I decided to read Master & Commander by Patrick O'Brian as my first book for etymology. I began reading it while sitting on a fishing boat in the middle of Lake Saint Clair. I caught four giant fish while reading the book, so Master & Commander must be a good luck charm or a fish favorite? You should make note of that and take Master & Commander along with you next time you go fishing!
I picked up Master & Commander because I really enjoyed the movie adaptation. So far, the storyline is not similar to the movie and the syntax is difficult to comprehend. The book uses sailing terminology and should include a glossary. Luckily, there is a diagram of the ship labeling the various masts and names for each mast and sail. There are words such as purser, sloop, bosun, long-tackle, quarter-cock, litany and dog-pawl.
I also cannot keep straight from whose perspective I am reading. As far as I can tell, the story is typically from Captain Jack (not Sparrow, sorry Pirates fans) Aubrey's point of view but sometimes it seems to switch to Dr. Stephen Maturin's view point. There are fancy plus signs dividing up the chapters and the point of view seems to switch at these intervals. A majority of the time, I need to reread sections to understand what was just read.
Master & Commander takes place on land and sea during the Napoleonic era, Aubrey recently becomes the captain of the HMS Sophie and then hires his new found friend Dr. Maturin to become the ship's surgeon and intelligence officer. I am currently reading chapter three and there does not seem to be anything else that is tremendously relevant at this point in the story. I shall continue to read this book at least until the first sea-battle occurs!
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