The Thirteen Gun Salute, by Patrick O'Brian

[rowyn]

Someday I will learn where the good break points in reading the Aubrey/Maturin books are, because the end of a book is never one. Wait, that's not true, because the end of the the previous book, The Letter of Marque was a good stopping point.

So this book took me nearly three weeks to finish, and I read four other books in the meantime. It took me a while to get into it, but once I was halfway through it rolled along smoothly. The book is a parallel of HMS Surprise, in a way, because it is once again about sending an envoy to Malay (the title is a reference to the salute due to a royal envoy). There's a wonderful if brief section where Maturin -- a naturalist by inclination -- visits a Buddhist temple located in a crater in Kumai, quite arduous to get to and almost magical on arrival: the Buddhists don't allow animals to be killed there, and there are few predators, so the local animals are all quite unafraid. I will give the book an 8 overall, and now I'm going to discuss a bunch of spoilers because I want to write about the content.
Master and Commander, the ship's master has an unrequited crush on Aubrey, and it's rather adorable. Aubrey never notices. Maturin does.) Most of the characters either don't notice or politely pretend not to notice sexual orientation.

In The Thirteen Gun Salute, one aspect of Fox's character noted at his introduction is that he has a surprisingly intense hatred for Wray and Ledward, two English traitors now in service to the French and who form part of the French mission to Pulo Prabang (the specific country Fox is an envoy to, so their opposite number). My first concern was that Fox was "protesting too much" and would turn out to be a traitor himself. As the book went on, there was a scene between Maturin and Fox where Fox appeared to be on the point of confessing to some sin, and Maturin deterred him from doing so (concerned that Fox would resent Maturin for knowing it later if he continued.) The nature of the confession is therefore never made clear, although the suggestion is that it would have been sexual in nature. And I thought "I wonder if Fox and Ledward were lovers, and that's why Fox's hatred is so keen, because he takes the betrayal personally?" Still later scenes where Fox and Ledward are both present and Fox's hatred of Ledward is described as 'obvious in his expression' made me more inclined to this view, especially after Ledward (and Wray! Both of them? o_O) are discovered seducing the Sultan's male concubine.

Later still, only a few chapters from the end of the book, Aubrey is reading the Articles of War as part of a Sunday ceremony. At this point, pretty much the whole ship resents Fox for his arrogance and lack of consideration for the crew. When Aubrey reads out the section that declares sodomy a hanging offense, a number of the crew are cited as giving pointed looks towards Fox.

And that is the closest O'Brian comes to commenting on Fox's sexual behavior. There is never an explicit confirmation or denial of my suspicions. The implication is extremely understated, based on so few facts that I would hesitate to mention it at all were it not for the way the crew singled out Fox for attention on that one particular article. And given that Wray and Ledward are very definitely dead by the end of the book, and Fox is almost certainly dead as well, I doubt I will ever know for sure. It struck me as interesting, the way attention is drawn to the hatred between Ledward and Fox and the reader left on her own to explain it.

Also on the topic of Wray and Ledward: the manner in which their deaths comes up is absolutely shocking. Maturin brings a couple of cadavers to a naturalist friend for dissection, and as they're cutting up the first one, Stephen mentions very casually that he knows him: "I was acquainted with him in London, a Mr. Wray."

"Death was caused by this bullet-wound, I see: a rifle-bullet. How curious."

"Just so. That was also the case with his companion, the heavier one, whom you met once or twice; and the wound was equally recent. Perhaps they had been fighting."

And I'm like ZOMG MATURIN YOU KILLED THE TWO MAJOR VILLAINS FOR THE LAST FIVE BOOKS OFF-CAMERA AND NOW YOU ARE CUTTING THEM UP FOR PARTS. Maturin is not responsible for as many deaths as Aubrey -- who orders his men into battle and has sunk enemy vessels -- but when Maturin kills people he is STONE COLD about it. BRR.

Comments

[alltoseek]

Maturin doesn't have any more love for Ledward nor Wray than Fox did, but has learnt a bit of discretion.

However, you will now understand all the spleen references in fandom *g*

Maturin is very neat and tidy in his spyhatty ventures, and resourceful, and likes to make multiple uses of his actions *g*

He may have committed the act in stone cold blood, but it was a cold murderous rage of long-standing.

I think we may have learnt of Wray's inclinations as early as Treason's Harbour. We certainly have learnt that Wray and Ledward are lovers by TGS, maybe earlier. Everyone's gaydar is turned to Fox in this book; but who knows what his particular beef is - Fox himself seems a very loyal sort of chap (well, I guess not towards his secretary D:). It may have been a relationship between himself and Ledward, or perhaps Ledward found out about some inconvenient liaison or other fact about Fox and blackmailed him for it. Wouldn't put anything past a couple of scrubs like Ledward & Wray.

[rowyn]

I think we may have learnt of Wray's inclinations as early as Treason's Harbour. We certainly have learnt that Wray and Ledward are lovers by TGS, maybe earlier.

Goodness, I managed to completely miss it until the "Wray and Ledward caught in bed with Abdul" scene. Which doesn't entirely surprise me, as I nearly missed all the subtext in this book, but still. Yikes.

I noticed that facet of Ledward & Wray does come up again in Clarissa Oakes (which I haven't quite finished yet.)

[alltoseek]

Oh, maybe it's me. I tend to forget exactly how & when we learn stuff.

[rowyn]

Now I do want to go back and look for hints, though. :D

[alltoseek]

You look for it, you will find it!

I embarked on my third read after discovering slash. I was like, what are they seeing that I didn't?!?

[rowyn]

Oh good heavens! I don't want to look for that. :D

Not because I dislike slash necessarily, but I do find it jarring when people come up with interpretations that are clearly counter to the author's intentions. :/

[alltoseek]

I don't know how counter to POB's intentions slash would be. I don't think he would have hated it - I think he would be amused, even if he didn't intend it (the hints from Stephen's POV are too strong). But I don't buy it personally myself (even tho it's fun :-) I think Jack is too straight, and too married to article 29 - he won't let himself even think that way, let alone act on it.

But I think slash in general is a way of interpretation, which is what art is all about - most artists will tell you, the recipient's interpretation is half the art.

And then there is the subversive aspect, which is less important these days, where you are supposed to be undermining the literal interpretation of the text.

Additionally, I think there are times when an author is very true to reality in the writing, but doesn't even realise themselves what they are portraying - they don't actually understand it, but a viewer more empathic does. Whatever POB's intentions were regarding Diana, or Sophie, for example, is rife for re-interpreting by people who don't think of women as some mysterious Other who can never be understood.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Not for parts. For SCIENCE!

[rowyn]

... okay, yes. For science. Spare parts for science. c_c

[josh carroll (from livejournal.com)]

I always assumed that Ledward had used Fox the way he used everyone else (Wray, the Duke and all kinds of unnamed) by luring them into sex and then blackmailing them. He tried to do the same thing with the Sultan's cup-bearer. No doubt he had somehow hurt Fox's career. I doubt Stephen killed them, though I am certain he arranged for Fox to do so. Stephen would never kill in cold blood, and in fact refused to do so in the next book in the series.