Post Captain (novel)

Post Captain

Lippincott First edition
Author Patrick O'Brian
Cover artist Dell'Orco[1]
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series Aubrey–Maturin series
Genre Historical novel
Publisher Collins (UK)
Publication date
 1972
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio Book (Cassette, CD)
Pages 414 first edition, hardback & 416 - 496 paperback editions[2]
ISBN 0-00-221657-4 first edition, hardback & 0-00-613666-4 paperback edition UK
OCLC 38885590
823/.9/14
LC Class PZ3.O1285 Po PR6029.B55
Preceded by Master and Commander
Followed by HMS Surprise

Post Captain is the second historical novel in the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1972. It features the characters of Captain Jack Aubrey and naval surgeon Stephen Maturin in the early 19th century.

The naval captain is put on land with the brief Peace of Amiens, allowing both him and his friend to meet the women they love, then have life turned upside down by decisions of the prize court, a dishonest prize-agent and Napoleon.

Plot summary

With the Peace of Amiens, Jack Aubrey returns to England and rents a house with Stephen Maturin, with shipmates running the household, spending time in the hunt. He meets the Williams family, and their cousin Diana Villiers. Aubrey courts Sophia Williams (the eldest daughter), while Stephen Maturin pursues Diana. Aubrey wants to marry Sophia Williams, but she delays making a firm engagement. His fortune abruptly disappears when his prize-agent absconds with his funds and the prize court finds his capture of two merchant ships not valid. The court demands he repay the prize money, a sum beyond his means. Mrs Williams takes her daughters away to Bath on this news. Aubrey dallies with Diana, straining his friendship with Maturin and showing himself indecisive on land, compared to his ways at sea. Aubrey and Maturin flee England to avoid Aubrey being taken by the bailiffs.

In Toulon to visit the affable and hospitable Christy Pallière, the French captain who had captured Aubrey's first command Sophie before the peace, they learn from him that war is imminent. French authorities round up all English subjects. Aubrey and Maturin escape over the Pyrenees to Catalonia with Maturin disguised as an itinerant trainer and his dancing bear (Aubrey in a bear suit). After reaching Catalonia, where Maturin has property, they make their way to Gibraltar where Aubrey and Maturin take passage aboard a British East India Company ship. The ship is captured by the privateer Bellone, but a British squadron overtakes them and rescues Aubrey, Maturin and the other passengers.

In England, Aubrey is offered a letter of marque by Mr. Canning, a wealthy Jewish merchant. At the same gathering at Queeney's, Mrs Williams and Cecilia are among the guests; Sophia did not realize he would be there, so she stayed home with Frances. Mrs Williams learns of Maturin's castle in Spain and his training as a physician, raising his status in her eyes. An inadequate thief approaches Aubrey as he walks outdoors; Mr. Scriven proves to be a useful friend, knowing the law of debt and where Aubrey can be safe from bailiffs. He and Maturin move to The Grapes, safe in the Liberty of the Savoy.

Aubrey is given command of HMS Polychrest, so he turns Canning down. He is allowed a request, that Tom Pullings get his step to lieutenant, which delights Pullings. Polychrest is an odd ship that was purpose-built to launch a secret rocket weapon whose development was abandoned when its designer was killed during a test firing. The ship is structurally weak and sails poorly, and first lieutenant Parker is free with punishment. Under the command of Admiral Harte, Aubrey is given a free hand, to enrich the Admiral. His luck does not prevail; Aubrey drives the privateer Bellone aground outside a Spanish port, gaining no money but much approval from merchants. Having disappointed Admiral Harte, Aubrey is assigned to escort convoys up and down the English Channel. He gains a reputation for lingering in port as he carries on a furtive affair with Diana. Maturin is sent on an intelligence gathering mission in Spain. Upon return, Maturin is advised by Heneage Dundas to warn Aubrey about his reputation with the Admiralty. When Maturin does so, Aubrey gets angry. Soon they challenge each other to a duel. While in port, Aubrey calls on Diana, but finds her with Canning. Aubrey is ordered to raid the French port of Chaulieu to sink the assembled French troopships and gunboats and to destroy the corvette Fanciulla. The crew plans to mutiny because of the harsh treatment from Parker. Maturin overhears their plans and warns Aubrey - the first time they speak since the challenge. Aubrey quashes the mutiny by putting the instigators and some loyal crew in a ship's boat and then begins the attack on the moment. He rues his angry words with Maturin and his inability to take them all back in that moment. During the engagement in Chaulieu, Polychrest runs aground. Aubrey leads three of the ship's boats to board and capture Fanciulla. The successful Polychrests refloat Polychrest, which founders soon after leaving Chaulieu, as the crew transfer to Fanciulla. After the battle, Aubrey and Maturin resume their friendship, and the challenge is forgotten by both.

Aubrey returns to England in Fanciulla and is promoted to Post-captain. Not wanting to be ashore, he asks for any command. He is assigned as temporary captain for HMS Lively whose Captain, Sir Graham Hamond, has taken leave to sit in Parliament. Returning from Spain, Maturin tells Sir Joseph that the Spanish will declare war as soon as four ships full of bullion from Montevideo are safely in Cadiz. At Maturin's urging, Sophia asks Jack Aubrey to transport her and Cecilia to the Downs. While on board, they come to an agreement not to marry anyone else; Aubrey is too poor to propose a satisfactory marriage settlement to Mrs Williams. Maturin is close friends with Sophia, but does not take up her advice to propose to Diana. While attending an opera, he sees that Diana is being kept by Canning; his pain is deep.

