Horatio Hornblower

Name:

Horatio Hornblower

Abbreviation(s):

Creator:

C. S. Forester

Date(s):

1937-1967 (book), 1998-2003 (tv series)

Medium:

book series, television series

Country of Origin:

External Links:

Scaryfangirl - a Hornblower fan site ways Archie gets hurt

Click here for other articles related to this fandom on Fanlore.

1 Fandom
2 Conventions
3 Fanzines
4 Archives

Horatio Hornblower begins as a midshipman (basically, an apprentice officer) in the Royal Navy, and over the course of the series participates in many of the wars Britain fought with Spain, France, some hijinks with the Ottoman Empire, and... okay, usually France. As he advances through the ranks and proves himself with cleverness, leadership, and tactical skill, Hornblower sheds his insecurity and becomes a more and more important officer in the Navy.

Interestingly, the novel series depicts Hornblower as funnylooking: tall, knobbby-kneed, and physically awkward despite reasonable fighting prowess. As played by Ioan Gruffudd in the TV series, "funnylooking" is not quite the right word.

Fandom

Hornblower is a fandom which falls under the umbrella fandom Age of Sail, or AoS.

The story of Horatio Hornblower was originally told in novels and short stories by C. S. Forester. These stories are classic "boys' adventure" stories. A TV series mini-series based on Hornblower's early adventures was made in the 1990s, with followup mini-series through to 2003. The books and TV series differ considerably in content and in fan following. Specifically, the TV series introduces a sidekick character, Archie Kennedy (played by Jamie Bamber), who existed in only a single sentence in the books. Horatio/Archie is the primary slash pairing among those who follow the TV series, while Horatio/William Bush (Hornblower's second in command later in the series) is the primary slash pairing among fans of the books. Despite this split, Hornblower slash fandom is still reasonably cohesive, with people participating in shared fannish activities regardless of whether they prefer "bookverse" or "movieverse".

As an Age of Sail fandom, Hornblower has often been part of crossovers with such fandoms as Aubrey-Maturin, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sharpe, and Georgette Heyer.

Stories have been written in this fandom for Yuletide.

Conventions

HHUS - "Horatio Hornblower US" - an annual Hornblower convention held in various locations in North America and in the UK. When held in the UK, the convention acronym is HHUK:
2002 - Portsmouth, U.K.[1]
2003 - Norfolk, Virgina
2004 - Toronto, Canada
2005- Portsmouth, U.K. - The Trafalgar Experience[2] (also known as the HHUK 2005 convention)
2006 - Williamsburg, Virginia
2007 - Halifax, Nova Scotia
2008 - an Diego, California.[3]

The last convention was held in 2009 in Key West, Florida. The next HHUS convention is planned to be held in Mystic, Connecticut in 2010 (details here). The convention also publishes a fanzine (2002-2010): the HHUS (Horatio Hornblower US convention zine) (when the convention was held in the US) and the HHUK (Horatio Hornblower UK convention zine) (when the convention was held in the UK).

2007 HHUS Convention Table

Sample Convention Schedule 2005

THURSDAY

There will be an HUK presence in the lounge at the Holiday Inn from around lunchtime Thursday, to meet and greet conventioneers as they arrive. You?ll know who we are! 

FRIDAY

8.45 Welcome Aboard!
9.15 - 11.00 ?The Even Chance?
11.15 - 1.00 ?The Examination for Lieutenant?

LUNCH

3.00 -4.45 ?The Duchess And the Devil?

DINNER

6.00 Walk to Governor?s Green to see the Beacon Lighting
9.15 -11.00 ?The Frogs And The Lobsters?

SATURDAY

8.45 - 10.30 ?Mutiny?
10.45 - 12.30 ?Retribution?

LUNCH

2.00 - 3.45 ?Loyalty?
4.00 - 5.45 ?Duty?

DINNER

7.30 - 8.30 Fanfic. Forum
9.00 - 11.00 Video Choice.

SUNDAY

.15 Leave the hotel to walk to Historic Dockyards. (Meet in foyer. Prompt departure essential please)
7.00 - Midnight Grand Trafalgar Dinner, Display and Knot-Tying Demonstrations by Mr. John Hayes (Rigger of ?HMS Victory?), Georgian Dance Workshop

Fanzines

Adventure and Adversity (slash)
Heaven and Earth
HHUS (fanzine) - a convention fanzine
Horatio Hornblower & the Prix d'Amor (slash)
Hornblower and the Spanish Doctor (slash)
Ransom
Red Sky at Morning

Horatio Hornblower - Fanlore