Post Captain (novel)

Infobox Book
name = Post Captain


author = Patrick O'Brian
country = United Kingdom
language = English
cover_artist = Geoff Hunt
series = Aubrey-Maturin series
genre = Historical novel
publisher = Harper Collins (UK)
release_date = 1972
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio Book (Cassette, CD)
pages = 416 pages (first edition, hardback) & 416 pages (paperback edition)
isbn = ISBN 0002216574, (first edition, hardback) & ISBN 0006136664 (paperback edition UK)
preceded_by = Master and Commander
followed_by = HMS Surprise

"Post Captain" is the 1972 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is second in the series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. It has been described as Patrick O'Brian's tribute to Jane Austen with part of it set in the domestic English countryside and the interaction of families.

Plot introduction

The novel starts during the Peace of Amiens. Jack Aubrey sets up a bachelor household in a country district, becoming friendly with a neighbouring household with several marriageable daughters. When he falls into financial difficulty, he leaves England with his friend Stephen Maturin. When the Peace is ended, they escape from France and return to England. Aubrey pleads for any ship. After many tribulations and disagreements with Maturin and others, he is eventually successful in his career.

Plot summary

The book begins in 1802 with the conclusion of the French Revolutionary Wars and the start of the Peace of Amiens. Commander Jack Aubrey returns to England to take up the life of a country squire. He meets the Williams family, and their cousin Diana Villiers. Aubrey courts Sophia Williams (the eldest daughter), but is also attracted to Diana, with whom he commences an affair.

Aubrey plans to marry Sophia Williams, but his fortune soon is gone between an order to repay a captured merchant, the "Cacafuego", being undersold, and the rest of his money being embezzled by his prize-agent. Aubrey has to flee the country to avoid going to debtors' prison and he plans to live with Maturin in Spain.

Before he gets to Stephen's estate in Spain, France declares war and begins rounding up English subjects. Having been tipped off by the French captain who had captured him in "Master and Commander", Stephen is able to smuggle Jack out of the country dressed in a bear costume. Finally making it through Gibraltar, Jack and Stephen take passage aboard an East India Company ship. Unfortunately, the ship is captured by the privateer "Bellone". Discovered to be a Royal Navy officer, Jack is going to be sold to the French, but a British squadron overtakes them and rescues Jack and Stephen.

Returning to England, he is restored to active service by the outbreak of war in 1803. While waiting for a command, Jack is offered a letter of marque by a Mr. Canning. Jack ultimately turns Canning down and later is given command of "HMS Polychrest", an odd ship that was designed to launch a secret weapon. The ship is a poor sailing ship and his endeavours are made harder by a sadistic lieutenant. Placed under the command of Admiral Harte, with whose wife Jack had an affair in the previous book, Jack is given a free hand in the hope that his lucky streak of capturing prizes will continue. This mostly doesn't happen as Jack's most notable action is driving the privateer "Bellone" aground outside a Spanish port, while allowing several merchants to escape. Disappointing Admiral Harte, Jack is assigned to escort convoys up and down the channel. During this time, he gets a reputation for lingering in port as he carries on an affair with Diana.

Meanwhile, Stephen is sent on a secret mission to gather intelligence in Spain. Upon returning, Stephen is advised by Heneage Dundas, a close friend of Jack's, to warn him about visiting Diana. When Stephen does, Jack is angry and accuses Stephen of lying to him as to where he had been during his absence. Soon they challenge each other to a duel. While in port, Jack calls on Diana, but finds her with Canning. As the main reason for the duel, jealousy over Diana, has vanished, he is willing to drop the duel but does not tell Stephen. Prior to the date of the duel, Jack is ordered to raid the French port of Chaulieu to sink the gathered French troopships and gun boats and to destroy the corvette "Fanciulla". On the way, the crew plans to mutiny because of the treatment they receive from Lt. Parker. Stephen overhears their plans and goes to Jack, the first time they have spoken since the challenge. Forewarned, Jack separates the instigators of the mutiny from the rest of the crew.

During the engagement in Chaulieu, the "Polychrest" runs aground. Jack leads three boats to board the "Fanciulla". After a short battle, the Polychrests capture the ship and pull off the "Polychrest" marooned on a sand bar. However, after hours of pounding by the shore batteries, the "Polychrest" founders and sinks soon after leaving Chaulieu. After the battle, the duel is forgotten by both Stephen and Jack, who returns in the "Fanciulla" to England and is posted captain. Jack is offered a ship that is currently being built but will not be ready to sail for six months. Afraid of being captured by his creditors, he declines and asks for a temporary command. He is assigned to HMS "Lively" whose Captain, Hammond, has just left to take up his seat in Parliament.

Stephen is again sent to Spain to gather more intelligence. This time, he returns with news that the Spanish will declare war as soon as four ships full of gold from Montevideo are safely in port. While Stephen is gone, Sophia, at Stephen's urging, asks Jack to transport her and Cecila to the Downs. While on board, Sophia and Jack come to an agreement not to marry anyone else; Jack is too poor to propose anything more. While waiting on the Admiralty's orders, Stephen attends an opera, and observes Diana sitting in a box with Canning. This stuns Stephen so badly that he is still sitting in his box long after the opera ends, eventually having to be told to leave by the ushers.

