History Literature / HoratioHornblower

* DolledUpInstallment: ''Film/CaptainHoratioHornblowerRN''. The basic plot is intact, but major plot elements are changed, new elements are added, characters are left out completely or turned into TheGhost, characters are rewritten, and at least one thing - drinking to the King's health while sitting down - appears, despite the book ''actually going out of its way to point out'' how and why it wasn't done until 1830, with King William IV's coranation (himself a former naval officer).

* DolledUpInstallment: ''Film/CaptainHoratioHornblowerRN''. The basic plot is intact, but major plot elements are changed, new elements are added, characters are left out completely or turned into TheGhost, characters are rewritten, and at least one thing - drinking to the King's health while sitting down - appears, despite the book ''actually going out of its way to point out'' how and why it wasn't done until 1830, with King William IV's coranation.

* RareGuns: Lady Barbara gives Hornblower a pair of ebony handled, double barrelled, rifled percussion pistols, which he muses must have taken over a month each to craft, in ''The Commodore''. Which is set in ''1812''. [[DescriptionPorn More than half a page is dedicated to describing them.]]

* ChekhovsGun: The set of double barrelled, rifled, percussion pistols Lady Barbara gives Hornblower at the beginning of ''The Commodore''. [[spoiler:One is stolen by his Finnish interpreter, Braun, who attempts to assassinate both Czar Alaxander and the King of Sweden at a banquet for the conquest of Finland; he chose Hornblower's, which [[RareGuns were likely the only of their kind in Eastern Europe]], because they were very accurate, wouldn't misfire, and had two shots. Hornblower puts everything together (after remembering seeing the pistol in Braun's waist while embarking the boat to the palace), and stops him in time.]]

* CheckovsGun: The set of double barrelled, rifled, percussion pistols Lady Barbara gives Hornblower at the beginning of ''The Commodore''. [[spoiler:One is stolen by his Finnish interpreter, Braun, who attempts to assassinate both Czar Alaxander and the King of Sweden at a banquet for the conquest of Finland; he chose Hornblower's, which [[RareGuns were likely the only of their kind in Eastern Europe]], because they were very accurate, wouldn't misfire, and had two shots. Hornblower puts everything together (after remembering seeing the pistol in Braun's waist while embarking the boat to the palace), and stops him in time.]]

* CliffHanger: The ending of [[spoiler:Flying Colors and Ship of the Line]].
* {{Conscription}}: Unfortunately, C. S. Forester seems to have fallen for the modern misconception that the vast majority of seamen on British ships were conscripts [[PressGanged dragged from their homes and family-supporting livelihoods by press gangs]] or criminals given a pardon if they join the King's service.[[hottip:*: The actual practise of impressment was strictly limited to homebound merchant crews and only during wartime, with exemptions for East Indiamen and coal ships. The admiralty, in fact, hated impressment more than anyone, including those affected (who, being legally limited to merchant sailors, considered it an occupational hazard), and only used it because there was no other viable option. Criminals were offered a pardon in exchange for service, although more often than not they were rejected by the Navy, for obvious reasons.]] Hornblower (illegally) presses outbound East India Company sailors who were legally exempt in ''Ship of the Line'', and he also releases French prisoners he'd promised freedom in ''Flying Colours''.

* StealthInsult / SnarkToSnarkCombat: Hornblower's conversation with his brother-in-law Richard Wellesley in ''The Commodore''. Hornblower he will have a translator, but it will be his problem how the translator is rated on the books, to which Richard adds, "I believe that's what it's called". Hornblower calls him by his Christian name, which he entitled to use as brother-in-law, and calls Richard a "master of all trades" just to annoy him by insinuating the Marquis was in a trade. Hornblower gives up, deciding it was just too difficult because Richard was so good at it.

* StealthInsult / SnarkToSnarkCombat: Hornblower's conversation with his brother-in-law in ''The Commodore'', from using his Christian name (which Hornblower is entitled to so as an in-law) to calling him a "master of all trades" after he makes a comment about what he knows about rigging.

* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:During the climax of ''Flying Colours'', Lt. Bush loses a leg.]]