Maturin takes no pay for his intelligence work; he does ask a favor, that Lively be included in the squadron sent to intercept the Spanish. The Admiralty grants this request, and tasks Maturin to negotiate the treasure fleet's surrender. Because of Maturin's temporary rank and his connection to the Admiralty, Aubrey realizes that Maturin has been involved in intelligence work for Britain. This other side of Maturin, along with Maturin's practice on board with pistols and with swords, reveals more in a man he thought he knew totally. The Spanish convoy refuses to surrender by negotiation and a battle breaks out. One Spanish frigate (the Mercedes) explodes and the other three (Fama, Clara, Medea) surrender to the chase. Clara, carrying the treasure, strikes her colours to Lively, greatly pleasing its captain. Then he chases Fama, having two Spanish captains to dinner, along with Dr Maturin, when they all toast Sophia.

Characters

See also Recurring characters in the Aubrey–Maturin series

Ships

The British
The French
The Spanish

Allusions

References to events in history

Stephen Maturin, in presenting his radical position against the tyranny of the navy, says that he would "certainly have joined the mutineers" had he been at the Spithead Mutiny.[3]

The Treaty of Amiens was signed 25 March 1802 by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace". The consequent Peace of Amiens lasted only one year, ending on 18 May 1803. It was the only period of peace during the so-called 'Great French War' between 1793 and 1815. Captain Christy-Pallière, whom Jack and Stephen visit at Toulon, was a real French Navy officer who did command the naval base at Toulon, though not in 1803.

The last action in the novel is based on a real action, the Battle of Cape Santa Maria, in which four British frigates – HMS Indefatigable, HMS Lively, HMS Medusa and HMS Amphion – successfully intercepted a Spanish flotilla carrying gold from South America. Captain Hamond, later Sir Graham Hamond, 2nd Baronet, was not in fact a member of Parliament and was in command of Lively in the action.[4]

Allusions to Literature

Further information: Ossian and James Macpherson

In a conversation with MacDonald, Stephen Maturin argues about the various qualities of the Gaelic poet Ossian's writing and authenticity.[5] This references similar controversy which had arisen during the period about the true authorship of James Macpherson's translation of his epic cycle, and continues to be questioned today in literary circles. In this same conversation, MacDonald references the Roman legal principle "falsum in unam, falsum in omnibus",[5] which translates to "false in one thing, false in all things".

Literary significance and criticism

"One of the finest seafaring novels of the Napoleonic wars." — R. W., Taranaki Herald (New Zealand), on Post Captain[6]

Mary Renault had high praise for this novel:

Master and Commander raised almost dangerously high expectations, Post Captain triumphantly surpasses them. Mr. O'Brian is a master of his period, in which his characters are finely placed, while remaining three-dimensional, thoroughly human beings. This book sets him at the very top of his genre; he does not just have the chief qualifications of a first-class historical novelist, he has them all. The action scenes are superb; towards the end, far from being aware that one is reading what is, physically, a fairly long book, one notes with dismay that there is not much more to come....A brilliant book.[7]

Library Journal found this to be a "rich blend of adventure, romance, and intrigue", reviewing an audio book version read by John Lee[8]

The backdrop of this novel is the temporary cessation of British-French hostilities in 1803 and the consequent stalling of British naval officer Jack Aubrey's promotion from commander to post captain. As he wonders if he will ever be promoted or get another ship, Jack learns that his business manager has absconded with his investments and that collection agents are now after him. Jack still manages to pursue a woman who is a member of a very proper English family, and this affair in turn fuels a potentially lethal breach between him and his closest friend, Dr. Maturin, who is involved in high-level espionage. To avoid debtor's prison, Jack eventually goes to France, only to be trapped there when Napoleon resumes hostilities. This rich blend of adventure, romance, and intrigue will satisfy listeners of many different tastes. John Lee's strong narration is flawed only by his tendency to pronounce "forecastle" so it sounds like "foxhole." Recommended for most collections.[9]

In a more recent review, Jo Walton finds this the book in the series with the poorest plot structure:

There’s no shape to this plot, and while the characters and incidents are as good as anything in the series, the book as a whole is broken-backed. The duel and then the fact that they never mention that they’ve reconciled feels very strange. Usually when O’Brian has a lacuna like that it helps to shape the story, here it’s just an odd absence. The duel is the last real obstacle between Jack and Stephen—they quarrel from time to time, but it never comes to this kind of thing. The main theme is the difference between land and sea, and to illustrate this we see a lot of Jack ashore—far more than in the first book. It may be the most England we get in any of the books. Jack isn’t very good at life ashore—he’s everything he isn’t at sea. He’s easily taken in, confused, indecisive and frightened. There’s a wonderful scene where he runs from the bailiffs back to sea and calls back “Mr Pullings, press that man!” He presses the bailiffs who have come to arrest him for debt![10]

Publication history

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ "Book Covers". 24 November 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Bruce Trinque. "Pagination of Various Aubrey-Maturin Novel Editions". Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Patrick O'Brian. Post Captain. W. W. Norton. p. 234.
  4. ↑ George Clement Boase. "Graham Eden Hamond". Dictionary of National Biography 1885-1900 24. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Patrick P'Brian. Post Captain. W. W. Norton. p. 268.
  6. ↑ R. W. (1972). "Post Captain reviews". Taranaki Herald. New Zealand: W W Norton Patrick O'Brian. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  7. ↑ Renault, Mary. "Post Captain reviews". W W Norton Patrick O'Brian. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  8. ↑ Patrick O'Brian; John Lee (January 1, 2004). Post Captain. Books on Tape, Inc. ISBN 1-4159-0245-3.
  9. ↑ Kent Rasmussne (2010). "Post Captain". Library Journals Review. Thousand Oaks, California: Villanova University Library.
  10. ↑ Walton, Jo (11 October 2010). "Out of his element: Patrick O’Brian’s Post Captain". Tor.com. Retrieved 10 December 2014.

External links