Wenches and Pirates

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island and at the bottom of the Spanish Main…” – Walt Disney

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!” - Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

What goes with Wenches? Pirates! Well, in theory anyway. We Wenches haven’t actually written many pirate stories between us, interestingly enough … but it might be fun to take a look at this quintessential historical sea-adventurer … the pirate, the buccaneer and the privateer, too … and explore a little of why he works – or doesn’t! – as a romantic hero.

As a kid, I thought pirates were pretty cool – I read Treasure Island in elementary school (and noticed there were no girls in it), and watched various movies of Treasure Island (there are a lot of versions!). And of course, there was Hook and his crew from Peter Pan. As kids, my friends and I played pirates and dressed up as such for Halloween. So the stereotype was imprinted pretty early on.

In middle school and high school, I was voraciously reading Sabatini – Captain Blood, The Sea-Hawk, The Black Swan – along with Du Maurier’s Frenchman’s Creek. Later I read Grania by Morgan Llewellyn (Grania O’Malley) and Pamela Jekel’s Sea Star (Anne Bonny). A few pirate romances were among my favorites – Laura London’s Windflower; Marsha Canham’s Iron Rose: Thief of Hearts by Teresa Medeiros; and Wench Pat Rice wrote a retired pirate in Much Ado About Magic and another in Moon Dreams.

And who could resist the appeal of pirates in fiction and the movies? Pirate ships sailing the high seas, the Jolly Roger flag flying; cutlasses, eye patches … treasure maps and chests filled with gold … sea battles and walking the plank … all these are part and parcel of the pirate mythology that has developed so vividly in literature, based on and elaborating on history.

Pirates have always existed (where there are ships and seas, there are pirates, then and now), from the earliest seafaring days of the Sumerians and Greeks to the medieval era (Eustace the Monk, a name that conjures images of Friar Tuck aboard ship, was a pirate who haunted the waters of the English Channel); then there were the glam bewigged and dashing pirates of the 16^th and 17^th centuries, including Henry Morgan and the pirates and buccaneers of the Caribbean, and 18^th century pirates like John Teach, called Blackbeard, and Captain Kidd, whose buried treasure has never been found, but may yet exist somewhere along the coast of North America…

The historical reality of pirates wasn’t so pretty. By and large, historical pirates were tough, unforgiving men with a cruel bent, interested in gain, survival and conquest on seas that were rough in more ways than one. Pirates, in realistic terms, were little more than thugs and murderers on rolling decks (and still are). Dirty, savage, unwashed beasts – and if we time traveled and met them on the deck of a galleon or a square-rigged frigate, we wouldn’t find them very appealing.

Traditional piracy waned after the 1820s, but they had begun to thrive in literature, from Stevenson to Pyle and Sabatini, and on to genre fiction and romance. Historical fiction was followed and reinforced by the juicy pirate heroes of the movies – Errol Flynn was in his element in "Captain Blood" and "The Sea Hawk," Robert Newton was the goodest of the bad in "Treasure Island," and of course there's the unforgettable, untoppable Johnny Depp, along with Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley in "Pirates of the Caribbean."

“Life's pretty good, and why wouldn't it be? I'm a pirate, after all.” – Johnny Depp

So why romanticize these pirates, these thugs and bad boys of the sea? Where does that come from? In part, we have Robert Louis Stevenson to thank – his Treasure Island created and codified, to a large extent, the stereotype of the pirate, from the desperate search for treasure using a map marked “x,” to the eye patch, wooden leg, striped shirt and parrot buddy named after a dead cap’n – it’s all there in an exciting story that every kid, just about, has read or watched in one form or another. Add to that mix Captain Hook and Peter Pan and later Pirates of the Caribbean, and countless other stories of mystery, adventure, untold treasure, and the basic recipe for swashbuckling adventure is still in play.

It’s at work in romance fiction, too, but the requirements of the genre are different – a pirate hero has to be appealing physically and romantically. There's the allure of the wild freedom of the sea, the risk of a bad boy, the enticing contrast of a pirate hero with noble standards. Captain Blood was possibly the first and the best of these, a physician unjustly imprisoned and in search of justice, yet capable of high risk behavior with huge courage. Now there’s a pirate worth his salt, and as a teenage reader, I fell hard. In romance fiction, a bad boy that far gone - pirates are criminals, after all - presents huge risks, and so he can be the ultimate challenge.     

And while we're on the subject, with the newest Pirates of the Caribbean movie ready for release later this month - are you Team Jack Sparrow? What's his appeal? I'm thinking ... he's dirty, unprincipled, untrustworthy – and yet smart, charming, a good-hearted softie on the inside, and ultimately a salvageable diamond in the rough -- and that's a hero who represents a risk worth taking.

Do pirate heroes appeal to you? If so – why, and if not, please tell us what doesn’t work for you! And if so, what are some of your favorite pirate books and movies?

