The Pacha of Many Tales Frederick Marryat 9781515284116 Books
Download As PDF : The Pacha of Many Tales Frederick Marryat 9781515284116 Books
Every one acquainted with the manners and customs of the East must be aware that there is no situation of eminence more unstable, or more dangerous to its possessor, than that of a pacha. Nothing, perhaps, affords us more convincing proof of the risk which men will incur, to obtain a temporary authority over their fellow-creatures, than the avidity with which this office is accepted from the sultan who, within the memory of the new occupant, has consigned scores of his predecessors to the bow-string. It would almost appear, as if the despot but elevated a head from the crowd, that he might obtain a more fair and uninterrupted sweep for his scimitar, when he cut it off; only exceeded in his peculiar taste by the king of Dahomy, who is said to ornament the steps of his palace with heads, fresh severed, each returning sun, as we renew the decoration of our apartments from our gay parterres.
The Pacha of Many Tales Frederick Marryat 9781515284116 Books
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The Pacha of Many Tales Frederick Marryat 9781515284116 Books Reviews
The Pacha of the Many Tales is Marryat's contribution to the Arabian Nights' tradition. The Pacha of the title decides to imitate that great work by collecting tales, each of which is thoroughly inventive and preposterous, but highly entertaining. The Pacha's taste is definitely in favor of the fabulous and against romance (but there's plenty of romance in the tales, as beautiful women need rescuing from a variety of misfortunes), and each tale is quite amusing. They're told by a series of miscreants, rogues, liars, impostors, and rascals, and if you think Pirates of the Caribbean was getting hackneyed and worn out, you'll be delighted by the flights of imagination in this book. Anyone of the tales could provide an entire movie in its own right, whether it be the adventures of a sailor who allegedly swam to Africa from Australia, the strangers who live on a floating island and raise whales, or the many cases of true love and romance involving the rescuing of damsels from highway men, monks masquerading as cavaliers, and the occasional beheading.
The framing device of the Pacha and his Vizier interviewing potential storytellers is amusing in its own right and allows Marryat to parody readers and authors. For example, the man addicted to saying 'You know' so aggravates the Pacha that he lops the man's head off, by which point we are cheering for him. 'Valleyspeak' may not be noble, but its apparently ancient. The Pacha himself tends to fall asleep during more edifying passages, prompting the Vizier to advise the storyteller to skip over all that. (Come on, admit it, you've done the same. Did you actually read the chapters on cetology in Moby-Dick? No you didn't.)
Marryat was writing during the first half of the 19th century, so some of his characters embody outdated stereotypes, but at the same time, he is never mean. His characters, regardless of complexion, have their foibles treated with a good humored even-handedness. Sitting down with a novel by Marryat is always like being treated to a series of tales by a slightly inebriated storyteller, tales so engrossing you keep buying the man drinks.
M. Kei, author of The Sallee Rovers (Pirates of the Narrow Seas)
Marryat was a born story teller but he was too much a pupil of Voltaire. Mind you he would have hated to hear that accusation and yes I am quite certain that he never read a line of Voltaire. Do I sound confused? Well, read the book.
To write an Arabian Nights tale that IS an Arabian Nights tale you need a certain amount of naïvite. Marryat does not have it.
There are a few - mostly female - American fantasy writers who on a good day can deliver the goods.
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