Timeline for Hornblower plus Aubrey-Maturin
Jorn Barger
was pleasantly surprised to see how well it stood up to PO'B's
gold-standard. But I was shocked that the Web doesn't seem to offer
any comparative timeline, so I hacked this together (no guarantees
of accuracy or coherence):
no-date: Stephen Maturin born
1771: Jack Aubrey born
1776: Horatio Hornblower born
1783: 12yo Aubrey goes to sea as captain's servant
1789: Maturin studying medicine in Paris
1789: French Revolution
1792: 21yo Aubrey promoted to Lieutenant
1793: Hornblower joins Navy
Jun 1794 to Mar 1798: Mr Midshipman Hornblower (1950)
1796: Oct-Dec: The Hand of Destiny (CSF, Nov 1940)
1799: Napoleon's coup
1799: Hornblower's Temptation (1967)
Apr-Jul 1800: Master and Commander (POB, 1970)
May 1800 to Mar 1803: Lieutenant Hornblower (1952)
1802: Mar: peace with France
Oct 1802 to Oct 1804: Post Captain (POB)
Apr 1803 to Jul 1805: Hornblower and the Hotspur (1962)
1803: May: war with France
1804: Dec: war with Spain
1804-1806: HMS Surprise (POB)
1805: Aug-Dec: Hornblower and the Crisis (1967)
Dec 1805 to Jan 1808: Hornblower and the Atropos (1953)
1808: Jun-Oct: The Happy Return/ Beat to Quarters (CSF, 1937)
1809-1810: Mauritius Command (POB)
1810: May-Oct: A Ship of the Line (CSF, 1938)
1810: Jun: Hornblower's Charitable Offering (May 1941)
Nov 1810 to Jun 1811: Flying Colours (CSF, 1938)
1811-1812: Desolation Island (POB)
1812: May-Oct: The Commodore/ Commodore Hornblower (1945)
1812: Jun: war with USA
1812-1813: Fortune of War (POB)
1813: Hornblower and His Majesty (1940)
[POB exits Newtonian spacetime here]
1813: Jun-Oct: Surgeon's Mate; Ionian Mission; Treason's Harbour;
Far Side of the World; Reverse of the Medal; Letter of Marque;
Thirteen-Gun Salute; Nutmeg of Consolation; Truelove (Clarissa
Oakes); Wine-Dark Sea; The Commodore (POB)
Oct 1813 to May 1814: Lord Hornblower (1946)
[POB returns to Newtonian spacetime]
1813-1814: Yellow Admiral (POB)
1815: Mar: Napoleon escapes Elba
1815: The Hundred Days (POB)
1815: Jun: Waterloo
1815? Blue at the Mizzen (POB, 1999)
1819: The Point and the Edge (CSF, unwritten)
May 1821 to Oct 1823: Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies (1958)
1848: The Last Encounter (CSF, 1967)
sources:
pob: http://www.westies.com/pob/timeline.html
pob: http://www.rexmwess.com/booklink/obrianbk.html
pob: http://www.hmssurprise.org/char_index/aubrey.html
pob: http://www.hmssurprise.org/char_index/maturin.html
csf: http://verax.home.mindspring.com/horatio.html
csf: http://www.aande.com/scenes/horatio/history/timeline.html
Phyllis Chamberlain
I am now rereading the O'Brian Aubrey-Maturin series once again, this time
very slowly. (I've read some of the volumes several times already.) I found
comfort from the loss of Aubrey-Maturin the first time by plunging into
Anthony Trollope, with ultimately as much satisfaction as I received from
the sea stories, I did try some Frederick Marryat before going back to
O'Brian. Marryat is a clear source for O'Brian.
This rereading of Aubrey-Maturin has raised a disturbing issue that somehow
didn't bother me before. I've come to lack sympathy for Stephen Maturin and
his emotions. He comes off so blastedly selfish and prideful and
self-centered, and his passion for Diana so absurd, that I'm quite put off
by O'Brian's making him a hero. I hope I get over it.
