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Post by unbushed on May 30, 2018 19:54:30 GMT
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Post by unbushed on May 30, 2018 20:01:22 GMT
I haven't read the Sharpe books, but I have seen some of the television series.
While I do enjoy elements of Sharpe, I find it is not up to par with Hornblower. And some elements of the show I dislike.
To me, a large part of the appeal of Hornblower is the sense of togetherness, direction and confidence that England is portrayed as having during that age and those wars. Horatio Hornblower is a man of duty, and his attitude represents true nobility.
Richard Sharpe is the anti-Hornblower, at least in attitude. He's rude, crude, he doesn't respect authority, and he's in it for himself. Sharpe would be the first man to storm the fort because "it's my only chance for promotion", Hornblower would do it for England. Furthermore, in every episode there's a new female guest star whom Sharpe inevitably bangs, like a Napoleonic James Bond.
Sharpe's over-sexed, anti-establishment theme, complete with rock guitar intro, smacks of a rather childish stereotype of heroism. Whereas the Hornblower series seems more authentic (less coloured by 20th century ideas of cultural revolution), and more mature.
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