Master+and+Commander+by+Patrick+O'Brian

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To discuss __Master and Commander__, please click on the **Discussion** Tab above and add your comments, thoughts, questions, reflections by clicking on "New Post" __**Instructions:**__ __Step 1__. Click on the **Discussion** Tab above// //__Step 2__. Put **first name, last initial and subject** you want to discuss __Step 3__. **Write your comments and POST**! To return to this page, click on the Tab above that says "Page"// =Book Summary= The opening salvo of the Aubrey-Maturin epic, in which the surgeon introduces himself to the captain by driving an elbow into his ribs during a chamber-music recital. Fortunately for millions of readers, the two quickly make up. Then they commence one of the great literary voyages of our century, set against an immaculately-detailed backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. This is the place to start--and in all likelihood, you won't be able to stop. =About the Author=

In addition to twenty volumes in the highly respected Aubrey/Maturin series, Patrick O'Brian's many books include "Testimonies," "The Golden Ocean," and "The Unknown Shore". O'Brian also wrote acclaimed biographies of Pablo Picasso and Sir Joseph Banks and translated many works from the French, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Lacouture's biographies of Charles de Gaulle. He passed away in January 2000 at the age of 85.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PATRICK O'BRIAN... http://www.wwnorton.com/pob/bio.htm =Possible Discussion Questions= SPOILER ALERT... ONLY READ THESE QUESTIONS AFTER FINISHING THE BOOK!
 * 1) Jack and Stephen meet in awkward circumstances; indeed it is very nearly a fatal encounter. What hints can you find in this scene of the friendship that will blossom between them?
 * 2) What is the secret connection between Stephen Maturin and James Dillon? And why does Dillon so despise Jack?
 * 3) The master of the Sophie, Mr. Marshall, has a secret as well. What is the official attitude of the Royal Navy towards homosexuality? How does it differ from Jack's attitude, and Stephen's?
 * 4) Jack's military judgment in the second half of the book seems to border on recklessness. What combination of motives explains his audacious attacks?
 * 5) Mowett, the midshipman, fancies himself a poet. Are his artistic impulses out of place in the Royal Navy? Is his poetry any good?
 * 6) For such a successful commander, Jack seems to have quite difficult relations with his commanding officers. Why should this be so?


 * 1) What is your favorite book in the series, and why?
 * 2) If you could be one of the characters, which one would you choose? Which character do you think most clearly reflects the author's point of view?
 * 3) Stephen is fascinated by the autocratic authority that a captain in the Royal Navy exercises over every man aboard his ship. Why does Stephen find this absolute power so interesting, and so troubling?
 * 4) Many readers single out humor as the most characteristic and most delightful aspect of the Aubrey/Maturin series. How does Jack's sense of humor differ from Stephen's? In what different ways are they both occasional objects of the author's own humor?
 * 5) Do you think the comparison of O'Brian's work to Jane Austen's holds water? What similarities do you see?
 * 6) Some readers are surprised that Jack Aubrey is such an accomplished musician. Were you surprised? What other attributes of Jack's do you find surprising?
 * 7) What comparisons or contrasts would you make between Jack's and Stephen's attitude towards war?
 * 8) The author often withholds apparently important pieces of information for many pages, inverting what some novelists would think of as the natural order of the story. Do you find this narrative technique interesting or confusing?
 * 9) Do you feel that the principal characters have changed with the passage of time through the series, or have they remained essentially the same?