With Cochrane the Dauntless

Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.8
Word count
695K words
Chapters
70

Tags

English Originals War and Military FictionHistorical Fiction Naval WarfareLegendary LivesHeroismInspirationCourage and LoyaltyBoyhood Adventure

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.With Cochrane the Dauntless by G. A. HentyAuthor: Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 6, 2008

Editor's review

With Cochrane the Dauntless is a work by the prolific British writer of historical adventure novels for young readers, G. A. Henty. It builds an adventure narrative around the legendary career of the British naval hero Thomas Cochrane during the Napoleonic Wars. Henty excelled at interweaving real historical events with the coming-of-age arc of a fictional young protagonist, immersing readers in early nineteenth-century naval life and the spirit of the age through chases, sea battles, and long voyages. The book's value lies not in strict historical scholarship but in using story to spark interest in seafaring, command, courage, and responsibility, making it a suitable introduction to historical fiction. When reading, distinguish the fictional characters from Cochrane's real deeds, enjoying the pace of adventure while noting the author's valorization of British naval tradition. The original English is not very difficult, but it contains period diction and nautical terminology, so reading with annotations or background materials is recommended.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. First learn the broad outlines of Cochrane's life, then distinguish the fictional protagonist from the real figure
  2. Note nautical terms as you go and look them up together afterward to avoid breaking the reading rhythm
  3. Chart the historical events along the adventure arc chapter by chapter to build a background timeline
  4. For English reading, read through for plot first, then revisit key dialogue to appreciate the period language

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64
  65. 65
  66. 66
  67. 67
  68. 68
  69. 69
  70. 70

FAQ

Is the protagonist Cochrane himself? No. Henty's historical novels typically feature a fictional young protagonist placed against the backdrop of the real historical figure Cochrane's activities. Cochrane serves as the historical setting and spiritual thread, while the fictional protagonist carries the narrative perspective; readers should keep the two distinct.
What age is the English original suitable for? The language contains nineteenth-century diction and nautical terminology, so it is best attempted by young readers with intermediate English reading ability; younger readers may start with a simplified edition or a Chinese translation. Parents can skim the first few chapters to judge how well their child handles long sentences and period vocabulary.
Is the historical content reliable? Henty's novels use historical events as a framework but invent characters and plot for narrative purposes, so they should not be cited as works of history. Readers can use the book as an entry point for interest, then consult specialist sources on Cochrane's life and Napoleonic naval history to verify.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902 Author

George Alfred Henty (1832–1902) was a well-known British writer of historical adventure novels for young readers in the nineteenth century. The collection here contains 107 of his works, most of them drawn from major historical events in Europe and the Americas: By Right of Conquest is set during Cortez's conquest of Mexico, Under Wellington's Command takes the Peninsular War as its background, and For the Temple deals with the fall of Jerusalem. He typically placed a young hero at the centre of real historical scenes, weaving military campaigns and political struggles together with personal adventure. The plots are tightly paced and rich in detail, and they reflect a distinctly British outlook and the moral tastes of the Victorian age. His output was considerable, and his books had a lasting influence on later historical adventure fiction. Public information about his family, education and career is limited, so no speculation is offered here.