Master Blockhead Goes to Sea

A Glimpse into the Experiences of Midshipman Frederick Marryat

Abstract

Master Blockhead Goes to Sea examines the content, history and context of The Progress of a Midshipman exemplified in the career of Master Blockhead in seven plates & frontispiece, and its role as an autobiographical vehicle for its creator, Captain Frederick Marryat, a distinguished Royal Navy officer and the author of sea literature. It also depicts the life of a typical midshipman in the Royal Navy, during the first two decades of the nineteenth century. It is not intended to critique Marryat’s work, or to compare it to other maritime literature.