Mr Bligh's Bad Language

Download or read book Mr Bligh's Bad Language written by Greg Dening and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1994-03-25 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Captain Bligh and the mutiny on the Bounty have become proverbial in their capacity to evoke the extravagant and violent abuse of power. But William Bligh was one of the least violent disciplinarians in the British navy. It is this paradox which inspired Greg Dening to ask why the mutiny took place. His book explores the theatrical nature of what was enacted in the power-play on deck, on the beaches at Tahiti and in the murderous settlement at Pitcairn, on the altar stones and temples of sacrifice, and on the catheads from which men were hanged. Part of the key lies in the curious puzzle of Mr Bligh's bad language.