The past has long been a prime hunting ground for authors and storytellers looking for tales to recite. Two of the most successful authors to plumb history’s rich depths for inspiration are Patrick O’Brien and Alison Weir. ‘Talking Books’ takes a look at popular history and historical fiction as Susan speaks with journalist Joe O’Shea about Patrick O’Brien’s Aubrey-Maturin seriesand author Alison Weir about her work and why popular history isn’t a bad word.
The literary career of Patrick O’Brien began very young and at twelve years old he penned his first published work, Caesar: The Life Story of a Panda-Leopard. Though his early works, Caesar included, were well received Patrick O’Brien’s true literary legacy only began in his 55th year when he conjured up the characters of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. Today these characters and their various adventures make up one of the world’s favourite book series.
But what is it that makes these books so entertaining?
Over more than 30 years O’Brien built up Aubrey and Maturin’s story, and by his death the series was almost 21 books long. Yet it all began with the tale of a young naval commander’s first voyage as captain of a ship and the friendships forged while at sea. In Master and Commander, the opening novel in the series, O’Brien establishes the formula on which the rest of the series will be based when he introduces naval officer Jack Aubrey, physician Stephen Maturin, and the audience to one and other in an altercation at an evening concert.
Soon raised to his first command, however, an elated Jack welcomes Maturin to become his ship’s surgeon as they take to the sea against Napoleon’s navy. While the two men soon find themselves fast becoming friends, in no small part thanks to their shared love of music, the relationship very strongly follows and helps to build-up the odd-couple trope. With his dedication to the service Jack often seems almost incompatible with the more intellectual and shadowy Maturin and his revolutionary past in the United Irishmen.
Yet the juxtaposition of the two men is central to the series as O’Brien tries to tackle the events and thoughts that surrounded and defined the Napoleonic era. Over the series we see both men grow and develop as they show us the various forms of conflict rife in the world at this time. We see the republican ideals of the 18th century defended and usurped, we the status-quo in flux as modern scientific and philosophical thought sweep the land, and we see the person’s importance as an individual and as a part in the whole all reflected in the contrast between Aubrey and Maturin.
Joe O’Shea talks with Susan about Patrick O’Brien’s iconic series of books and the now famous literary coupling of Aubrey and Maturin. Join us as we find out which are the best books in the series and why exactly it is that O’Brien’s characters and stories have resonated so much with audiences for more than 40 years.
While Patrick O’Brien mainly concerned himself with the oceans of the world during the Napoleonic wars Alison Weir has become Britain’s best selling female historian thanks mainly to her work on the kings and courts of the Medieval and Tudor periods. But it isn’t just her subject matter that differentiates Alison Weir from Patrick O’Brien. As her title of historian alludes to, the majority of Alison’s work is non-fiction and tell what are very much real histories based on our available knowledge.
This is in contrast with works of historical fiction, like the Aubrey-Maturin series, which use history as a backdrop for their fabricated tales. Though Alison has written a number of books of historical fiction herself, the majority of her work is what is usually called pop or popular history. With a focus on narrative, personalities, and more vivid language and imagery popular histories place less emphasis on the more academic analysis of the subject matter in order to let the stories from the past come alive.
Popular history’s more prosaic storytelling often comes under fire from more traditional history camps for its lack of obvious rigour and debate. Yet for many people it is academic historian’s concentration on dissection and discussions of detail that make history a subject removed from public interest. Popular history, for whatever faults it might have, breaks down between the perceived distinctions between reader and student, lecturer and storyteller.
In her books Alison Weir brings alive the characters of Henry the VIII and his wives and daughters, lets us into the world Elizabeth I or the courts of other medieval women of power. Though these books might lack the rigour, detail, and complexity of debate apparent in academic works they do not fabricate history. They rather tell it in a way interesting and accessible to most readers.
Join Susan and Alison as they journey through the worlds Alison has conjured in her books. Find out what the difference is between popular history and historical fiction, and why the former should be seen as being as important as any academic work.
