Empire.

Question 3

The phrase “Krupp guns are the new gods” functions in the passage as:

A. A literal assertion that Turkish military worships German artillery as divine.
B. A metaphorical critique of the replacement of spiritual authority with material power.
C. An ironic endorsement of industrial progress as the future of Islamic civilization.
D. A neutral observation about the technological superiority of German weaponry.
E. A sarcastic dismissal of Turkish soldiers’ superstitious attachment to outdated weaponry.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes the narrative purpose of Sir Walter’s dismissive characterization of Enver as a “Polish adventurer”?

A. To underscore the ethnic diversity of the Ottoman leadership as a strength.
B. To highlight the cosmopolitan nature of the Young Turk movement.
C. To provide a neutral biographical detail about Enver’s background.
D. To contrast Enver’s foreign origins with the native Turkish population.
E. To imply that Enver’s leadership lacks legitimacy due to his perceived outsider status.

Question 5

The passage’s allusion to the “hordes of the Mahdi” primarily serves to:

A. Draw a direct historical parallel between Sudanese and Syrian military tactics.
B. Conjure an image of irrational, fanatical violence to heighten the perceived threat.
C. Illustrate the continuity of Islamic scholarly traditions across different regions.
D. Suggest that the British Empire has consistently misjudged the strategic capabilities of its adversaries.
E. Provide a counterexample to the claim that Islam is becoming a “back number” in Turkey.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: The passage repeatedly juxtaposes the apparent secularization of Turkey (e.g., “Islam in Turkey is becoming a back number,” “Krupp guns are the new gods”) with evidence of resurgent religious militancy (e.g., “the Syrian army is as fanatical as the hordes of the Mahdi,” “a dry wind blowing through the East”). This tension is designed to unsettle the reader, suggesting that religious fervor remains a volatile, unpredictable force despite surface-level modernizing trends. The rhetorical structure—posing questions, then undercutting easy answers—reinforces this unease.