Mr Bligh's Bad Language
Passion, Power and Theatre on the Bounty

An acclaimed and intriguing new interpretation of the mutiny on the Bounty.

Greg Dening (Author)

9780521467186, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 25 March 1994

460 pages, 30 b/w illus. 10 maps
21.5 x 13.8 x 2.7 cm, 0.519 kg

'This is a marvellous magical mystery tour we are offered, written in an allusive and quicksilver prose - no bad language here.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

Captain Bligh and the mutiny on the Bounty have become proverbial in their capacity to evoke the extravagant and violent abuse of power. But William Bligh was one of the least violent disciplinarians in the British navy. It is this paradox which inspired Greg Dening to ask why the mutiny took place. His book explores the theatrical nature of what was enacted in the power-play on deck, on the beaches at Tahiti and in the murderous settlement at Pitcairn, on the altar stones and temples of sacrifice, and on the catheads from which men were hanged. Part of the key lies in the curious puzzle of Mr Bligh's bad language.

List of illustrations
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Act 1. The Ship
Entr'Acte: Sharks that walk on the land
Entr'Acte: Ralph Wewitzer: The First Captain Bligh
Act 2. The Beach
Act 3. The Island
Epilogue
Notes
Reference Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Maritime history [HBTM]