Fearing that a change in parliamentary leadership will leave Jack penniless, Stephen asks that the "Lively" be included in the squadron sent to intercept the Spanish. The Admiralty grants this request, assigns Stephen the title of captain pro tem (so he will receive a generous share of the prize money) and tasks him to be a negotiator. Because of Stephen's temporary rank and the now obvious connection to the Admiralty, Jack realizes that Stephen has been a spy for Britain.

The Spanish convoy refuses to surrender and a quick battle breaks out. One Spanish galleon explodes and the other three surrender. The victorious captains' share of the prize money will be enough to pay off Jack's debts.

Characters in "Post Captain"

*Jack Aubrey - Commander of the "Polychrest" and later appointed Captain of HMS "Lively".
*Stephen Maturin - ship's surgeon, friend to Jack and intelligence officer.
*Sophie Williams - Jack's love interest
*Mrs. Williams - Sophie's mother
*Diana Villiers - Stephen's love interest, and one of Jack's mistresses
*Lt. Parker - 1st Lieutenant of the "Polychrest"
*Lt. Pullings - 2nd Lieutenant of the "Polychrest"
*William Babbington – midshipman in "Polychrest"

hips in "Post Captain"

The British:
*HMS "Lively" - frigate
*HMS "Polychrest" - sloop
* "Medusa" - frigate
* "Indefatigable" - frigate
* "Amphion" - frigate
* "Amethyst"
* "Lord Nelson" - East Indiaman

The French:
* "Fanciulla"
* "Bellone" (Privateer)

The Spanish:
* "Medea" - frigate
* "Fama" - frigate
* "Clara" - frigate
* "Mercedes" - frigate

Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

In actual history, Captain Hammond was the captain of the "Lively" at the time of this incident.

Literary significance & criticism

:"One of the finest seafaring novels of the Napoleonic wars." — R. W., Taranaki Herald (New Zealand), on Post Captain [cite web | title=Post Captain reviews | last=Taranaki | first=R. W. | work=W W Norton Patrick O'Brian | url=http://www2.wwnorton.com/pob/quotes.htm | date= | accessdate=2007-02-15 ]

:"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." — Mary Renault, on Post Captain [cite web | title=Post Captain reviews | last=Renault | first=Mary | work=W W Norton Patrick O'Brian | url=http://www2.wwnorton.com/pob/quotes.htm | date= | accessdate=2007-02-15 ]

Reviews

Release details

*1972, UK, Collins Publishers ISBN 0002216574, Pub Date ? ? 1970, hardback (First edition)
*1972, USA, Lippincott ISBN 0006129137, Pub Date ? ? 1972, hardback
*1975, UK, Fontana ISBN 0006136664, Pub date 1 April 1975, paperback
*1990, USA, W. W. Norton ISBN 0393307069, Pub date ? November 1990, paperback
*1994, USA, W. W. Norton ISBN 0393037029, Pub date ? ? 1994, hardback
*2000, USA, Chivers, Windsor, Paragon ISBN 0754014231, Pub date 1 December 2000, hardback (large print)
*2001, USA, Chivers, Windsor, Paragon ISBN 0754023206, Pub date 1 September 2001, paperback (large print)
*1996, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0006499163, Pub date 7 October 1996, paperback
*1997, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0001053302, Pub date 21 April 1997, Audio book cassette (narrated by Robert Hardy)
*1998, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0002216574, Pub Date 27 January 1998, hardback
*2001, USA, Recorded Books ISBN 1402502214, Pub date ? September 2001, Audio book cassette (narrated by Patrick Tull)
*2002, UK, Soundings ISBN 1842832611, Pub date ? September 2002, Audio book CD (narrated by Stephen Thorne)
*2004, UK, Blackstone ISBN 0786187034, Pub date ? January 2004, Audio book MP3 cassette (narrated by Robert Whitfield)

ources, references, external links, quotations

*cite book | author=Richard O'Neill | title=Patrick O'Brian's Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World | publisher=Running Press | year=2003 | id=ISBN 0762415401
*cite book | author=Dean King | title=A Sea of Words: Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O'Brian's Seafaring Tales | publisher=Henry Holt | year=2001 | id=ISBN 0805066152
*cite book | author=Dean King | title=Harbors and High Seas: Map Book and Geographical Guide to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian | publisher=Henry Holt | year=2001 | id=ISBN 0805066144
*cite book | author=Brian Lavery | title=Jack Aubrey Commands: An Historical Companion to the Naval World of Patrick O'Brian | publisher=Conway Maritime | year=2003 | id=ISBN 0851779468
*cite book | author=Anne Chotzinoff Grossman, Lisa Grossman Thomas | title=Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which Is a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels | publisher=W W Norton & Co Ltd | year=2000 | id=ISBN 0393320944
*cite book | author=David Miller | title=The World of Jack Aubrey: Twelve-Pounders, Frigates, Cutlasses, and Insignia of His Majesty's Royal Navy | publisher=Running Press Book Publishers | year=2003 | id=ISBN 0762416521
*cite book | author=A.E. Cunningham (Editor) | title=Patrick O'Brian: A Bibliography and Critical Appreciation | publisher=British Library Publishing Division | year=1994 | id=ISBN 0712310711

Footnotes