Mr. Midshipman Easy (1836) is a novel by Frederick Marryat. Inspired
by the author's experience as a captain in the Royal Navy, Mr.
Midshipman Easy is a tale of bravery, foolishness, and the manifold
reasons for men to take to the high seas. Frequently funny, often
profound, Marryat's novel is an underappreciated classic of nineteenth
century fiction that has been adapted twice for British cinema.
"'Then, father, all I have to say is, that I swear by the rights of man
I will not go back to school, and that I will go to sea. Who and what is
to prevent me? Was not I born my own master?--has any one a right to
dictate to me as if I were not his equal? Have I not as much right to my
share of the sea as any other mortal? I stand upon perfect equality, '
continued Jack, stamping his right foot on the floor." Fueled by his
father's philosophical ideas on liberty and equality, Jack Easy decides
he will prove himself in a place where all men are equals. Despite his
bravery, he soon finds that ideals will get one nowhere in the service
of the Royal Navy. Working below deck with the African cook
Mephistopheles Faust, Jack learns the secrets of the ship and encounters
a lesson in discipline he will never forget. As he rises through the
ranks and makes a name for himself during the fierce fighting of the
Napoleonic Wars, Jack discovers new depths to his fortitude that would
never have showed themselves had he stayed on land.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of Frederick Marryat's Mr. Midshipman Easy is a classic
of British literature reimagined for modern readers.