* AnachronicOrder: ''Quarters, Line, Colours, Commodore, Lord, Midshipman, Lieutenant, Atropos, West Indies, Hotspur, Crisis'' (unfinished)
** In chronological order, these are books 6-10, 1-2, 5, 11, 3-4.

* AwesomenessByAnalysis: This seems to be Hornblower's main method of gambling, seamanship, and war.
** In one incident Hornblower challenges a man known to be a better shot then he to a DuelToTheDeath with the understanding that there will be one pistol randomly loaded, neither will know which one and the contestants will choose it unknowing and fight at point blank. Thus giving a fifty-fifty chance (better than his odds, Hornblower figures, than in any fair fight). [[spoiler:Not knowing that the captain, not wanting to lose either midshipman, arranged for ''both'' guns to be left unloaded.]]

* BeenThereShapedHistory: Inverted. The author deliberately keeps Horatio out of the way of most of the major historical events of the time. One would imagine this gets harder as Hornblower progresses up the ranks, eventually ending up as a Admiral.

*** There is one short story that takes place during the War of 1812, where Hornblower has a brush with an American ship. [[spoiler:Since he's on a barely-armed ship to take the King on a day trip, he evades battle.]]
** He never becomes admiral himself until peace. In ''Commodore Hornblower'' it is implied that he helped bring about the invasion of Russia and thus the downfall of Napoleon. In the (unfinished) ''Hornblower and the Crisis'' he helps lure the enemy into the Battle of Trafalgar with a false message.

* CardGames: Hornblower is himself a great fan of the game of whist, and will often play it to pass the time during stressful situations, such as during a SternChase, giving him something to think about other than things he currently can't control. Forester often describes the games [[MundaneMadeAwesome in great detail]].
** In ''Mr. Midshipman Hornblower'', Hornblower finds an opportunity to challenge his [[TheBully tormentor]] to a duel when the latter angrily implies that Hornblower is cheating (in front of officers from another ship) and then pointedly refuses to apologize. [[spoiler: The duel is {{subverted}} by the ship's surgeon, who does not load either pistol.]]

* DrinkOrder: Contrary to the [[SpotOfTea common English stereotype]], Hornblower prefers to drink coffee rather than tea, or at least whatever passes for coffee depending on supplies (in one book, the coffee is described as being made with crushed burnt bread, with enough sugar to mask the taste.) This was possibly because most of the readers of the ''Hornblower'' series were American. Or alternatively, because tea was expensive and Hornblower was poor.
** Some consideration though should also be given to the hypothesis that Forester knew enough history to be very well aware that coffee was enormously fashionable in England for many years, and London in particular was [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffeehouse#Coffee_in_Europe lousy]] with coffee-houses in the 1700s.

** CharacterizationMarchesOn: Hornblower is also a lot more ill-tempered and choleric in his first book too, although that can be more easily rationalized by being older and more cynical.

* GenreSavvy: Hornblower is acutely aware of how his every move will appear, which is strange, because this is the book that started the genre. Hilariously, he has trouble believing anyone could like him, despite evidence to the contrary. Even when he ''does'' believe it, he finds some way to make himself rationalize or downplay it.

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Horatio's ship]] at the end of ''Flying Colors''.
** Not to mention [[spoiler:Bush blowing up the powder barge]].

* InfantImmortality: Averted.
** Hornblower has to sit and watch his first two children die of smallpox.
** Longley, a PluckyMiddie in ''Ship of the Line,'' is shot dead in the ''Sutherland's'' desperate LastStand.

* TheObiWan: Pellew, though more in the TV series than in the books.

* ParentalSubstitute: Inverted. Bush loves Hornblower like a son, even if he's too out-of-touch with his own emotions to realize it.
** When they first served together, this was more of BigBrotherInstinct for Bush.

* {{Plunder}}: Subverted. Hornblower is usually unlucky in the matter of prize money, and has a dislike for the entire system. He doesn't mention this in front of others, though, and is aware [[HypocriticalHumor that his views would likely be different once he won a prize]].

* ShownTheirWork

** Worse still, Hornblower regards his ''actual'' name as pompous and ludicrous, and avoids using it whenever possible, preferring to sign his personal (as opposed to official) correspondence with a discreet 'H'.

