Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

Around the turn of the 19th century Rudyard Kipling was most popular writer in the English speaking world and the first Englishman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. An author, who appealed to readers from all social classes and cultures, he is known for classics such as Kim and the Jungle Books. But as the BBC gathered to enjoy some Darlington Delights, we all were unaware of his 1896 work, Captains Courageous.

Taken from the ballad, “Mary Ambree” which starts, “when captains courageous, whom death could not daunt”, Captains Courageous is a story of redemption and of a boy maturing into manhood. Like that of the earlier Jungle Books, the book is the tale of a boy who is propelled into new environment and is moulded and forever changed by the experience. Harvey Cheyne, the protagonist, is a 15 year old heir to fortune founded from New World Industrialism- steel, mining and railroads. Destined for a European Education, his mother has accompanied him in embarking on an ocean liner to cross the Atlantic. Spoiled on a 200 pound a month allowance, Harvey has acquired many bad habits from his over indulged way of life. When he falls overboard, he is rescued by a Portuguese fisherman Manuel and taken back to the We’re Here, a Massachusetts Schooner under the captainship of Disco Troop. An unwilling crew member, he is licked into shape by Troop and remains a member of the crew throughout the summer fishing season of the North Atlantic. When the schooner finally docks in Massachusetts, Harvey is reunited with his parents, with a maturity and education that steers his destiny to take control of his father’s maritime investments.

The book bridges two worlds- the end of old ways; the traditional fishermen and their dying skills and the birth of a new industrialised age. As the book ends, Dan, Harvey’s companion on the We’re Here, becomes a mate on board of one of Cheyne’s liners. The American twentieth century has arrived. Kipling voraciously researched the book , reading as much material he could find on New England fishing fleets, seeking out old sea farers to share “deep sea yarns” with him, studying numerous ports, instruments and sea charts. The book left such an indelible mark on him, that he even attended Massachusetts Memorial Services to men drowned or lost in the cod-fishing schooners fleets.

Andy had chosen the book for two reasons: The New Yorker had profiled Kipling which prompted his interest in some of Kipling’s less well known works and he hadn’t come across the book before; and secondly, Captains Courageous was available via new technology, so Andy was keen to give the iPhone electronic version a go.

We all agreed that the book opened us to a world of old, the moods of the seas, colour of water. Mark through the pages could smell and taste the salt and fish. It was a very masculine book, typical of the time and genre which embraces Kipling’s recurring theme of the boy becoming a man. The We’re Here displays female characteristics, and is disciplined by Disco and his crew to ensure she is kept steady, under control and is prevented from being overwhelmed by the lure of the true force of the sea. The women characters play minor largely stereotypic roles, with Mrs Cheyne held responsible for Harvey’s overindulged ways. There is no mention of Mr Cheyne’s neglect as being the true cause of Harvey’s wayward ways and it is to him, that the mature, redeemed Harvey turns to when he returns. We all agreed this book was a product of its time, and definitely not for faint hearted feminists..

Kevin had trawled his way through about half the book but found the vernacular too challenging to continue. Dennis felt empathy for the unheard women of the book, whose lives were harder than their men who were aboard the boat. Alena loved the descriptions of a world long gone. Allegories of the American future, gave glimpses of one of Kipling’s favoured author’s Mark Twain. Parallels between Melville’s Captain Ahab and Disco Troop were also uncovered. But alas, however, on the whole, most were dissatisfied and unconnected with his trawling tale.

Scores:

Andy:7

Leanne: abstained

Mark:8

Dennis: 5

Kevin: 4

Alena: 5 ½

Average score: 6- a dog, a sea-dog, but a dog nevertheless..

The next book is "The Finkler Question" by Howard Jacobson