 Susan 

 Look for Queen Hereafter in bookstores and online - and The Black Thorne's Rose in ebook! 

Comments

[wendy p]

When I first started reading historical romances, it seemed as if one out of every four books was pirate themed - and then the died out. I do like that they have reemerged - but I agree, it is hard to think of them as 'romantic' if you really think about it - can you imagine how atrocious they all smelled out there on the open sea for months at a time with little fresh water to waste on things like baths? But there is something romantic about it all - kind of like the wild west on a ship.

[Patricia Rice]

I suspect all the titles listed are the reason I adore pirate themes, that and the Robin Hood aspect romance usually lends to them. But with the move toward Regency, pirates no longer fit the era. Now in an alternate universe with Regency pirates...maybe they could take baths and sail faster!

[Linda Banche]

I never was much for pirate books, but I loved the pirate movies because I like swashbucklers. I especially liked the sword fights, from Captain Blood to the Prisoner of Zenda to Zorro, although the last two aren't pirates.

But even with those stories, I never fell in love with the hero--I wanted to BE the hero. I would love to watch and read about female swashbucklers, which are harder to find than hen's teeth. Where are Emma Peel and Xena when you need them? *g* And as for the men these ladies attract? Well, they would like the heroines exactly the way they are.

That's the kind of book I adore. And since 99% of what I read are historicals, they would have to be historicals. The closest I've found lately are Zoe Archer's Blades of the Rose series.

[Linda Banche]

Oh, yes, and Andrea Pickens's "Spy" trilogy. I want more!!! Hint, hint.

[LouisaCornell]

I loved reading tales of pirates as a young girl - Treasure Island, Captain Blood, you name it. I loved the adventure and freedom of it all. I think that is why pirate tales still appeal to me. Sabrina Jeffries The Pirate Lord comes to mind. And Much Ado About Magic is on my keeper shelf. I've always been fascinated with the idea of being the sort of woman for whom a pirate would give up the sea.

Looking forward to the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie. There is just something about Captain Jack that makes him irresistible. You want to watch to see what on earth he does next!

[Susan/DC]

No wonder we all fell in love with pirates when they're played by Errol Flynn and Johnny Depp or portrayed in illustrations by N.C. Wyeth and H. Pyle. As you note, the reality is very different, which is why I think pirates work better for me in adventure stories like Treasure Island than in romance. There have definitely been a few I've liked, including Jennifer Ashley's "The Pirate Next Door" and some of the ones mentioned above.

P.S. I've sometimes wondered if the reason Johnny Depp so often chooses roles like Jack Sparrow or Edward Scissorhands is because he is trying to cover that gorgeous bone structure. Too bad for him but luckily for us, it doesn't work.

[Louis]

Yep, I too read "Treasure Island" and the Sabatini books as a teenager. Also enjoyed (still do) the movies derived from the books.

Looking forward to the next "Captain Jack Sparrow" movie.

[Anna C. Bowling]

I love pirates. Seafaring adventure, swashbuckling, high seas, exotic locales...bring it on, especially with a heroine who can take as active a role as the hero. I am a complete Anne Bonney geek, so Pamela Jekel's Sea Star has a permanent spot on my keeper shelves.

Marsha Canham's The Wind and The Sea is a classic, and for vintage appeal, Valerie Sherwood wrote some marvelous privateers.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Oddly, I find Jack Sparrow completely resistible, probably because Johnny Depp always strikes me as a guy playing for the other team.

I can understand the myth of the wild, free hero, but pirates--dirty thubs, basically--don't set off my fantasy meters.

Apart from Captain Blood, the unjustly convicted doctor. And played by Errol Flynn. He cleans Jack Sparrow;s clock. *G*

[Helen]

I do love pirate romances and back in the 80's there were some really good ones around for me the pirates always had something nice about them they were pirates for a reason and they knew how to whoo their heroine LOL. There have been some good heroine pirates that I have read as well were the hero is after this particular pirate only to find out that they are a she and the romance begins love them.
I do love the old pirate movies as well not sure whether it is the swords or not.

Have Fun
Helen

[Anne Gracie]

Great post, Susan. I have a weakness for pirate stories, and do love Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow -- there's a bad boy appeal about him. I even have a pirate story of my own in my head that's been wanting to be told for ages.

But I'm ambivalent about it. I think about modern piracy and it's such an evil practice, it takes the fun out of our imaginary romantic rogues.

[Andrea Penrose]

Oh, this is such fun! I'd love to do a pirate story—in fact I have a folder of ideas, which include a Mediterranean setting, with Barbary corsairs, and derring-do English buccaneers. But it will probably stay on the back burner for now.

You're so right about the reality not matching the romanticism. But hey, how can you not love Johnny Depp! LOL

[Andrea Penrose]

Oh, thank you, Linda! So glad you enjoyed my female spies. I actually have a whole story written for the spymaster, Lord Lynsley, which I love . . .,but my publisher decided it was time to move on. However, now that e-books make self-publishing easy, I may think about getting it out there . . .

