The Flying Dutchman as an early example of a nautical drama

ČOUPKOVÁ, Eva. The Flying Dutchman as an early example of a nautical drama. In Hradec Králové Anglophone Conference. 2017.

Basic information

Original name

The Flying Dutchman as an early example of a nautical drama

Authors

ČOUPKOVÁ, Eva (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution)

Edition

Hradec Králové Anglophone Conference, 2017

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Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Prezentace na konferencích

Field of Study

60200 6.2 Languages and Literature

Country of publisher

Czech Republic

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

URL

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14640/17:00097129

Organization unit

Language Centre

Keywords in English

Flying Dutchman; Gothic; nautical; drama; supernatural

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Abstract

V originále

The English are a historically seafaring people and the sea runs deep in the development of English literature. While the genre of marine fiction is a relatively widely discussed topic, nautical drama has so far received less critical attention. This paper examines one of the earliest nautical dramas and the first rendition of a popular legend entitled The Flying Dutchman; or, The Phantom Ship (1827) by Edward Fitzball. The Gothic tropes permeate the text of the play as the author explores the distinct symbolic and narrative possibilities of the sea, mixing nautical, Gothic, and domestic elements. Even if the main character, Captain Vanderdecken, is a spectre doomed to sail the ocean forever, there are moments when he loses his spectral character and becomes a real person. The character of the accursed captain inspired a number of writers and dramatists who introduced this enigmatic figure in their novels and dramas.