I imagine Stephen as looking somewhat like a scruffy, smelly, ill-shaved
Warren Christopher or golfer Jesper Parvenik, bent over, incipient
osteoporosis, prissy lips. Does anyone have any other type inner vision??
Phyllis Chamberlain
Richard Harter
This link didn't work for me.
I got a
> pob: http://www.rexmwess.com/booklink/obrianbk.html
> pob: http://www.hmssurprise.org/char_index/aubrey.html
> pob: http://www.hmssurprise.org/char_index/maturin.html
> csf: http://verax.home.mindspring.com/horatio.html
> csf: http://www.aande.com/scenes/horatio/history/timeline.html
I haven't read the PO'B novels so I can't comment on which of the
two constitutes the gold standard. I am quite fond of the Hornblower
novels, though. I shouldn't be surprised if reading one series
spoils the other series for the reader. That is, if one has read
and absorbed one series, then the other seems subtly wrong.
Hornblower inspired the quite delightful "Life and Times of Horatio
Hornblower" by C. Northcote Parkinson (that Parkinson) which I will
commend.
Jorn Barger
> [...] I did try some Frederick Marryat before going back to
> O'Brian. Marryat is a clear source for O'Brian.
If anyone wants to weave him into the timeline:
1792: Frederick Marryat born
1792? Jack Easy born
1806: Marryat joins Navy
1808? Jack Easy joins Navy
1812? end of 'Mr Midshipman Easy' (FM, 1836)
1814: Marryat promoted lieutenant
1815: Marryat promoted commander
1825? Marryat promoted captain
1830: Marryat retires from Navy
fm: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/fmarryat.htm
etext: http://www.blackmask.com/books28c/midshipman.htm
Dave Pacek
> two constitutes the gold standard. I am quite fond of the Hornblower
> novels, though. I shouldn't be surprised if reading one series
> spoils the other series for the reader. That is, if one has read
> and absorbed one series, then the other seems subtly wrong.
I've been pondering this very thought. I disovered the Hornblower series
over 20 years ago, and thought they were marvelous. A few short years ago, I
encountered my first Aubrey-Maturin, and they slowly drew me in to what
seems a much deeper, more enjoyable reading experience. While on a recent
weekend trip, I grabbed a Hornblower from a friends bookshelf and reread it.
It just wasn't the 'same' for me. It had me pondering a new measurement of
literary worth. Let's call it TPP - Thoughts per Page. :)
I started reading my first Woodman last night. I wonder how I'll rank this
series, once I've had enough time to get a feel for it.
Right now, for me, O'Brien's work is clearly out in front.
Dave P.
francis muir
fa4c142c.02071...@posting.google.com, "Richard Harter"
<c...@tiac.net> wrote:
As a reality check Jorn might have included Capt. Marryat's life in his time
lines as well as that of his character, Mr. Midshipman Easy. Where do you
imagine Forrester and O'Brian got their stuff?
William Denton
: I just read my first Hornblower since highschool (Lieutenant) and
: was pleasantly surprised to see how well it stood up to PO'B's
: gold-standard. But I was shocked that the Web doesn't seem to offer
: any comparative timeline, so I hacked this together (no guarantees
: of accuracy or coherence):
If you want to work in other naval fiction of the time, there's a
descriptive timeline for Alexander Kent's Bolitho series. I have some of
it at
http://www.miskatonic.org/books/series.html#bolitho
There's Dudley Pope's Ramage series, too. Neither is as good as
Hornblower, though.
Bill
--
--
William Denton : Toronto, Canada : http://www.miskatonic.org/ : Caveat lector.
Jorn Barger
> > I haven't read the PO'B novels so I can't comment on which of the
> > two constitutes the gold standard. I am quite fond of the Hornblower
> > novels, though. I shouldn't be surprised if reading one series
> > spoils the other series for the reader. That is, if one has read
> > and absorbed one series, then the other seems subtly wrong.
