In the depths of literary history lies a saga of maritime conquests, geopolitical manoeuvres, and the timeless interplay between nations and the sea. Critical Geopolitics and Maritime Fiction: Patrick O’Brian’s The Golden Ocean and The Unknown Shore embarks on a voyage through the pages of maritime fiction, unravelling the intricate web of political intrigue, cultural exchange, and societal transformation.
As the reader charts a course through the turbulent waters of historical context and literary analysis, they discover how Patrick O’Brian’s gripping tales of seafaring adventure transcend mere storytelling, offering profound insights into the dynamics of power, place, and identity. Through meticulous discourse analysis, the study unveils the hidden depths of maritime fiction, revealing how geopolitical representations are forged, contested, and disseminated in the currents of cultural imagination.

In this book, readers are invited to embark on a scholarly odyssey, where the sails of critical inquiry catch the winds of historical insight, guiding them to new shores of understanding. This work not only enriches our appreciation of maritime literature but also offers a compelling perspective through which to view the intricate tapestry of geopolitics woven into the fabric of society.

-PREFACE v

-CONTENTS vi

-LIST OF FIGURES ix

-LIST OF ABBREVATIONS xi

-INTRODUCTION 1

FIRST CHAPTER – THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: WHAT IS GEOPOLITICS? 9

1.1. The Historical Evolvement of Geopolitics and Geopolitical Theories 13

1.1.1. Classical Geopolitics 15

1.1.1.1. Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914) and Sea-Power Theory 20

1.1.1.2. Friedrich Ratzel (1844-1904) and Lebensraum 23

1.1.1.3. Halford Mackinder (1861-1947) and Heartland Theory 24

1.1.2. Critical Geopolitics 26

SECOND CHAPTER – BRITISH MARITIME FICTION 37

THIRD CHAPTER – CRICTICAL GEOPOLITICS AND BRITISH MARITIME FICTION: O’BRIEN’S THE GOLDEN OCEAN  AND UNKNOWN SHORE 57

3.1. Perceptions of Place and Identity: Geopolitical Positioning 63

3.2. Representations of Economic and Commercial Affairs 97

-CONCLUSIONS 105

-BIBLIOGRAPHY 113