Mr. Midshipman Easy
Mr. Midshipman Easy is a novel by Frederick Marryat that follows the adventures of Jack Easy, a young man who joins the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The book explores themes of honor, duty, and loyalty as Jack navigates his way through various challenges and conflicts.
By Frederick Marryat · First published 1836 · Genre: Adventure, Historical Fiction, Comedy · 41 chapters · 169,926 words
First lines
Mr Nicodemus Easy was a gentleman who lived down in Hampshire; he was a married man, and in very easy circumstances. Most couples find it very easy to have a family, but not always quite so easy to maintain them. Mr Easy was not at all uneasy on the latter score, as he had no children; but he was anxious to have them, as most people covet what they cannot obtain. After ten years, Mr Easy gave it up as a bad job. Philosophy is said to console a man under disappointment, although Shakespeare asserts that it is no remedy for toothache; so Mr Easy turned philosopher, the very best profession a man can take up, when he is fit for nothing else; he must be a very incapable person indeed who cannot talk nonsense.
What this Textopian page supports
Mr. Midshipman Easy is listed on Textopian as a novel by Frederick Marryat, dated 1836 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Frederick Marryat
- Date: 1836 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Adventure, Historical Fiction, Comedy, Coming-of-Age, Nautical Fiction
- Length: 169,926 words
- Structure: 41 chapters, 3,036 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Mr. Midshipman Easy by Frederick Marryat
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Mr. Midshipman Easy?
- How does this novel by Frederick Marryat fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Adventure first become important in the reading?
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- The Princess Sophia by E. F. Benson
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Genres
- Adventure — The book follows the adventurous life of a young naval officer, filled with sea voyages and maritime exploits.
- Historical Fiction — Set during the Napoleonic Wars, it provides a depiction of naval life in the early 19th century.
- Comedy — The narrative includes humorous elements and satirical commentary on social and political issues of the time.
- Coming-of-Age — The protagonist's journey from youth to maturity is a central theme, highlighting personal growth and development.
Tags
adventure · naval · coming of age · humor · 19th century · British literature · sea stories · military · friendship · courage · romance · satire
Contents
- Which the Reader will Find very Easy to Read
- In which Mrs Easy, as Usual, has her own Way
- In which our Hero has to Wait the Issue of an Argument
- In which the Doctor Prescribes Going to School as a Remedy for a Cut Finger
- Jack Easy is Sent to a School at which there is no Flogging
- In which Jack Makes Essay of his Father's Sublime Philosophy, and Arrives very Near to Truth at Last
- In which Jack Makes some very Sage Reflections, and Comes to a very Unwise Decision
- In which Mr Easy has his First Lesson as to Zeal in his Majesty's Service
- In which Mr Easy Finds himself on the other Side of the Bay of Biscay
- Showing how Jack Transgresses against his own Philosophy
- In which our Hero Proves that all on Board should Equally Sacrifice Decency to Duty
- In which our Hero Prefers Going down to Going up; a Choice, it is to be Hoped, he will Reverse Upon a more Important Occasion
- In which our Hero Begins to Act and Think for himself
- In which our Hero Finds that Disagreeable Occurrences will Take Place on a Cruise
- In which Mutiny, Like Fire, is Quenched for Want of Fuel and no Want of Water
- In which Jack's Cruise is Ended, and he Regains the Harpy
- In which our Hero Finds out that Trigonometry is not only Necessary to Navigation, but May be Required in Settling Affairs of Honour
- In which our Hero Sets off on Another Cruise, in which he is not Blown off Shore
- In which our Hero Follows his Destiny and Forms a Tableau
- A Long Story, which the Reader Must Listen to, as Well as our Hero
- In which our Hero is Brought up all Standing under a Press of Sail
- Our Hero is Sick with the Service, but Recovers with Proper Medicine. an Argument, Ending, as most do, in a Blow up. Mesty Lectures Upon Craniology
- Jack Goes on Another Cruise -- Love and Diplomacy -- Jack Proves himself as Clever for Three, and Upsets all the Arrangements of the High Contracting Powers
- Our Hero Plays the very Devil
- In which the Old Proverb is Illustrated, "that you Must not Count your Chickens before they are Hatched."
- In which our Hero Becomes Excessively Unwell, and Agrees to Go through a Course of Medicine
- In which Captain Wilson is Repaid with Interest for Jack's Borrowing his Name, Proving that a Good Name is as Good as a Legacy
- "Philosophy Made Easy," Upon Agrarian Principles, the Subject of some Uneasiness to our Hero -- the First Appearance, but not the Last, of an Important Personage
- In which our Hero Sees a Little more Service, and is Better Employed than in Fighting don Silvio
- Modern Philanthropy, which, as Usual, is the Cause of Much Trouble and Vexation
- A Regular Set-To, in which the Parties Beaten are not Knocked down, but Rise Higher and Higher at each Discomfiture -- Nothing but the Troops Could have Prevented them from Going up to Heaven
- In which our Hero and Gascoigne Ought to be Ashamed of themselves, and did Feel what Might be Called Midshipmite Compunction
- In which Mesty should be Called Throughout Mephistopheles, for it Abounds in Black Cloaks, Disguises, Daggers, and Dark Deeds
- Jack Leaves the Service, in which he had no Business, and Goes Home to Mind his own Business
- Mr Easy's Wonderful Invention Fully Explained by himself -- Much to the Satisfaction of our Hero, and it is to be Presumed to that Also of the Reader
- In which Jack Takes up the other Side of the Argument, and Proves that he can Argue as Well on One Side as the other
- In which our Hero Finds himself an Orphan, and Resolves to Go to Sea again Without the Smallest Idea of Equality
- In which our Hero, as Usual, Gets into the very Middle of it
- A Council of War, in which Jack Decides that he will have One more Cruise
- In which there is Another Slight Difference of Opinion between those who should be Friends
- Which Winds up the Nautical Adventures of Mr Midshipman Easy