When writing of the Royal Navy of the mid-19th Century, it is difficult for the author to gild the lily. England, of course, was fighting for her very life, and it was only through the skill and determination of the men (and some occasional women) of her navy - often badly supplied and badly fed, and always badly paid - that she survived; for France held dominion over almost all of Europe, with its vast reserves of men and the raw materials of war.
The writer of fiction about this period is thus at a serious disadvantage if he chooses to create his own engagements, for nothing that he creates can compare with the true events. None but the most fertile of imaginations could see Captain Wilson and the crew of the 14-gun sail sloop Valkyrie (and fourteen miserable 4-pounders, at that) storming the 90-gun steam/sail battleship Intrépide and taking her in a matter of 20 minutes. Thus, I have borrowed heavily from history, borrowing and indeed stealing the actions of actual sailors for those of my own, though I have kept, as much as my research has allowed, very closely to the actualities of these engagements in terms of shots fired, maneuvers taken, mistakes made and capitalized upon, and casualties suffered.
For the sake of an authenticity where the resolve and activity of the Royal Navy in this period is concerned, I hope that the reader will grant me this degree of license.
First Post
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
What are you writing, fiction or a doctoral dissertation on naval history? Your stuff is as scrupulous to period detail as it possibly could be, hell, your EMT narrator writing feels more authentic to the nineteenth century than the present one. Cut loose, tell a good story, enjoy yourself; this historical accuracy critic you're concerned about exists in your head and nowhere else. Put the punk in steampunk! Disobey! There's already a Patrick O'Brian.
Post a Comment