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Sard Harker
''Sard Harker'' (1924) by John Masefield (1878–1967) is an adventure novel first published in October 1924. It is the first of three novels by Masefield set in the fictional nation of Santa Barbara in South America. The others are '' ODTAA'' and '' The Taking of the Gry''. Plot summary The novel begins with establishing narrative describing the fictional Santa Barbara as being geographically situated "far to leeward, with a coast facing to the north and east". Masefield moves on to describe the background of the protagonist, Chisholm Harker, called "Sard" Harker because he is "sardonic". He is the son of Chisholm Harker, Rector of Windlesham in Berkshire. The Rector died when Sard was 13 years old. Sard's mother remarried after having been widowed for two years, causing an estrangement that encourages Sard to go to sea. The story opens in February 1897. Sard Harker is mate on a merchant vessel, the ''Pathfinder'', under the command of Captain Carey, and is probably aged ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Masefield
John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ''The Box of Delights'', and the poems '' The Everlasting Mercy'' and " Sea-Fever". Biography Early life Masefield was born in Ledbury in Herefordshire, to George Masefield, a solicitor, and his wife Caroline. His mother died giving birth to his sister when Masefield was six, and he went to live with his aunt. His father died soon afterwards, following a mental breakdown. After an unhappy education at the King's School in Warwick (now known as Warwick School), where he was a boarder between 1888 and 1891, he left to board , both to train for a life at sea and to break his addiction to reading, of which his aunt thought little. He spent several years aboard this ship, and found that he could spend much of his time reading and writing. It was aboard the ''Conway'' that Masef ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adventure Novel
Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction. History In the Introduction to the ''Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction'', Critic Don D'Ammassa defines the genre as follows: D'Ammassa argues that adventure stories make the element of danger the focus; hence he argues that Charles Dickens's novel ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is an adventure novel because the protagonists are in constant danger of being imprisoned or killed, whereas Dickens's ''Great Expectations'' is not because "Pip's encounter with the convict is an adventure, but that scene is only a device to advance the main plot, which is not truly an adventure." Adventure has been a common theme since the earliest days of written fiction. Indeed, the standard plot of Medieval romances was a series of adventures. Following a plot framework as old as Heliodorus, and so durable as t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ODTAA
''ODTAA'' (1926) by John Masefield is an adventure novel first published in February 1926. The letters in its title stand for "One Damn Thing After Another". It opens with establishing narrative describing the fictional nation of Santa Barbara, which "lies far to leeward of the Sugar States, is at the angle of the continent [of South America], with two coasts, one facing to the north, the other east. The city of Santa Barbara is in a bay at the angle where these two coasts trend one from each other." The novel is set prior to the events described in Masefield's earlier novel ''Sard Harker''. The novel inspired the orchestral overture, also titled ''ODTAA'', by Doreen Carwithen. References External links * 1926 British novels Novels by John Masefield English adventure novels Novels set in South America {{1920s-adventure-novel-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
