Overview

Puzzled Which to Choose deals with Captain Frederick Marryat's often ambivalent views on such seemingly diverse topics as naval matters, the English social hierarchy, America, and racial minorities. On these subjects, Marryat mirrors the uneasiness and vacillations of many people in the 1830s and 1840s. Marryat has a first-hand knowledge of the globe, and his novels, whether set in England, on ship-board, or in part of the colonial empire, can provide us with insights into pre-Victorian society and England's role in world affairs.

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9780820430775

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Reviews

The most thorough exploration available at present of the ideas of Captain Marryat, an important but neglected British novelist. Dr. Louis Parascandola's examination of Marryat's often conflicting responses to American democracy, slavery, black-white relationships, the 'inferiority' of Native Americans to Caucasians, and the spread of 'civilization' by European imperialism contributes not only to our understanding of the Victorian mind but also to our ability to fathom the depth of contemporary problems involving the end of colonialism, cultural divergencies, and racial conflict. As we are led through Marryat's career in the British Navy, his sojourns in the far-flung reaches of the globe, his sometimes perplexed reponses to these encounters with non-Europeans, and his use of these experiences in his novels, we are forever indebted to Dr. Parascandola for making available so much that is thought-provoking and illuminating. (Kenneth W. Scott, Emeritus Professor of English, Long Island University) Louis Parascandola's book is mandatory reading for anyone interested in nineteenth-century British-American literary relationships. The author's incisive analysis of literary cross-currents offers new insights into Marryat's novels and provides a basis for reevaluating his reputation as an 'eminent' Victorian novelist. (Michael Timko, City University of New York Graduate School)

Author Information

The Author: Louis J. Parascandola is an Assistant Professor of English at Long Island University. He received his Ph.D. in English from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He has published widely on African-American literature and nineteenth-century British literature.

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