“In his ambitious and far-ranging study, Bloody Good, Allen Frantzen seeks to explore the ‘enduring power of chivalry to symbolize both prowess and principle in warfare’ by examining the links between its origins in the Middle Ages and its continued expressions during the First World War. . . . Frantzen concludes that the myth of self-sacrifice was expropriated to serve the interests  of the state to be sure, but that chivalric behavior—based on Christian concepts of love and self-sacrifice for others—also constituted an essential aspect of the mentality of most combatants. . . . This study is unique in its scope and offers many valuable insights.  As such, it makes an important contribution to our understanding of the enduring myths and symbols of Western Culture and how they are reified and continually resurrected to fit new concepts.  In this regard, Bloody Good represents a significant achievement.”

Joe Lunn | Journal of Military History

“Through a careful reading of materials that include art, letters, postcards, recruitment posters and battlefield memorials, Frantzen shows that chivalry—that centuries-old medieval code of heroic sacrifice embedded in the European tradition—was not dispatched by the Great War’s modernist voices, but has remained the dominant interpretive framework for understanding wartime experience and behavior.  Though machine guns, tanks, and poison gas did away with medieval ways of fighting, they did not dislodge medieval ways of thinking.”

Daniel Born | Christian Century

“A bold and ambitious book that ranges across centuries and cultures—sometimes in a way that will offend specialists in a particular area—but always in a stimulating and vital fashion. It is definitely worth a read.”

Tim Travers | Albion

“Frantzen reached down to feel the vibrations of one of the bass strings of European civilization, where Christianity, manhood, violence, and vengeance meet. His exploration of that tone is both deep and revealing.”

Joshua Sanborn | Journal of Modern History