Mr. Bligh's Bad Language: Passion, Power and Theatre on the Bounty
by Greg Dening
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Description
"Captain Bligh and the voyage of the Bounty are the starting point of this new study of the famous mutiny in history, literature and film. By juxtaposing an account of the mutiny with an analysis of its evolving place in history and culture, Mr. Bligh's Bad Language offers a new interpretation of the mutiny in the context of its historical and cultural representations." "Beginning with an analysis of naval life and ritual aboard the Bounty, Greg Dening argues that the famous mutiny did not show more take place due to punitive violence, as Captain Bligh is shown to be one of the least violent of British Navy captains. Instead, he argues, Captain Bligh misunderstood the theatrical nature of shipboard life, especially his role as captain." "Moving to a larger stage, the scope of the book shifts to the reception of the mutiny in England in the eighteenth century. Connecting the voyage of the Bounty with the cultural exploration and revolutions of the age, Greg Dening shows that a mythology arose almost immediately around the participants of the mutiny and their actions, a mythology that has been continually reinterpreted into twentieth century literature and film." "Gracefully written, Mr. Bligh's Bad Language is an anthropological history of a new order, weaving the history of the Bounty with its role in our culture. Using a range of influences from Diderot to Foucault, Greg Dening reconstructs the voyage of the Bounty as moving between history and mythology, circumventing a dozen discourses."--Jacket. show lessTags
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The dean of the Melbourne Group and one of the most extraordinary cultural historians of the last half century.
Bligh Pitcairn Bounty
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Author Information
14+ Works 416 Members
Greg Dening is Professor Emeritus at the University of Melbourne and Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research at the Australian National University.
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Le Bounty. Passions, pouvoir, théâtre: histoire d'une mutinerie
- Original title
- Mr Bligh's bad language
- Original publication date
- 1992; 1992-06-26 (1e édition originale anglaise, Cambridge University) (1e é | dition originale anglaise, Cambridge University); 2023-10-06 (1e traduction et édition française, Essais histoire, Anacharsis) (1e traduction et é | dition franç | aise, Essais histoire, Anacharsis)
- People/Characters
- William Bligh; Fletcher Christian; Joseph Banks
- Important places
- Tahiti; Pitcairn Island; Kew Gardens, Richmond, London, England, UK
- Important events
- Mutiny on the Bounty (1789)
- Dedication*
- À la mémoire de mon père, Alec Seymour Dening (1898-1953).
Il fut marin et me raconta maints récits de la mer.
Je regrette qu'il n'ait pas entendu le mien. - First words*
- Avant-propos de l'éditeur
Greg Dening est un homme surprenant. Diplômé en philosophie, en anthropologie, en archéologie et en histoire, il a été jésuite pendant vingt ans, de 1948 à 1970. Il a enseigné ... (show all)à l'université de Hawaii à Honolulu, puis à La Trobe, en Australie, où avec Inga Clendinnen et Rhys Isaac il a formé le Groupe de Melbourne, qui a conduit des recherches pionnières en histoire ethnographique tant sur le Pacifique que sur l'histoire des États-Unis ou les Aztèques. [...]
Remerciements
Je me sens triste au moment de récapituler mes dettes, car mon long voyage avec le Bounty touche à sa fin. Le Bounty (4( prime », « récompense », « abondance », «générosité », « don Â... (show all)», en français) s'est montré généreux envers moi. [...]
Prologue
Le voyage de ce livre, comme celui de Bligh à bord du Bounty, a pris fin dans le théâtre. Selon une longue tradition, le théâtre nécessite un prologue. Le prologue est davantage qu'un simple débu... (show all)t. Le pro-logue occupe cet espace liminaire situé entre les conventions de la vie quotidienne et celles inhérentes à notre présence dans une salle de théâtre. [...] - Original language*
- Anglais (Royaume-Uni) (Royaume-Uni)
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 996.1 — History & geography Oceania & Polar Regions Polynesia Southwest central Pacific, and isolated islands of southeast Pacific
- LCC
- DU800 .D43 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Oceania (South Seas) History of Oceania (South Seas) Smaller island groups
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 283
- Popularity
- 113,476
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.43)
- Languages
- English, French
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 4
