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Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Napoleonic Wars era Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester. He was later the subject of films, radio and television programs. The original Hornblower tales began with the 1937 novel ''The Happy Return'' (U.S. title ''Beat to Quarters'') with the appearance of a junior Royal Navy captain on independent duty on a secret mission to Central America, though later stories would fill out his earlier years, starting with an unpromising beginning as a seasick midshipman. As the Napoleonic Wars progress, he gains promotion steadily as a result of his skill and daring, despite his initial poverty and lack of influential friends. After surviving many adventures in a wide variety of locales, he rises to the pinnacle of his profession, promoted to Admiral of the Fleet, knighted as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB), and named the 1st Baron Hornblower. Ernest Hemingway is quoted as saying, "I recommend Forester to everyone literate I know,"〔(Books: Napoleon's Nemesis ) ''Time Magazine'', Monday, May 28, 1945. Retrieved 2010-05-04.〕 and Winston Churchill stated, "I find ''Hornblower'' admirable."〔Winston Churchill, ''The Grand Alliance,'' p. 382. He relates that "this caused perturbation in Middle East Headquarters, where they imagined that 'Hornblower' was the code word for some special operation of which they had not been told."〕 == Inspirations == There are many parallels between Hornblower and real naval officers of the period, notably Admiral Lord Nelson and also Sir George Cockburn, Lord Cochrane, Jeremiah Coghlan, Sir James Gordon, Sir William Hoste and many others. The actions of the Royal Navy at the time, documented in official reports, gave much material for Hornblower's fictional adventures.〔National Maritime Museum: "Was Horatio Hornblower a real person?"() Retrieved 2011-03-21.〕 The name "Horatio" was inspired by the character in William Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'' and chosen also because of its association with contemporary figures such as Nelson.〔C. S. Forester, ''The Hornblower Companion'', NY, 1964, p. 87.〕 Forester's original inspiration was an old copy of the Naval Chronicle, which described the effective dates of the Treaty of Ghent. Because of the time required to communicate around the world, it was possible for two countries to still be at war in one part of the world after a peace was obtained months before in another. The burdens that this placed on captains far from home led him to a character struggling with the stresses of a "man alone".〔C. S. Forester, ''The Hornblower Companion'', Michael Joseph Ltd (London), 1964, pp. 81,82〕 At the same time, Forester wrote the body of the works carefully to avoid entanglements with real world history, so Hornblower is always off on another mission when a great naval victory occurs during the Napoleonic Wars. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Horatio Hornblower」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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