Master and Commander: Patrick O’Brian: Book 1 (Aubrey-Maturin)

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Jim Mageean – Of Ships...And Men". Discogs. 1978. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016 . Retrieved February 22, 2016. James, William I (1837). The Naval History of Great Britain from the Declaration of War by France in 1793 to the Accession of George IV. Vol.4 (Newed.). Bentley. pp.132–133. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021 . Retrieved November 30, 2016. It's a point in O'Brian's favor, then, that he managed to stay true to his own clear passion for period lingo and arcane knowledge, without ever losing my attention. It's possible to get this balance wrong. I've read a few novels by Tom Clancy, and his tediously detailed accounts of weaponry and military equipment stop narrative momentum cold. With Master And Commander, I never felt as though the slang and the story were separate. Both seemed reliant on the other, and I could appreciate the relationship, even if I didn't always grasp the particulars. (I'll admit it, I couldn't accurately describe any of the sea battles that take place in the book, but that's as much my poor grasp of spatial relationships as anything else.) Chapman, James (2007). Chapman, James; Glancy, Mark; Harper, Sue (eds.). 'This Ship is England': History, Politics and National Identity in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). pp.55–68. doi: 10.1007/9780230206229_5. ISBN 978-0-230-20622-9. {{ cite book}}: |work= ignored ( help)

Irish- Catalan Dr. Stephen Maturin ostensibly serves as an adept ship's surgeon on Aubrey's various commands. However, unknown to many of his associates, he also serves as a particularly skilled volunteer intelligence agent for the British Admiralty. Maturin is described as a small, quiet, "ugly" man who is known to cast a "dangerous, pale, reptilian eye" towards his enemies. Unlike his action-oriented friend, Maturin is very well-educated with several intellectual pursuits. He is passionately fascinated by the natural world, and takes every opportunity to explore the native wildlife of his ships' ports of call around the world. He is also deeply introspective, and frequently muses on philosophical concepts of identity and self-understanding in his ciphered personal journal. [9] Another aspect of this complex character is portrayed by his long-lasting and frequently frustrating romantic pursuit of the beautiful but unreliable Diana Villiers. He uses several addictive substances, including laudanum and coca leaves, arising from scientific curiosity, control of his reactions to physical problems, and substance dependence. He has the values of a gentleman of the era, including a strong sense of honour and involvement in duels. The latter led him to develop a strong skill with pistols and duelling by swords. Griffith, Nicola (1 December 2013). "A Skeptic Is Swept Away by the Bromance-At-Sea In 'Master' ". NPR Books . Retrieved 1 March 2017.a b c d "Box Office History". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019 . Retrieved January 30, 2009. Birkenstein, Jeff; Froula, Anna; Randell, Karen, eds. (2010). Reframing 9/11: Film, Popular Culture and the "War on Terror". The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. doi: 10.5040/9781628928280.ch-006. ISBN 978-1-62892-828-0.

McGregor, Tom (2003). The Making of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-05865-4. While no one historic English captain is a complete match for Aubrey, [ citation needed] the exploits of two naval captains are said to have inspired events in the novels, the forementioned Captain Lord Thomas Cochrane, [9] [10] and Captain William Woolsey. [ citation needed] Cochrane used the ruse of placing a light on a floating barrel at night to avoid capture. [11] [ non-primary source needed] [ original research?] Woolsey, aboard HMS Papillon, disguised a ship under his command as a commercial boat; on discovering information that a rogue ship was on the other side of a small island, he sailed around the island and captured the Spanish ship, on April 15, 1805. [12] [ non-primary source needed] [ original research?] Reynaud, Daniel (2017). "Authenticating the Imaginary: Cloaking with history the characters of O'Brian's fiction and Weir's film" (PDF). Journal of History and Cultures. 7: 1–9. ISSN 2051-221X.I will quote my wife here: "I don't care about England, I don't want to know anything about their navy, and I certainly don't give a shit about English naval battles in the 19th century. But once I got started on these books I couldn't stop."

Snow, Richard (6 January 1991). "An Author I'd Walk the Plank For". The New York Times . Retrieved 14 December 2009. Maturin, who has never been aboard a man-of-war, struggles to understand nautical customs, and the crew explain to him (and to the reader) naval terminology and the official practice whereby prize money can be awarded for captured enemy vessels. Maturin is treated by the crew as a landsman, though without offence. As a natural philosopher he relishes the opportunity to study rare birds and fish. O'Brian's then UK publisher Macmillan, who had originally agreed to jointly commission the book, [22] rejected it as too full of jargon. It was taken up and published by Collins in 1970. [21] Susman, Gary (November 13, 2003). "Paul Bettany on Master's funniest sea story". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021 . Retrieved April 24, 2021. Our fingers are in the right place, and our bowing is good, but you wouldn't want to hear the sound we were making.Later that evening, Aubrey learns that he has been promoted to the rank of commander and has been given command of the 14-gun HM Sloop Sophie. Meeting Maturin in the street the next day, Aubrey's joy overcomes his animosity and he invites Maturin to dine. The men discover a shared love of music, Aubrey playing the violin and Maturin the cello. On learning Maturin's profession, Aubrey asks him to join his ship. Although as a physician Maturin's expertise goes far beyond that normally expected of a naval surgeon, he agrees. O'Brian's books were written and published in the same chronological sequence as the events they describe, beginning with Master and Commander, set in 1800, and carrying through to the final novel, set in late 1815 after the Battle of Waterloo. a b Krist, Gary (Summer 1994). "Bad Art, Good Entertainment". The Hudson Review. 47 (2): 299–306. doi: 10.2307/3852288. JSTOR 3852288.