Mr Midshipman Hornblower

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a b Parkinson, C. Northcote (1970). The True Story of Horatio Hornblower. London: Michael Joseph. ISBN 0750934395. In Dudley Pope's 1965 novel Ramage, Hornblower is mentioned in passing as a former shipmate of the title character, Lord Ramage, when both were midshipmen. A bit of a Mary Sue, Hornblower seems to do no wrong much of the time. He is given the slightest of character flaws and he occasionally fails, but his fairly consistent successes and need to chastise himself for his failings could get a bit tedious for some readers. On the other hand, isn't it nice when the good guy wins? And what is ‘presence’ to us, if not swagger? We others are simply continually weathering the storms seeded by these conniving cognoscenti - ad infititum. And should we not add here that this thing called ‘presence’ is really only a Gnostic Presence?

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie (1999)

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In Dewey Lambdin's King, Ship, and Sword, the main character Alan Lewrie (another fictional British captain of the era) makes a visit to the Admiralty and takes particular note of a tall, thin lieutenant in a threadbare uniform with a melancholy expression. While the lieutenant's name is never mentioned, he displays several of Hornblower's best-known characteristics, and the state of a penniless lieutenant fits with the events at the end of Lieutenant Hornblower (this scene takes place during the Peace of Amiens). I’ve seen too many intellectual flyweights and moral midgets assume the reins of command in my long career, and through their draconian attitudes, fake the whole thing passably enough.

Four of the episodes form the basis for the first four instalments of the series of TV films Hornblower which were released both in the US and the UK, sometimes with alternate titles. Starring Ioan Gruffudd in the title role, they are: Join young Horatio Hornblower in the thrilling naval adventure from the author of The Good Shepherd, now a major-motion picture starring Tom Hanks Jones, Stephanie (2013), Gosling, Jonathan; Villiers, Peter (eds.), "The Isolation of the Spirit: Captain Horatio Hornblower, RN", Fictional Leaders: Heroes, Villains and Absent Friends, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp.37–49, doi: 10.1057/9781137272751_4, ISBN 978-1-137-27275-1 , retrieved 17 November 2022 Commodore Hornblower, Lord Hornblower, and Hornblower in the West Indies were also compiled into one book, called The Indomitable Hornblower.

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Hornblower is courageous and intelligent, and a skilled seaman, but he is burdened by intense reserve, introspection, and self-doubt, and is described as "unhappy and lonely". Despite numerous personal feats of extraordinary skill and cunning, he belittles his own achievements by numerous rationalisations, remembering only his fears. He consistently ignores or is unaware of the admiration in which he is held by his fellow sailors. He regards himself as cowardly, dishonest, and at times, disloyal, never crediting his ability to persevere, think rapidly, organise, or cut to the heart of a matter. His sense of duty, his hard work, and his drive to succeed make these imagined negative characteristics undetectable by everyone but him. He obsesses over petty failures that reinforce his poor self-image. His introverted nature isolates him from the people around him, including his closest friend, William Bush. He is guarded with almost everyone, unless the matter is the business of discharging his duty as a king's officer, when he is clear and decisive. I very much enjoy maritime fiction, when done well. This book was somehow not what I was expecting and I find it difficult to define, but I very much enjoyed it. Rabitsch, Stefan (6 December 2018). Star Trek and the British Age of Sail: The Maritime Influence Throughout the Series and Films. McFarland. p.115. ISBN 978-1-4766-3419-7. Well, this was fun! I preferred it to Master and Commander by far. Horatio Hornblower is just a teenaged midshipman here, an intelligent and sensitive overthinker who sort of reminds me of a shy, grumpy puppy. Even though he would be mortified and offended to hear it. He's just so self-conscious and burdened despite all of his natural ability.