Creative Accounting: Alternative Facts in the History of the Pirate, John Gow
The narratives in Captain Charles Johnson’s <i>General History of the Pyrates</i> (1724–1728) have often been regarded as reliable accounts of pirate activity between 1690 and 1726, in part because the book’s long-held attribution to Daniel Defoe has, until recently, granted it some meas...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Humanities |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/9/2/43 |
| _version_ | 1797567351198056448 |
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| author | Noel Chevalier |
| author_facet | Noel Chevalier |
| author_sort | Noel Chevalier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The narratives in Captain Charles Johnson’s <i>General History of the Pyrates</i> (1724–1728) have often been regarded as reliable accounts of pirate activity between 1690 and 1726, in part because the book’s long-held attribution to Daniel Defoe has, until recently, granted it some measure of journalistic integrity. A closer examination of one of <i>General History</i>’s narratives, that of the Scottish pirate, John Gow, reveals a story filled with contradictions, loose ends, possible fabrications, and simple errors, to the point where a definitive account of Gow’s activities becomes almost impossible to determine. This paper compares the two Gow narratives found in the 1725 and 1728 editions of <i>General History</i> with naval reports, newspaper accounts, and pamphlet narratives, all of which offer vastly differing versions of Gow’s story. As the general outlines of the story become fixed in various tellings, we can see how the focus of these narratives shifts from being a simple record of criminal activity to a drama in which the pirate must satisfy the expectation of being <i>hostis humani generis</i>—the enemy of all humanity—to the point where violence, rape, murder, and other anti-social acts overshadow the maritime plundering of goods and money as the pirate’s chief defining characteristic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:40:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-367fb5bd43fa43568937dedb075788e2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0787 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:40:29Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities |
| spelling | doaj.art-367fb5bd43fa43568937dedb075788e22023-11-20T01:14:12ZengMDPI AGHumanities2076-07872020-05-01924310.3390/h9020043Creative Accounting: Alternative Facts in the History of the Pirate, John GowNoel Chevalier0Luther College, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, CanadaThe narratives in Captain Charles Johnson’s <i>General History of the Pyrates</i> (1724–1728) have often been regarded as reliable accounts of pirate activity between 1690 and 1726, in part because the book’s long-held attribution to Daniel Defoe has, until recently, granted it some measure of journalistic integrity. A closer examination of one of <i>General History</i>’s narratives, that of the Scottish pirate, John Gow, reveals a story filled with contradictions, loose ends, possible fabrications, and simple errors, to the point where a definitive account of Gow’s activities becomes almost impossible to determine. This paper compares the two Gow narratives found in the 1725 and 1728 editions of <i>General History</i> with naval reports, newspaper accounts, and pamphlet narratives, all of which offer vastly differing versions of Gow’s story. As the general outlines of the story become fixed in various tellings, we can see how the focus of these narratives shifts from being a simple record of criminal activity to a drama in which the pirate must satisfy the expectation of being <i>hostis humani generis</i>—the enemy of all humanity—to the point where violence, rape, murder, and other anti-social acts overshadow the maritime plundering of goods and money as the pirate’s chief defining characteristic.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/9/2/43pirate narratives<i>General History of the Pyrates</i>John GowScotlandnewspaperspamphlets |
| spellingShingle | Noel Chevalier Creative Accounting: Alternative Facts in the History of the Pirate, John Gow Humanities pirate narratives <i>General History of the Pyrates</i> John Gow Scotland newspapers pamphlets |
| title | Creative Accounting: Alternative Facts in the History of the Pirate, John Gow |
| title_full | Creative Accounting: Alternative Facts in the History of the Pirate, John Gow |
| title_fullStr | Creative Accounting: Alternative Facts in the History of the Pirate, John Gow |
| title_full_unstemmed | Creative Accounting: Alternative Facts in the History of the Pirate, John Gow |
| title_short | Creative Accounting: Alternative Facts in the History of the Pirate, John Gow |
| title_sort | creative accounting alternative facts in the history of the pirate john gow |
| topic | pirate narratives <i>General History of the Pyrates</i> John Gow Scotland newspapers pamphlets |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/9/2/43 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT noelchevalier creativeaccountingalternativefactsinthehistoryofthepiratejohngow |