* RunningGag: Not in the series, but on this wiki; Honor Harrington is frequently described as Horatio Hornblower [[AC:IN SPACE!]]
** Bush rubbing his hands together when pleased, and Hornblower's seasickness when setting out to sea after a long period on land.

** UnwantedHarem: Marie (not Maria) points out that he is a very easy man for women to love but a man who finds it hard to love in return. [[spoiler:She's mostly right.]]

* DressingAsTheEnemy: Hornblower's ruse flying the French tricolour in ''Ship of the Line'', and later when Hornblower himself dresses as a Dutch customers officer in his escape from France.

* MutualKill: [[spoiler:The ''Sutherland'' and the French ships at the end of ''Ship of the Line''.]]

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: The British Navy might be the greatest enemy besides Napoleon. During the Peace of Ameins, they put Hornblower under complete pay stoppage for months, leaving him to fend for himself (he scrapes along by playing whist). In ''Hotspur'' they try to reprimand him for using too much stuff; Cornwallis tells him not to worry about it.

** Played straight by the French at the beginning of ''Flying Colours''. They even strip the gold off of his sword.

* TapOnTheHead: Averted in one of the ''Midshipman'' stories. During a cutting-out expedition, when stealth is key, Hornblower has to silence an epileptic sailor and thumps him quite hard with the boat's tiller; he is almost certain that he he killed the man by doing so.

* {{Conscription}}: Unfortunately, C. S. Forester seems to have fallen for the modern misconception that the vast majority of seamen on British ships were conscripts [[PressGanged dragged from their homes and family-supporting livelihoods by press gangs]] or criminals given a pardon if they join the King's service.[[hottip:*: The actual practise of impressment was strictly limited to homebound merchant crews, with exemptions such as East Indiamen and coal ships. The admiralty, in fact, hated impressment more than anyone, including those affected (who, being legally limited to merchant sailors, considered it an occupational hazard), and only used it because there was no other viable option. Criminals were offered a pardon in exchange for service, although more often than not they were rejected by the Navy, for obvious reasons.]] Hornblower presses outbound East India Company sailors who were legally exempt in ''Ship of the Line'', and he also releases French prisoners he'd promised freedom in ''Flying Colours''.

** The same hole appears in the ''Hornblower'' telefilm ''The Duchess and the Devil''.

** Though, DavidDrake's ''Literature/{{RCN}}'' series, which are Aubrey/female-Maturin InSpace, [[CaptainObvious are sci-fi]].
* Dudley Pope's Ramage series. It's mentioned that Ramage and Hornblower were junior officers on the same ship for a time (Pope and Forester were friends). Not sci-fi.

* InfantImmortality: Subverted.

* PluckyMiddie: Subverted. Any time you meet one, [[spoiler:there's about a 75% chance of them dying. The more endearing they are, the more likely this is.]]
** Played straight a few times too depending on which PluckyMiddie you are talking about.

* {{Badass}}
** BadassBookworm: Hornblower is a seadog who uses math skills and meticulous research.

** [[TearJerker Hornblower has to sit and watch his first two children die of smallpox.]]

** The ship's boy in ''Ship of the Line,'' who has become an engaging character and saved Hornblower from death or capture earlier in the book, catches cannonfire in the ''Sutherland's'' desperate LastStand.

* InfantImmortality: Subverted. [[TearJerker Hornblower has to sit and watch his first two children die of smallpox.]]

* A little-known series called ''Franchise/StarTrek'' has been described as "Horatio Hornblower RecycledInSpace". The rumour has it that both captains best known in the mainstream culture, [[Characters/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Captain Kirk]] and [[Characters/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Captain Picard]], are based on Hornblower's character.

* A little-known series called ''Franchise/StarTrek'' has been described as "Horatio Hornblower RecycledInSpace".

* A little-known series called ''Franchise/StarTrek'' has been described as "Horatio Hornblower [[InSpace IN SPACE!]]".
* The Hugo and Nebula nominated science fiction work, ''TheMoteInGodsEye''.

* The ''{{Sharpe}}'' series of novels and TV movies, starring a soldier in the Napoleonic wars, sort of a land-based equivalent of Hornblower.
* The ''GauntsGhosts'' series of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' tie-in novels, being based on ''Sharpe'', are thus in turn based on Hornblower.