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PerilPastry posted:If you want to buy Jack's dress uniform Russel Crowe is selling a bunch of props and accoutrements from his movies You can own the Surprise https://www.sothebysaustralia.com.au/list/AU0822/162
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Mar 15, 2018 00:59
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Popping in to say this thread is making me actually sit down and read these books... boy oh boy, Post Captain is boring so far. Maybe my temperament would be better suited to Hornblower, but COME ON. get back to sea already. i don't care about maturin getting friend zoned
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Mar 24, 2018 13:36
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Admiral Bosch posted:Popping in to say this thread is making me actually sit down and read these books... boy oh boy, Post Captain is boring so far. Maybe my temperament would be better suited to Hornblower, but COME ON. get back to sea already. i don't care about maturin getting friend zoned Keep going. HMS Surprise owns.
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Mar 24, 2018 15:05
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I was just given Patrick O'Brian's Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World as a gift <3 I'll read it and report back. So far it looks pretty neat -- published contemporaneously with the movie production it looks like.
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Mar 24, 2018 15:10
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 The very last word on the very last page has passed mine eye.
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Mar 25, 2018 22:43
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Admiral Bosch posted:Popping in to say this thread is making me actually sit down and read these books... boy oh boy, Post Captain is boring so far. Maybe my temperament would be better suited to Hornblower, but COME ON. get back to sea already. i don't care about maturin getting friend zoned Yeah, that was my reaction too. The Naval battle at the end of Post Captain is really badass though, and HMS Surprise is (I think) probably the best of book (although there are some later ones that come awfully close). No other book in the series spends quite so much time in Jane Austen world. Some later books have quite a bit outside of the sea but I found them more engaging (although I also never liked Austen/Bronte so its all a matter of taste).
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Mar 26, 2018 15:59
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In Post-Captain O'Brien was still trying to figure out the right balance of swashbuckling and english countryside drama. From there on out he nails it.
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Mar 26, 2018 16:03
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Lockback posted:
I think a lot of Post Captain is a deliberate Austen homage; there's basically two types of historical fiction set in the Regency era, wooden-ships-iron-men stuff for dudes and Austen-derived "regency romance" for the ladies, and I think O'Brian was trying to bridge the gap. I'm a "convert" to Austen -- I didn't like her initially but then grew to absolutely love her writing -- and there's a definite influence in O'Brian's prose style. I did a partial Let's Read of P&P a few years ago designed as a "Stepladder" to help folks who aren't yet fans of Austen get a handle on why she's so great: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3662001
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Mar 26, 2018 16:04
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:I think a lot of Post Captain is a deliberate Austen homage; there's basically two types of historical fiction set in the Regency era, wooden-ships-iron-men stuff for dudes and Austen-derived "regency romance" for the ladies, and I think O'Brian was trying to bridge the gap. I tried reading P&P because of this thread but stopped a bit after 1/3rd of the way through; I think my brain needs a bit of action and danger in a novel to keep it going. I did find P&P witty and clever and, because of O'Brian I think, pretty accessible and plan to give it another go someday. If I'd tried to read P&P before getting totally absorbed by O'Brian I don't think I would've made it past the first few pages.
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Mar 26, 2018 20:43
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What about the dangers of a bad marriage or ~*~GASP~*~ dying unmarried!?
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Mar 26, 2018 22:19
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Colonial Air Force posted:What about the dangers of a bad marriage or ~*~GASP~*~ dying unmarried!?  VVVVV Ha ha! PlushCow fucked around with this message at 00:29 on Mar 27, 2018 |
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Mar 26, 2018 22:33
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Colonial Air Force posted:What about the dangers of a bad marriage or ~*~GASP~*~ dying unmarried!? I think Nelson's advice of "never mind the maneuvers - always go straight at them" works here too.
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Mar 27, 2018 00:16
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Class Warcraft posted:I think Nelson's advice of "never mind the maneuvers - always go straight at them" works here too. It certainly worked for him.
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Mar 27, 2018 01:17
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PlushCow posted:I tried reading P&P because of this thread but stopped a bit after 1/3rd of the way through; I think my brain needs a bit of action and danger in a novel to keep it going. I did find P&P witty and clever and, because of O'Brian I think, pretty accessible and plan to give it another go someday. If I'd tried to read P&P before getting totally absorbed by O'Brian I don't think I would've made it past the first few pages. Interestingly Jane Austin’s older brother, Sir Fancis Austin, was a very successful officer in the RN who took 40 prizes and was involved in a number of actions and eventually rose to Admiral of the Fleet. Her younger brother Charles Austin was also a very accomplished RN officer active throughout the napoleanic wars. So, she could probably have written a rousing good sea yarn if she’d had the inclination.
