Tag Archives: Cape Horn

Dr. Eric Patterson to lead discussion of The Far Side of the World

CapeHorn2_JPG “…and presently [Cape Horn] was in sight from the deck, not so much land as the world’s grim end, a tall blackness on the rim of the sea that continually flashed white as the rollers broke at its foot and dashed up the towering rock.”Patrick O’Brian has been called “the greatest historical novelist of all time” by the Times of London and “Jane Austen on a ship of war” by NPR. Like Austen, his favorite author, Patrick O’Brian uses fiction to explore character.

In The Far Side of the World, you will sail on H. M. S. Surprise from Gibraltar to Brazil, around Cape Horn, up to the Galapagos Islands, and on to Polynesia in pursuit of U. S. S. Norfolk. There’s adventure aplenty, but what will stay in your memory long after finishing the novel is the courage, endurance, and camaraderie of the Surprise crew, all set down with O’Brian’s profound humanity and eye for the humor in life.

"...and they sailed over a dark blue disk, perpetually renewed, under a pale blue dome..." “…and they sailed over a dark blue disk, perpetually renewed, under a pale blue dome, occasionally flecked with very high white cirrus.”

Dr. Eric Patterson, Dean of the School of Government, will lead our discussion, which will take place on Thursday, December 10 at 12:00 in the Library Conference Room. Distance students and faculty are invited to join in via Google Hangouts.

For information about future book discussions at the Library, see the Library Book Club webpage.

 

 

Image credits:

Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest, “Cape Horn.” Accessed 19 Nov 2015.
http:quest.eb.comsearch126_4825131126_482513cite

Vanderwell, Tom. “Big Blue Sky; Deep Blue Ocean,” Tom’s Photo’s Wayfarer’s Journal. Accessed 19 Nov 2015. https:tomvanderwell.wordpress.com20140225big-blue-sky-deep-blue-ocean