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Who was Captain Frederick Marryat and why should anyone desire to read his books? Captain Frederick Marryat (1792 – 1848) was a British Royal Navy officer and novelist. He had a very active life, serving in the Navy with distinction and rising to independent command. He was a very intelligent man who was made a Fellow of the Royal Society for inventing a new kind of lifeboat and a new flag signal system for the Royal Navy, and discovering a new kind of gastropod (e.g. snails).
But what he is remembered for is his writing. He took up writing novels while still a Captain in the Royal Navy and first achieved acclaim in the 1836 publication of Mr. Midshipman Easy. His novels were very popular in England, combining deep knowledge of sailing ships, a strong moral worldview from his Christian faith, strong characters and wonderful adventures at sea, romance, and an incredible sense of humor – his novels have very many humorous parts, mixed with some light-hearted satire and word plays. He was a friend of Charles Dickens and a member of his London literary circle. In the 19th and 20th centuries, his work was admired by Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad, and Ernest Hemingway. Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, credits reading Marryat with giving him the desire to go to sea.
Marryat was not afraid to let his opinions shine through his fiction, and sometimes I have disagreed with him (I have read most of his books), but not many times. Because he became a famous writer and his books were popular in America, he made the obligatory tour of the USA, just as Dickens did later. Marryat wrote a book on his experiences, which caused some controversy in America, since he had some uncomplimentary things to say about the people of the United States! Captain Marryat was never afraid of saying what he thought, whether personally or in print. He and his wife Catharine had eleven children, of whom eight survived past infancy. Probably because he had children, he also turned his talents to writing literature for children, especially The Children of the New Forest and Masterman Ready. The language used in his books is sophisticated but much easier to follow than Charles Dickens – and his books are shorter than Dickens’ books, too.
The five books reviewed below are five of his best. Peter Simple and Mr. Midshipman Easy, in particular, sold the most of any of his books. Captain Marryat set the standard for all the nautical fiction that followed him, who wrote series such as the Horatio Hornblower series, the Richard Bolitho series, and the Aubrey and Maturin series.
Peter Simple is narrated in first person by Peter Simple. He is a young boy whose vicar father is the third or fourth son of a wealthy nobleman, Lord Simple, and so has no hope of an inheritance. Peter is sent to sea as a midshipman in the Royal Navy. When he is leaving, many people are crying, including him, his sisters, and his mother. He has no handkerchief for himself, so his brother kindly lends him his, saying “here, take mine, Peter, it is perfectly dry!” There are many other examples of humor and satire in the book. Peter makes good friends – and enemies – on board ship and has many adventures, including being captured by the French. Though this is not too bad, as it turns out, since he meets his future wife while being a prisoner. Along the way, he grows from being intensely naïve to becoming a young man of distinct intellect, courage, and decisiveness. As he grows up, many other men in line to inherit Lord Simple’s estate die before him. His hopes are almost blasted by deception but all comes right in the end. This is a wonderful book for high school and older readers.
Newton Forster is set almost entirely in the British Merchant Marine navy, particularly in the Indiamen ships, which were very large, well-armed merchant ships that plied between India and England, supporting that trade and that part of the British Empire. Newton has a father and an uncle who are hilarious but in very different ways. His other uncle, a retired Navy lieutenant, is a serious person. Newton makes his way, out of genteel poverty, up in the world and has many adventures on land and on sea. His mother is an awful woman but he respects her and searches long for her when she goes missing through a practical joke gone sour. This novel covers a lot of ground but its main theme is the effect on one’s life of personal integrity and love for others. This is another wonderful book for high school and older readers.
Mr. Midshipman Easy has got to be one of the funniest books I have ever read. Jack Easy is born to the Easy family, who are quite wealthy. He is an only child, whose good-natured (and a little loony) father believes that children should never be made to do anything they don’t want to do. Jack’s mother has more normal views but doesn’t have the energy to go against her husband. Somehow Jack grows up with a kindly nature, too, and is not nearly as damaged as one might think a spoiled, only child could be. When he is a teenager, Jack, through a combination of circumstances, is sent to the Royal Navy to be a midshipman. Can you imagine a boy, raised the way he had been, interacting with the rigid discipline of a Royal Navy warship? Fortunately, the ship’s captain owes a great deal to the kindly financial ministrations of Jack Easy’s father, so intervenes for him on many occasions. Jack, through many hilarious adventures, on board ship and on land, learns the lessons that he was never taught at home and becomes a man of character without losing his kindly nature. Going home after years away, he rescues his father from a confidence scheme that he had fallen for after partially losing his mind and sets the estate to rights. Another wonderful book for high school and older readers!
The Privateersman covers the adventures of Alexander Musgrave, who also tells the story in first person. In case you didn’t know, privateering is something like legal piracy. In time of war, a country would issue privateer licenses as an extension of its navy, authorizing a ship to prey on merchant ships of the opposing country in the war and to keep the goods and money acquired for themselves. This was a dangerous but potentially quite profitable business and people would invest in privateer ships. Sometimes privateers would cross the line into piracy, so there could be questionable morality involved. Alexander has many adventures privateering, and comes up against these moral issues. The adventures are amazing and the moral issues are faced squarely and intelligently, since the author had, not personal experience, but experience with this business. For high school and older readers.
Masterman Ready is one of the two best-known of Marryat’s juvenile literature. It is a “robinsonade,” a story in some way similar to Robinson Crusoe. The Seagrave family is shipwrecked on a deserted island accompanied by a survivor of the crew of the ship on which they were passengers. His name is Masterman Ready. It is his work, his inventive skills, and his cheerfulness that enable the family to survive. In turn, this older man, never married and with no children, gains a family of his own whom he learns to love deeply. At the end of the story, the Seagraves and Ready, after surviving for some time and achieving a degree of stable comfort, have to fight off an attack from a savage tribe, which is both exciting and heart-breaking. I will say no more – read it for yourself – it is a very good book for middle school and older readers. I liked it immensely.