I remember this as the one substantive contribution to fighting sail fiction and a reaction at least in part to the simpler and rather more upright character of Horatio Hornblower - Jack Aubrey and company were more complex and often in fact flawed individuals - more human.
What a wonderful essay. I enjoyed reading it for many reasons but the most important involved your elucidation of key allusions like the guy who choked on a crust of bread. Wikipedia didn’t exist when I read the book!
I remember this as the one substantive contribution to fighting sail fiction and a reaction at least in part to the simpler and rather more upright character of Horatio Hornblower - Jack Aubrey and company were more complex and often in fact flawed individuals - more human.
What a wonderful essay. I enjoyed reading it for many reasons but the most important involved your elucidation of key allusions like the guy who choked on a crust of bread. Wikipedia didn’t exist when I read the book!