| Moonfleet | |
| Author | J. Meade Falkner |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Adventure novel |
| Publisher | Edward Arnold |
| Publication date | 1898 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 305pp +32pp ads[1] |
Moonfleet is a tale of smuggling by the English novelist J. Meade Falkner, first published in 1898. John Meade Falkner ( 8 May, 1858 - 22 July, 1932) was an English Novelist and Poet, best known for his 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 adventure novel is a Literary genre of novels that has Adventure, an exciting undertaking involving risk and physical danger as its main theme Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd is a British publishing house with its head office in London. 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. Smuggling, also known as trafficking, is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons past a point where prohibited such as out of a building into a Prison England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story John Meade Falkner ( 8 May, 1858 - 22 July, 1932) was an English Novelist and Poet, best known for his Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The book was extremely popular among children worldwide up until the 1970s, mostly for its themes of adventure and gripping storyline. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. In recent years it has fallen from popularity, possibly because parents thought that smuggling and other immoral activity should not be encouraged. However it remains a popular story widely read and is still sometimes studied in schools.
Contents |
Plot summary
The novel is set in a fishing village in Dorset during the mid 18th century. Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system The story concerns a 15 year old orphan boy, John Trenchard, who becomes friends with an older man who turns out to be the leader of a gang of smugglers.
One night John chances on the smugglers' store in the crypt beneath the church. He explores but hides behind a coffin when he hears voices. He finds a locket which contains a parchment, in the coffin belonging to Colonel Mohune. Unfortunately after the visitors leave, he finds himself trapped inside, and is only rescued two days later when two of the smugglers, Ratsey, the sexton and Elzevir Block, the innkeeper of the Why Not?, the local pub, investigate his disappearance. See also Sacristan A sexton is a church officer charged with the maintenance of the church buildings and/or the surrounding Graveyard. His aunt insists he leaves her house and Elzevir Block takes him in to live at the pub.
The local magistrate, Maskew, is engaged in the struggle to put a stop to smuggling, and outbids Block for the lease to the pub when it comes up at auction. A magistrate is a judicial officer In Common law systems a magistrate usually has limited authority to administer and enforce the Law. Maskew discovers the time and landing point of a smuggled consignment, and tips off the militia. Unfortunately for him, the smugglers become aware of the tip-off and change the time. During a struggle with Block, whose son Maskew had previously killed, Maskew is shot by the soldiers by chance. John is also shot in the leg, and is carried up the cliff path by Elzevir to safety in an old quarry on the Isle of Purbeck. The Isle of Purbeck, not a true island but a Peninsula, is in the county of Dorset, England. John and Block are now outlaws, as they are believed to have murdered Maskew. John, with some inadvertent help from Ratsey, deciphers the coded parchment which allows him to locate a missing diamond of huge value. In Mineralogy, diamond is the allotrope of carbon where the carbon atoms are arranged in The diamond was obtained as a bribe from King Charles I during his imprisonment at Carisbrooke Castle and was hidden in a deep well by Colonel Mohune. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Carisbrooke Castle is a historic Castle located in the village of Carisbrooke, near Newport, Isle of Wight. Block and Trenchard recover the diamond from its hiding place.
They flee the country to The Hague in Holland, where they are duped by a diamond merchant while attempting to sell him the diamond. Holland is a region in the western part of the Netherlands. A maritime and economic power in the 17th century Holland today consists of the Dutch provinces of They attempt to recover the diamond by burglary, but set off an alarm, are arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. They spend over a decade at a prison camp at Ymeguen, where they are branded with a Y which strongly resembles the coat of arms of the Mohune family and a symbol often seen around Moonfleet. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people They are eventually condemned to be transported to Java. Java (Jawa is an Island of Indonesia and the site of its Capital city Jakarta. A storm breaks out and by coincidence, their ship is cast ashore in Moonfleet bay. Elzevir drowns in the surf on the beach after going back into the waves to rescue John. John recovers some semblance of his old life, marrying his childhood sweetheart, Maskew's daughter (Grace), and unexpectedly inheriting the diamond merchant's wealth which he spends on charitable causes to appease the spirit of Colonel Mohune.
Backgammon
A feature of the narrative is a continuing reference to the boardgame of backgammon which is played by the patrons of the Why Not? on an antique board which bears a Latin inscription Ita in vita ut in lusu alae pessima jactura arte corrigenda est (translated in the book as As in life, so in a game of hazard, skill will make something of the worst of throws). A board game is a Game in which counters or pieces that are placed on removed from or moved across a "board" (a premarked surface usually specific to that game Backgammon is a Board game for two players in which the playing pieces are moved according to the roll of Dice. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. This inscription provides a moralistic metaphor to the story of the orphan boy who in the end overcomes his travails.
Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science
The village of Moonfleet is based on East Fleet in Dorset by Chesil Beach. Fleet is a hamlet and Parish in south Dorset, England, situated two Miles west of Weymouth. Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast Chesil Beach, sometimes called Chesil Bank, is a Tombolo in Dorset, southern England. The headland in the book called The Snout is Portland Bill. Portland Bill is a narrow Promontory (or bill) of Portland stone, which forms the most southerly part of Isle of Portland, and therefore
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The book was filmed by Fritz Lang in 1955 and released under the same name, with a screenplay adapted by Jan Lustig from the novel, and starring Stewart Granger. Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang ( December 5, 1890 &ndash August 2, 1976) was an Austrian German - American The year 1955 in film involved some significant events Events November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls Moonfleet is a 1955 film by Fritz Lang which was inspired by the novel Moonfleet by J Stewart Granger ( May 6, 1913 &ndash August 16, 1993) born James Lablache Stewart, was an English film Actor The movie altered the novel's plot substantially. Among other changes, its young hero was given an newly-invented aristocratic mentor (played by Granger), while the role of the working class Elzevir Block was minimized. Lang's film has enjoyed some cachet among French film critics.
In 1984, a TV mini-series was filmed, starring Adam Godley and David Daker. Adam Godley (born 22 July 1964 is a British actor Biography Godley was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England. David Daker (born 1937 is an English Actor. His best known roles are in Television - he played PC Culshaw in Z Cars, Jarvis
Notes
- ^ Adrian Harrington Rare Books Winter Catalogue 2006-2007
External links
- Moonfleet, available at Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works
- Time Magazine review of Moonfleet dated August 13, 1951
- Penguin Readers Factsheets for Moonfleet, Teachers Notes, 2004
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