Mutiny on the Bounty (novel)
| Industry | Literature |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1932 |
| Founder | Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall |
| Products | Novel |
Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1932 novel authored by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, inspired by the 1789 mutiny against Lieutenant William Bligh, commander of the Bounty. This book initiated The Bounty Trilogy, which continued with Men Against the Sea (1933) and Pitcairn's Island (1934). The narrative has been adapted into several films and a West End stage musical.
Plot introduction
The story is told through the perspective of the fictional midshipman Roger Byam, who is loosely based on the real crew member Peter Heywood. The plot details the mutiny and its consequences. Byam does not participate in the uprising; he stays aboard the Bounty, returns to Tahiti, and is subsequently detained and tried in England. Eventually, he and other sailors are found not guilty.
Characters in Mutiny on the Bounty
- Roger Byam – main character inspired by Peter Heywood, with some differences in familial background
- William Bligh – Lieutenant and commanding officer of the Bounty
- Fletcher Christian – instigator of the mutiny
Film, TV and theatrical adaptations
- Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
- Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
- A West End musical from the 1980s, created by and featuring David Essex
Other
An earlier publication titled Les Révoltés de la Bounty (The Mutineers of the Bounty) was released by Jules Verne in 1879.
See also
Further reading
- Caroline Alexander, The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty, Viking Penguin, 2003, hardcover, 512 pages,
- William Bligh, A Narrative of the Mutiny on board His Majesty's ship Bounty; and the subsequent voyage of part of the crew, in the ship's boat, from Tofoa, one of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, a Dutch Settlement in the East-Indies., London, 1790–94.
- Karl Ernst Alwyn Lorbach, Conspiracy on the Bounty: Bligh's Convenient Mutiny, University of Queensland, 2012, hardcover/Kindle/ePub, 366 pages, .
External links
- Analysis of the novel’s impact on cinema and popular culture; comparative study of three film versions.