Mr Bligh's Bad Language: Passion, Power and Theatre on the Bounty (Canto original series)
Mutiny on the Bounty summons to the popular mind images of violence and power on the high seas. Dening restores a sense of perspective in this fascinating study of the Bounty through images of space, language, and ceremony in Britain's Royal Navy of the late 18th century. Portraying Bligh as one of the least physically violent captains in the Royal Navy, he demonstrates the peculiarities on the Bounty that led to mutiny: ambiguous language, public vs. private space, the lack of ceremony, and the role of authority and power. Dening provides excellent details of the daily life of seamen and officers from the perspectives of history and anthropology. Readers will want to compare Leonard F. Guttridge's Mutiny: A History of Naval Insurrection ( LJ 9/1/92) for a legal/political perspective. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.- Harold N. Boyer, Marple P.L., Broomall, Pa.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.