Daniel Defoe, A General History of the Pyrates

Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1724

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Historical representation

Resources

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Any reader of

A General History of the Pyrates

, the primary historical artefact of the Golden Age of Piracy, needs to be aware of the debate surrounding authorship. It originally bore the name of Captain Charles Johnson, about whom nothing else is known, and whose

Dictionary of National Biography

entry is based solely on his supposed authorship of the

History

. In 1932, John Robert Moore suggested that Johnson was yet another pseudonym for Daniel Defoe, the early novelist, maritime enthusiast, and sometime commentator on piracy through his various political organs. Moore’s ascription was then challenged in 1988, when P. N. Furbank and W. R. Owens used the

General History

to demonstrate Moore’s faulty methods in Defoe attribution. Opinion remains divided: some of the critics who have…

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2241 words

Citation: Seager, Nicholas. "A General History of the Pyrates". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 August 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7132, accessed 26 November 2024.]

Daniel Defoe, A General History of the Pyrates

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