Monthly Archives: July 2014

POST CAPTAIN — CHAPTER ONE

Posted on July 30, 2014 by spectioneer

O’Brian plunks us, in media res, aboard the Charwell, mid-chase in the English Channel amid “…swathes of rain drifting eastwards…”.  We see this frigate busily running seven knots, coming up on a French ship with two rows of gunports.  We find that … Continue reading →

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MASTER AND COMMANDER — AFTERWORD

Posted on July 28, 2014 by spectioneer

As hard as it is to believe, all of the action in this novel occurred in just this one piece of the world.  OK, it’s a pretty big piece.  The places are, from the leftmost box to the rightmost:  Gibraltar … Continue reading →

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MASTER AND COMMANDER — CHAPTER TWELVE

Posted on July 27, 2014 by spectioneer

We start this chapter prosaically — typical for O’Brian  —  with a neat little pair of scenes; two captains and then two doctors, set up against each other to contrast, explain, and extrapolate. First, the two captains  — one in … Continue reading →

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MASTER AND COMMANDER — CHAPTER ELEVEN

Posted on July 24, 2014 by spectioneer

This is a maddening chapter  — very typical for O’Brian  — that begins with Jack Aubrey right at the pinnacle, the peak, the acme, the apex of accomplishment, and ends with him in the sub-cellar beneath the abyss at the … Continue reading →

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MASTER AND COMMANDER — CHAPTER TEN

Posted on July 16, 2014 by spectioneer

Seen as a whole, this chapter is 100% rising action, with the climax in the final sentence.  It takes a while, every section upping the tension, so the ending is sort of shattering. We begin with Stephen pondering his essential … Continue reading →

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MASTER AND COMMANDER — CHAPTER NINE

Posted on July 16, 2014 by spectioneer

We find Stephen writing in his journal, moaning about the missed opportunities to see the classical wonders of Egypt and Greece, and “…wishing Jack Aubrey’s soul to the devil.”.  This is a common theme we see over and over throughout … Continue reading →

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MASTER AND COMMANDER — CHAPTER EIGHT

Posted on July 12, 2014 by spectioneer

The last chapter ended with a thoroughly miserable Lieutenant Dillon.  This chapter begins with a continuation of that misery, spreading it across a rough waste and a cross sea, “…soaking the lookout on the fo’c’sle with a grateful spray, heeling … Continue reading →

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MASTER AND COMMANDER — CHAPTER SEVEN

Posted on July 10, 2014 by spectioneer

Last chapter, we heard ‘land ho on the starboard bow’.  That land is Cape Nao, a sharp bit of Spain SE of Valencia, and Jack’s southerly limit for his cruise.  The ship is nearing the peak of efficiency where gunnery … Continue reading →

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MASTER AND COMMANDER — CHAPTER SIX

Posted on July 8, 2014 by spectioneer

I’ll probably forget to say it later, when it happens, so I’ll say it now.  As the years pass, we hear fewer and fewer lengthy internal monologues from Stephen.  This chapter begins with one of many journal entries:  he considers … Continue reading →

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MASTER AND COMMANDER — CHAPTER FIVE

Posted on July 7, 2014 by spectioneer

One chapter, some tedium, a storm, a minor tragedy, two prizes, a doppelgänger, and two men struggling through the wreckage of revolution, rebellion, and lost ideals.  O’Brian knows how to pack a chapter. First we have a bit of tedium … Continue reading →

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