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This article is about the historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. Patrick O'Brian, CBE ( 12 December 1914 &ndash 2 January 2000; born as Richard Patrick Russ) was an English For the 2003 film, see Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Master and Commander The Far Side of the World is a 2003 Film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey, with For the naval rank, see Commander. Commander is a Military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service
Master and Commander
Cover by Geoff Hunt for Master and Commander.
Cover by Geoff Hunt for Master and Commander.
Author Patrick O'Brian
Cover artist Geoff Hunt
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series Aubrey-Maturin series
Genre(s) Historical novel
Publisher Harper Collins (UK)
Publication date 1970
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio Book (Cassette, CD)
Pages 411 pp (Hardback edition) & 352 pp (Paperback edition)
ISBN ISBN 0-393-03701-0 (Hardback edition US) & ISBN 0-00-612913-7 (Paperback edition UK)
Followed by Post Captain

Master and Commander is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. Patrick O'Brian, CBE ( 12 December 1914 &ndash 2 January 2000; born as Richard Patrick Russ) was an English The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The Aubrey–Maturin series is a sequence of Historical novels — 20 completed and one unfinished — by Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic An historical novel is a Novel in which the story is set among historical events or more generally in which the time of the action predates the lifetime of the Author Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view HarperCollins is a Publishing company owned by News Corporation. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a Book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with Cloth Paperback, softback, or softcover describe and refer to a Book by the nature of its binding. The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a Magnetic tape sound A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Post Captain is the 1972 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. Patrick O'Brian, CBE ( 12 December 1914 &ndash 2 January 2000; born as Richard Patrick Russ) was an English First published in 1970 it is first in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. The Aubrey–Maturin series is a sequence of Historical novels — 20 completed and one unfinished — by Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic

Contents

Plot summary

It is April 18, 1800, in Port Mahon, Minorca, at that time a base of the Royal Navy. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year -of the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar until Friday, but 12 days ahead since Saturday. Mahón (alternately Maó in Catalan) is a Municipality and the capital city of the Balearic Island of Minorca (the Balearic Islands Minorca ( Catalan and Spanish: Menorca; from Latin Balearis Minor, later Minorica "minor island" is one of the Jack Aubrey, a lieutenant languishing in port without a ship, and Stephen Maturin, a penniless half-Irish, half-Catalan physician and natural philosopher, meet for the first time at a soirée at the Govenor's House. Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health For the current in the 19th century German idealism see Naturphilosophie Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature (from Maturin elbows Aubrey in the side to quiet his humming while they are listening to the quartet and almost provokes a duel. As practiced from the 11th to 20th centuries in Western societies a duel is an engagement in combat between two individuals with matched weapons in accordance with their combat

On his return to his lodgings, Aubrey finds that he has been given a command and promoted to the rank of commander. Commander is a Military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service His joy overcomes his animosity towards Maturin and after coffee at 'Joselito's Coffee House' they become fast friends. As 'Master and Commander', and in charge of the tiny sloop-of-war HMS Sophie, Aubrey has to fill out his crew, including the post of ship's surgeon. In the 18th and the earlier part of the 19th centuries a sloop-of-war was a small sailing Warship (also known as one of the Escort types with a single gun deck He persuades Maturin to serve, at least on a temporary basis, although as a physician, he is overqualified for the job.

Also introduced are Master's Mates Thomas Pullings and William Mowett and midshipman William Babbington, who become long-term fixtures in the series, and James Dillon, Sophie's first lieutenant, whose secret background as a member of the United Irishmen intersects Stephen's own. For the fish called midshipman see Midshipman fish. The rank of midshipman is one of the oldest ranks still in existence The Society of United Irishmen was founded as a Liberal political organisation in eighteenth century Ireland that sought Parliamentary reform

Aubrey improves Sophie's sailing qualities by adding a larger spar to her mainmast, enabling him to spread a larger mainsail. He makes her ready to sail in convoy with twelve merchant vessels. During their journey east, the new captain takes the opportunity to get to know his sailors and to weld them into a fighting unit. As he does, he and the crew explain many naval matters to Maturin, (and thus to the reader) since the doctor is a novice sailor.

