Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition: English Sea Rovers in the Seventeenth-Century Caribbean, Second Edition - Hardcover

Burg, B. R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0814712355 ISBN 13: 9780814712351

Publisher: NYU Press, 1995

Synopsis

Explores the sexual world of the one of the most fabled and romanticized characters in history―the pirate

From Blackbeard to Captain Hook, pirates have been the subject of countless movies, books, children's tales, and even a world-famous amusement park ride. In Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition, B.R. Burg looks beyond the myth to analyze the social and sexual world of sea rovers. Through his innovative analysis of archival materials, he uncovers the queer history of piracy.

Burg makes the groundbreaking argument that buccaneer sexuality differed widely from that of other all-male institutions such as prisons. Instead of existing within a regimented structure of rule, regulations, and oppressive supervision, buccaneers operated in a society in which widespread tolerance of homosexuality was the norm and conditions encouraged its practice.

Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition has helped to reshape the figure of the pirate for a new century. In Burg’s introduction, he discusses the controversy that surrounded the book when it was published in 1983 and how our perspectives on all-male societies have since changed. Creating an indelible impact on our culture, the book was even read by Johnny Depp in preparation for his role of Captain Jack Sparrow. In a time when we are rethinking conventional historical narratives, Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition offers an essential, alternative perspective on the centuries-old figure of the pirate.

About this title

About the Author

B. R. Burg is Professor of History at Arizona State University and the author of Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition.

Edition details

• Publisher: NYU Press
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0814712355
• ISBN 13: 9780814712351
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 264