[Mary Anne Landers]

Thank you for your post, Susan.

I'm with Mary Jo Putney and Anne Gracie. Pirates aren't exactly my idea of romantic heroes. I dig swashbucklers, but I vastly prefer them to be on the right side of the law. Or at least, morality.

A curious factoid: I once read in an account of the Caribbean pirates during the so-called golden age of piracy, the late 17th and early 18th centuries, that a lot of these guys were homosexuals. Makes sense, what with them on ships with all-male crews.

But how can that possibly square with pirates as alpha-male heroes of romances aimed at women? And in that famous movie series, what was Captain Jack Sparrow really up to with Will Turner? I ask you!

Keep up the good work!

[Nicola Cornick]

What a fun post, Susan! Frenchman's Creek is one of my all time favourite books. I love the whole concept of the outlaw as hero because it's so interesting to see why it appeals to people. I even tackled it myself in a novella called "The Pirate's Kiss" which I enjoyed writing very much. But like Anne I find the reality of piracy deeply unpleasant and quite incongruent with the romantic myth.

[Linda Hilton]

Like just about everyone else of, ahem, a certain age, I fell in love with the movie pirates and other swashbucklers -- Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power, Burt Lancaster (watched "The Flame and the Arrow" in youtube segments a few months ago and loved it), etc. -- before I was old enough to read the books. Once I was allowed to read "adult" books, I couldn't get enough of them: Sabatini, Shellabarger, Yerby, Westcott. I remember the first of those historicals I read: Leslie Turner White's "The Highland Hawk." But it was White's pirate rogue "Lord Johnnie" who left the lasting impression. There's a copy on the bookcase next to me right now.

[Susan]

Love the additional book suggestions, I will have to look for a couple of these titles that I'm not familiar with! Pirates can be romanticized, though the reality is tough to get around, so it's the rare pirate hero who fits in a true romance.

I'm a pushover for the contrast hero - tough yet tender - for instance, a pirate who's retired/has moved on to better for himself, or a pirate who's more than he seems, or has his own moral code and yet manages to carry on the pirate or buccaneering life.

Pirates, privateers, smugglers - love 'em when they're created in such a way that the romance and the character arc really zings. I haven't actually written a pirate myself (yet, I've always wanted to try...) but I've written a couple of smugglers (Highland Groom, as Sarah Gabriel, and a novella as Susan King), and what fun those heroes were! On the other side of the law...but for very good reasons. Bad boys with hero-worthy substance, with and without the influence of the heroine, which is also important. :)

Susan

[Janice]

I expect it's a coincidence, but tonight's episode of Doctor Who was 'The Curse of the Black Spot', with guest star Hugh Bonneville. Truth be told, I thought it was a dopey story, with its 'let's imperil Rory again' element and the obligatory adorable kid, but the pirate parts were fun. Still not a a pirate fan, however. Yo ho hum.

[Jo Beverley]

Jo here. I loved Captain Blood, too, and Sabatini, but I don't think I ever went for pirate romances. I suspect it's because a sea-faring life is at odds with my desire that the characters have a very rooted home, and also because they are thieves. I never found highwaymen romantic, either.

It's a bit different if the "pirate" is more of an unofficial sea warrior, fighting for a cause. A temporary state, with a noble heart and a land-base to return to when troubles cease. :)

Jo

[Lyn S]

Cara/Andrea -- OH No most horrible news. We don't get Lynsley's story. Your publisher is shortsighted. I would buy it in a heart beat.
For sort of Regency Pirates there are the Johanna Lindsey Mallory series.
My all time favorite book checked out every year in elementary school is Clyde Robert Bulla's The Pirate's Promise. Has kids and a compassionate pirate. What not to love. But pirates need to stay in literature. There is no way to redeem them in the real world. Too stinky and mean for my taste.

[Bibliophile]

Funny, I have been working on an essay about this subject. (It's not ready for posting yet).
I am very firmly in the "do not like pirates" camp. I find pirates icky no matter how dashing and hot they might be. They literally make my skin crawl. I've tried to read stories with pirate/privateer heroes but I just can't stomach all the justification and prettifying that is needed to make them into plausible heroes. Give me a pirate villain and I'll accept that, but not a pirate hero. (If you can recommend a title you think will change my mind, please go ahead and post it).

[Susan/DC]

One more thought: Can't leave this thread without mentioning Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance". It both embodies and satirizes the cliches of the pirate trope and is still funny over a century later. Now, if someone would write a pirate hero who was an orphan with a soft spot for other orphans . . . .

[Lyn S]

I know this is a day late, but today's Washington Post had an article about the anti-pirate in romance. The article is about the new trend of Navy Seals as romance heros.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/seals-go-from-superhero-to-sex-symbol/2011/05/04/AFCuNgAG_story.html
Interesting insight into what publishers think.