This is from the conclusion of an article on Victorian children's historicals which just happens to look at three English Civil War novels.
"an analysis of the treatment of history in Victorian and Edwardian children's books has shown how British history was constructed as a "grand narrative" or fictional romance in a way which can certainly be considered to be characteristic of the Victorian historical and cultural consciousness in general. Young readers are invited to be proud of their national heritage and of the age of their nations institutions... The fairy tale "emplotment" given to history, however, also encourages tolerance and respect for differeing systems of values, and thus undercuts the imperialist discourse present in other texts of the age."
-first, I have no idea how you can come to these conclusions from three texts.
-second, I don't think explaining how the King *lost* is actually a terribly easy route to national pride when your narrator is For the King.
-third, actually, most of the texts I've found have placed the "grand narrative" at the service of the personal