>
> I've been pondering this very thought. I disovered the Hornblower
> series over 20 years ago, and thought they were marvelous. A few
> short years ago, I encountered my first Aubrey-Maturin, and they
> slowly drew me in to what seems a much deeper, more enjoyable reading
> experience. While on a recent weekend trip, I grabbed a Hornblower
> from a friends bookshelf and reread it. It just wasn't the 'same' for
> me. It had me pondering a new measurement of literary worth. Let's
> call it TPP - Thoughts per Page. :)
I raced thru three more Hornblowers (the Captain trilogy) and then
dipped back into POB (Ionian Mission) for comparison. POB seems
vastly superior in every category but battle-scenes, where CSF has
the advantage of aiming a little _lower_: ie, straight-ahead action-
adventure simplification.
Most notable POB-advantages:
- more vivid/artistic descriptions
- more idiomatic dialog
- continual underlying dry wit
- much subtler characterisations
And, yes, thoughts-per-page.
I was disappointed with the last volume of the trilogy (Flying
Colors) which takes place almost entirely on land, and asks us to
rejoice when HH is saved (by her death!) from the nightmare of a
dumpy wife with red hands. Gaah!
Bruce McGuffin
Patrick O'Brian solved the problem of so many adventure stories, in
which we discover that a main character who is superior in every way
is not only unbelievable, but is also, in fact, essentially dull.
By splitting his hero into two different characters, he is able to
give them every virtue and advantage without seeming too unrealistic,
and he has a little room left over for interesting and amusing
foibles.
>
> And, yes, thoughts-per-page.
>
> I was disappointed with the last volume of the trilogy (Flying
> Colors) which takes place almost entirely on land, and asks us to
> rejoice when HH is saved (by her death!) from the nightmare of a
> dumpy wife with red hands. Gaah!
Bruce McGuffin
obbook: Patrick O'Brian, The Ionian Mission
Paul J Hollander
Jorn Barger <jo...@enteract.com> wrote:
>I raced thru three more Hornblowers (the Captain trilogy) and then
>dipped back into POB (Ionian Mission) for comparison. POB seems
>vastly superior in every category but battle-scenes, where CSF has
>the advantage of aiming a little _lower_: ie, straight-ahead action-
>adventure simplification.
>
>Most notable POB-advantages:
>
>- more vivid/artistic descriptions
>- more idiomatic dialog
>- continual underlying dry wit
>- much subtler characterisations
I discovered both Forester and O'Brian pretty close together, when I was
in high school.
POB may have better visual discriptions, but, at least in Master and
Commander, he's severely lacking in the smell/touch/movement aspects.
OTOH, Hornblower has enough to these right at the beginning to suck me
in. For example, in Captain Hornblower, HH has to climb a mast. In
Hornblower and the Atropos, he helps the bargeman walk the barge through a
tunnel. Unfortunately, none of O'Brian's superiorities over Forester
were enough to overcome this one glaring (IMHO) inferiority. So I'll keep
reading Forester and Pope and Meacham and Kent and others while passing on
POB. YMMV.
Paul Hollander phol...@iastate.edu
Behold the tortoise: he makes no progress unless he sticks his neck out.
Paul Ilechko
> POB may have better visual discriptions, but, at least in Master and
> Commander, he's severely lacking in the smell/touch/movement aspects.
> OTOH, Hornblower has enough to these right at the beginning to suck me
> in. For example, in Captain Hornblower, HH has to climb a mast. In
> Hornblower and the Atropos, he helps the bargeman walk the barge through a
> tunnel. Unfortunately, none of O'Brian's superiorities over Forester
> were enough to overcome this one glaring (IMHO) inferiority. So I'll keep
> reading Forester and Pope and Meacham and Kent and others while passing on
> POB. YMMV.
>
> Paul Hollander phol...@iastate.edu
> Behold the tortoise: he makes no progress unless he sticks his neck out.
>
Master and Commander is one of the weakest of the series - you should read at
least one more.
--
Paul
** Two wrongs don't make a right - but three lefts do **