| Summary: | Abstract: 3 p. at end. Autobiography: 1 p. at end. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Boston University. Bibliography: p. 255-268. The role of the common seaman in nineteenth century American fiction is a revelation of the interest in the common man, the growth of democracy, the agitation for humanitarian reform, and the quest for nationalism which characterized the new nation between 1790 and 1865. The fictional seamen not only represent the actual men who shared the crowded quarters of the forecastle, but perhaps they are also a manifestation of the spirit of American democracy and the development of a native mythos. The sea has always been basic to American life and thought. In the opening years of the century, trade with the Orient was highly profitable. American whalers explored the islands of the Pacific and became familiar with the watery wastes from the Arctic to the Antarctic. With the establishment of a strong Navy following the War of 1812, America became one of the great maritime powers of the world. Later in the century when the frontier lured young men of adventure away from the sea and foreign crews filled the forecastles of ships, conditions on board American vessels worsened. Harsh treatment, bad food, long hours, and low pay discouraged men of ability from a maritime career. Yet there were always men who grew restless on land and, like Melville, returned to the sea. It was a piece of extraordinary good fortune that the forecastles of American ships contained three such eloquent spokesmen as James Fenimore Cooper, Richard Henry Dana, Jr., and Herman Melville. The fiction written by these men reflect their own experiences at sea. Cooper sailed in the early days of the century when a young man of ability could begin at the bottom and rise to the quarter-deck. Captains felt a paternal interest in their crews, and men were loyal to their ships. Dana represented the gentlemen of good family who sailed before the mast to restore their health and see life firsthand. A lawyer in later years, he fought to bring about ...
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