Synopsis
This complete edition of the sea adventure tale Peter Simple contains both volumes of Marryat's humorous epic, with no abridgments.
First released in 1833, Peter Simple is a comic retrospective of life on the high seas. Set upon a British sailing vessel, we witness the titular character in his attempts to find fame and fortune through sailing. Set during the Napoleonic Wars at a time when navies and ship technology was advancing rapidly, the tale fuses old fashioned adventure with a keen sense of humor.
Although some of the humor - largely that with racial or prejudiced overtones - belongs to the era, much of Marryat's comic writing remains amusing even today. The gentlemanly, compassionate side of Marryat's nature is firmly advertised in this book, which depicts a protagonist gradually approaching a mature attitude toward his trade and a respect of life upon the seas.
Peter Simple also contains insight into the workings of the navies of the era; the command structure, the British Admiralty, the technology and weapons aboard the ships, and how officers were expected to behave are all parts of the narrative. Thus, this novel acts a creditable historical supplement as well as an entertaining and amusing coming-of-age tale.
Frederick Marryat was himself a sailor in the Royal Navy, serving as a midshipman on various vessels, partaking in a variety of combat operations and staging a perilous escape during a raid on Orleans, Massachusetts during the War of 1812. He proved an adept and innovative seaman, devising a system of flag signalling called Marryat's Code. After leaving the naval service, Marryat focused on both scientific studies and his literary career, authoring several successful works of fiction.
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About the Author
1792-1848
From Kirkus Reviews
paper 0-8050-5565-7 The enduring popularity of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels has fortuitously stimulated Norton's new Heart of Oak Sea Classics. This first installment (along with Dudley Pope's nonfiction The Black Ship, a vigorous tale of a notorious 1797 mutiny, and James Norman Hall's entertaining collection of nautical tall tales, Doctor Dogbody's Leg) includes Marryat's charming 1834 novel, a robust Dickensian romance about a ``simple'' young midshipman's growth to manhood at sea during the Napoleonic Wars. The adventures of Peter, a kind of Don Quixote kept alive by the raffish wit of his shipmateSancho Panza Terence O'Brieninclude imprisonment and narrow escapes from worse fates in France and the West Indies, a struggle to reclaim his inheritance from a deliciously wicked blood relation, and a satisfyingly improbable happy ending. This is one of the most attractive and neglected early Victorian novels, and its selection alone bodes well for a very promising series. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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