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Mar 27, 2018 14:55
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The true romance is Aubrey-Maturin. Everything else is window dressing.
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Mar 27, 2018 15:26
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MeatwadIsGod posted:The true romance is Killick and the Woman he bought in an auction. Everything else is window dressing.
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Mar 27, 2018 16:37
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Personally, I ship Surprise
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Mar 27, 2018 17:01
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MeatwadIsGod posted:The true romance is Aubrey-Sloth. Everything else is window dressing. Hieronymous Alloy posted:I think a lot of Post Captain is a deliberate Austen homage; there's basically two types of historical fiction set in the Regency era, wooden-ships-iron-men stuff for dudes and Austen-derived "regency romance" for the ladies, and I think O'Brian was trying to bridge the gap. This is good, but where's the rest?
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Mar 27, 2018 19:40
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builds character posted:This is good, but where's the rest? Think of it as a "Let's Get Started" rather than a "Let's Read"  By the time I came back to the thread to finish it out, it had gotten archive locked. I thought about making a new thread to finish it out, but really all the work of getting readers "over the hump" into the action of the story is already there. It stops right about where the action of the book really takes off, and all the major context hurdles have been covered by that point -- if I did the rest of the book, it'd basically be multiple repeat posts of "yet again, this is why marriage is important" or "Pemberly: still swank as hell" over and over again.
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Mar 27, 2018 19:52
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I just realized that Maturin kills all of Diana's known lovers except for Jack, although he was going to.
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Mar 28, 2018 17:37
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Murgos posted:I just realized that Maturin kills all of Diana's known lovers except for Jack, although he was going to. Johnson.
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Mar 28, 2018 17:44
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Johnson. Jagiello
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Mar 28, 2018 19:02
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builds character posted:Jagiello For shame!
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Mar 28, 2018 19:16
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Murgos posted:I just realized that Maturin kills all of Diana's known lovers except for Jack, although he was going to. Maturin is super duel-happy. I know its done on purpose, but I enjoy the dualism of Maturin lamenting war, violence and tyranny but then super willing to stab anyone who offends him.
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Mar 28, 2018 23:24
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I forgot that Diana was dead until he told Jack he was going to propose to Christine, and I thought she (Christine) was dead because of the way Jack is crying over her in Sophie's letter, which I read that paragraph three times before concluding she must have died. All done and on to other things, but still have fond memories. Stephen, have that thing stop chewing on my hat.
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Mar 28, 2018 23:48
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Johnson. Doesn’t he kill Johnson? Who is it he kills while going through the desk? builds character posted:Jagiello Pretty sure that she attempts to seduce him but he refuses in such a perfectly gentlemanly way that she doesn’t realize it until she’s living in seclusion in his outbuilding.
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Mar 29, 2018 00:35
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Murgos posted:Doesn’t he kill Johnson? Who is it he kills while going through the desk? Frenchmen. Johnson shows up later in Paris and denounces him.
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Mar 29, 2018 00:40
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I thought Jagiello did try his luck with Diana, but got turned down gently, so he went for the "absurdly pretty" girl back in Sweden?
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Mar 29, 2018 09:12
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I mean, I'm not going to spoiler my reply so if you don't want to hear about later-book drawing room gossip skip it.Fire Safety Doug posted:I thought Jagiello did try his luck with Diana, but got turned down gently, so he went for the "absurdly pretty" girl back in Sweden? I'm pretty sure there's no comment from Jagiello or Diana that either of them attempted anything with each other. There were rumors which came from French agents trying to sow discord, but I thought that whole episode in Sweden was showing that Diana had finally given up chasing men and was now literally above it all in a balloon. She was the one who arranged Jagiello's marriage, and, let's face it, Jagiello was absurdly good looking but he didn't have near the guile to even try to seduce Diana.
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Mar 29, 2018 15:46
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Look, if you guys want to believe that Diana, who doesn't view sex as a particularly big deal, and the really really really ridiculously good looking Lithuanian didn't get together after she thinks that Maturin jilted her for some hussy then I don't know what to tell you. I'm also pretty sure you're supposed to read between the lines when Diana is having the sex talk with Sophie that she just sleeps around and it's no big deal. e:I mean sex, not a real relationship.
