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Fiction
Fiction Sunday
01Jan
Patrick O'Brian's THE POST CAPTAIN
Sunday, January 1, 2006 at 11:29AM Writing about the writing in Patrck O'Brian's splendid novel The Post Captain requires an act of humility. As an example of the potential glories of written English, this book is a nonpareil. There were times during my reading of this second in the Aubrey/Maturin nautical series that I nearly shook my head in disbelief at the sheer beauty of the prose and how it varies from character to character and situation to situation.
The story and all its tendrils constantly entertain. Love, battle, deceit, secrecy, the rigors of command, jealousy, shipboard life, castles in Spain, and duel planning are all here. There's even a reference to Congreve for those who are partial to rocketry and fireworks.
This latter rocketry reference, though, points out for me one of the downsides of these novels. The books seem so well researched and the settings so well articulated that, inevitably, a non-salt such as myself draws a blank about some of the references. For example, I had a very hard time picturing why the Polychrest was such a challenge in command for Aubrey. Something about the ship looking like it was going in two directions at once?
No matter. I've already borrowed the third book in the series.
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Reader Comments (2)
salt, you are a no salt. It doesn't even seem that you are aquainted with fresh water either. If a ship looks like its going in two directions at once that must mean that the front and the back are of the same shape.And that can not be a good thing for any vehicle designed to go primarily in one diredtion. I am quite sure the author has supplied plenty of information to determine that the Polychrest was basically a floating barge with some sails on it. And barges don't seem to be able to go anywhere either speedily or nimbly. The polychrest was an abomination that never should have been built.To be kinder, the polychest was basically a coast defense ship. Its' strengh was its' huge number and size of guns for a ship of relativly small size. It wasn't supposec to go anywhere.
In this book, it seemed to be an assasination attemp. Whom ever assigned Mr. Aubrey to this ship was an Admiral. And the Admiral had a wife....
There are also references to the habit the Polychest had of making significant lateral progress for every few feet of forward progress. Something a captain would prefer not to do if he were attemping to intercept an enemy vessel, run away from a larger enemy vessel, or negtiate a narrow channel or harbour entrance.
After reading the first two books, I came to understand that running your ship aground was not the best way to further a navel career.
Love, deciet, secrecy, isotation as you so aptly describe. But, please don't forget about polotics.A ship such as the Polychrest never should have been built. And would not have been except for some ignorant but influential individuals who never should have been allowed to exert their ideas of ship design upon the navel establishment.
Come to find out that these books are about fifty per cent true incidents. The main charactors are the fictional parts. All the back ground stuff really happened and are recorded events in English navel history.
I think the fourth book is "The Mauritius Campaign". That was a totally true incident except of course the main 'charactors ' and their immediate associates.
Thank you for your support
A. Bartle
C. James