En route, they meet an Algerian quarter-galley who attacks their rearmost vessel, the Norwegian Dorthe Engelbrechtsdatter. The Sophie chases her off. Eventually, having retrieved the Norwegian ship, the convoy makes its destination off Cagliari. After a second convoy duty to Leghorn, Aubrey reports to Lord Keith in the Genoa roads. "Leghorn" redirects here For the breed of chicken see Leghorn chicken. George Keith Elphinstone 1st Viscount Keith ( 7 January 1746 - 10 March 1823) was a British Admiral active throughout the Genoa ( Genova, ˈdʒɛːnova in Italian; Zena in Genoese and Ligurian; Genua in Latin and archaically in English

Characters in "Master and Commander"

See also Recurring characters in the Aubrey–Maturin series

Ships in "Master and Commander"

The British:

The Spanish:

Major themes

Many incidents and events in the book are directly copied from the real cruises of Lord Cochrane in his sloop HMS Speedy. This article discusses the sailing vessel For the Japanese Animation studio, see Xebec (studio. For the bird see Frigatebird. A frigate /ˈfrɪgɪt/ is a warship Admiral Lord Sir Thomas Alexander Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Marquês do Maranhão GCB, RN (14 December Career She was captured by the ''Sérieuse'' in 1794 retaken by HMS ''Inconstant'' in 1795 and from 1801 was commanded by the famous Thomas Cochrane Cochrane described them in detail in his Autobiography of a Seaman.


Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

The capture of the Spanish xebec-frigate Cacafuego by the greatly inferior Sophie brings Aubrey and his crew great glory (although no great wealth). Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. This article discusses the sailing vessel For the Japanese Animation studio, see Xebec (studio. For the bird see Frigatebird. A frigate /ˈfrɪgɪt/ is a warship This episode is based on the capture of the Spanish frigate El Gamo by Thomas Cochrane commanding the sloop HMS Speedy. Admiral Lord Sir Thomas Alexander Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Marquês do Maranhão GCB, RN (14 December Career She was captured by the ''Sérieuse'' in 1794 retaken by HMS ''Inconstant'' in 1795 and from 1801 was commanded by the famous Thomas Cochrane The exploit of setting up a decoy of a large ship at night by attaching lights to a small boat was executed by Cochrane and described in his Autobiography of a Seaman, which was used by O'Brian as source material for this novel. It was also used by the French privateer Robert Surcouf to successfully escape the British frigate HMS Sybille. A privateer was a private Warship authorized by a country's Government by Letters of marque to attack foreign shipping Surcouf redirects here for ships of this name see French ship Surcouf.

The book ends with Aubrey and Maturin witnessing the Battle of Algeciras, firstly from the deck of the French Desaix, then from the Rock of Gibraltar. The Battle of Algeciras Bay refers to two separate battles in July 1801 between an allied French - Spanish fleet and the British near Gibraltar Louis Charles Antoine Desaix ( August 17, 1768 - June 14, 1800) was a French General and military leader The Rock of Gibraltar (sometimes called the Pillar of Hercules or by its Latin name Calpe) is a Monolithic Limestone Promontory

Literary significance & criticism

"Nothing is glamourised. The press gangings, the squalor are all here. . . . The battle scenes are tremendous. . . This is not secondhand Forester, but a really fine piece of writing. "—Sunday Mirror. [1]

Reviews

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

The film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World takes part of its title from this novel and some themes along with several puns, but very little of its plot. Master and Commander The Far Side of the World is a 2003 Film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey, with In fact, no one book provides the total plot line for the movie. A significant portion comes from The Far Side of the World, with somewhat less from HMS Surprise and other books. The Far Side of the World, (1984 is a Historical novel and tenth in the Aubrey-Maturin series. HMS Surprise is the 1973 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian.

Release details

Sources, references, external links, quotations

Footnotes

  1. ^ Sunday Mirror review - quoted in "Cunningham"
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