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Mar 29, 2018 15:52
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builds character posted:Look, if you guys want to believe that Diana, who doesn't view sex as a particularly big deal, and the really really really ridiculously good looking Lithuanian didn't get together after she thinks that Maturin jilted her for some hussy then I don't know what to tell you. I'm also pretty sure you're supposed to read between the lines when Diana is having the sex talk with Sophie that she just sleeps around and it's no big deal. Oh I expect more of Jagiello not Diana
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Mar 29, 2018 15:53
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Oh I expect more of Jagiello not Diana fwiw, I actually think the books suggest that they don't actually have sex, but I do think there's room for that reading as well. Certainly the letters about the affair are from the french, but he is super good looking and Diana is angry at Maturin and sleeps around a ton generally without thinking much of it.
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Mar 29, 2018 15:57
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builds character posted:Look, if you guys want to believe that Diana, who doesn't view sex as a particularly big deal, and the really really really ridiculously good looking Lithuanian didn't get together after she thinks that Maturin jilted her for some hussy then I don't know what to tell you. I'm also pretty sure you're supposed to read between the lines when Diana is having the sex talk with Sophie that she just sleeps around and it's no big deal. Hands where I can see them, buster.
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Mar 29, 2018 16:24
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While I agree you could read that there was an affair (and it isn't out of character of Diana), the whole thing was setup like a Three's Company episode: 1. Maturin was getting letters from the French 2. Jagiallo was absurdly good looking and kind of an idiot 3. Diana was obviously pissed at Maturin and looking to get even That's why the reveal of "Diana is flying balloons, not living with Jagiello, and actually set up his marriage. WHAT A RELIEF!" is written the way it's written. If Jagiello actually did have an affair then the whole reveal and catharsis of Maturin makes no sense. Plus, if Jagiello and Diana did have an affair, Stephen would have tried to stab Jagiello. Because that is exactly what Stephen does.
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Mar 29, 2018 16:35
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There are other places where you can read between the lines though. For example, the passage in Post Captain where Diana invites Stephen to read to her in her bedroom. My favorite between-the-lines theory is still that we actually meet Stephen's dad though.
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Mar 29, 2018 16:46
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Lockback posted:Plus, if Jagiello and Diana did have an affair, Stephen would have tried to stab Jagiello. Because that is exactly what Stephen does. What do you mean, "tried to"? If Stephen wants to stab someone, they're gonna get stabbed. Or have some kind of nasty accident. Or maybe just mysteriously vanish.
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Mar 29, 2018 21:13
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AlphaDog posted:What do you mean, "tried to"? He has wanted to stab people and have his mind changed. And in this case Stephen would have wanted something public, would have challenged him with a nasty insult that would burn his soul, and then he'd really only want to wound or disfigure Jagiello. Stephen is still a gentleman.
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Mar 29, 2018 22:03
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Well not so gentle, but polite. :P In modern parlance, Jag practically comes across as gay at the beginning because he's always running away from the women or otherwise trying to avoid their slobbering. At the same time, he too seems to be a gentleman; I think he'd be more likely to say, "Yeah get your divorce and we'll talk". Were they seen together? Most likely. Was he taking advantage of her by standing beside her elegance at endless parties? Yeah probably. Was she milking the eminent Doctor's name at those parties? Yeah probably that too. Were they waking up together? No that's too romantic for Diana  I never thought they were in any case. Was she having sex with random stable boys? ... Uncertain.
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Mar 29, 2018 23:57
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:I was just given Patrick O'Brian's Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World as a gift <3 Thanks for making me aware of this. Picked it up and it's a great companion piece to A Sea of Words. It sets the stage for the Napoleonic Wars very well and has tons of great art that has helped me visualize these naval battles more clearly.
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Apr 2, 2018 17:25
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MeatwadIsGod posted:Thanks for making me aware of this. Picked it up and it's a great companion piece to A Sea of Words. It sets the stage for the Napoleonic Wars very well and has tons of great art that has helped me visualize these naval battles more clearly. Yeah, I hadn't bought it because I was worried it was a movie tie in and not rigorous, but it's a really good introductory book, probably a better starting reference than Sea of Words.
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Apr 2, 2018 17:34
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