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When you're as obsessed about a
character as I am about Horatio, you can pick up all sorts of miscellaneous
facts, odd trivia and what appear to be generous helpings of complete bull about
him. Happily, some of it is actually prime fanfic-starting material.
Other bits, not so much. But if "Everything you never needed to know about
Horatio Hornblower" is ever a Final Jeopardy! category, you'll be able to bet it
all with confidence.
Physical Description:
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Height: 5'11" (Hornblower and the Hotspur)
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Hair: Brown, curly
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Eyes: Brown
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"Disabilities": Tone deaf
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Miscellaneous: Left hand permanently ingrained with
powder stain from his boarding of the Castilla ("The Hand of Destiny",
Beat to Quarters) NOTE: When
precisely Hornblower got this wound is a matter of speculation since this is
one of the "short stories vs. novels vs. Forester's poor memory for time"
moments. Beat to Quarters was written first, and mentions that
Hornblower's injury occurred 'six years before' which would set the time as
1802. Forester later wrote an account of the boarding of the Castilla
in his short story, "The Hand of Destiny", in which he notes that Hornblower's
hand was stained with the powder burn. "The Hand of Destiny", however,
is set in 1796. To make matters worse, the Castilla shows up
again in Hornblower in the Atropos, which was written after "The Hand
of Destiny". THIS incident occurs in 1807/1808, but no mention is made
of the burn on Hornblower's hand. Forester did have a habit of replacing
the events of his short stories with the ones that he came up with in the
novels--and the fact that he discouraged the re-publication of the short
stories is an indicator that he gave the novels' events preference. In
other words, if you want to make reference to his hand being stained in one of
your fanfics, Horatio was at least a lieutenant and at best a junior post
captain when he received it. (And you thought that the Natividad
incident in Beat to Quarters was the only time Hornblower defeated the
same ship twice...)
Likes and Dislikes:
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Least favorite sound: Church bells (Hornblower
and the Atropos)
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Favorite foods: Coffee (which he takes "sweetened...to
a syrup with sugar") (Beat to Quarters), eggs (Hornblower and the
Atropos)
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Least favorite foods: Spanish-American cuisine (Beat
to Quarters), black currant jam (Hornblower and the Hotspur-though
he develops a taste for it)
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Favorite pastime: Whist (Mr. Midshipman Hornblower,
Beat to Quarters)
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Favorite author: Gibbon (Beat to Quarters).
Other admired authors include Johnson, Swift, Pope, and Gray (Beat to
Quarters)
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Favorite book: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
by Gibbon (Beat to Quarters)
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Chief fears: Heights (Mr. Midshipman Hornblower;
movies: The Duel/The Even Chance, Retribution), mutilation (Beat to
Quarters)
Talents:
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Skilled in mathematics
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Languages spoken: French (learned from a French emigre
tutor as a boy, Mr. Midshipman Hornblower), Spanish (learned during
time as a prisoner at El Ferrol - Mr. Midshipman Hornblower; movies:
Duchess and the Devil), reads Latin (Flying Colours)
Professional "Failings":
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Seasick at the start of a commission (Mr. Midshipman
Hornblower...and just about every other book after that; movie: The
Duel), though he does usually recover from his seasickness within 3 days (Ship
of the Line)
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Never able to get the knack of striking a light with a flint (Hornblower
and the Atropos)
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Never ate a rat as a midshipman (Beat to Quarters)
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Disliked ordering/witnessing punishment (Beat to Quarters)
Habits:
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Not a heavy drinker (Beat to Quarters)
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Pacing
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Clearing his throat
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Pulling at his chin while thinking
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Bathes daily (NOTE TO A&E: DECK SHOWERS ARE
CANON!!!!)
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Talks a lot when nervous
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Invites officers to dinner and whist before a battle
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Giggles in the midst of danger
Places of Residence:
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Family from Kent. (Lord Hornblower)
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1802 - Spent a month in London trying to get an appointment to
a ship (Lieutenant Hornblower)
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1802-April 1803 - Lived in Portsmouth/Southsea (at Mrs.
Mason's boarding house) (Lieutenant Hornblower/Hornblower and the Hotspur)
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April/May 1803-Maria moves to Plymouth (Hornblower and the
Hotspur)
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1806-Hornblowers move to London (Hornblower and the Atropos)
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1810 - Living in Plymouth (Ship of the Line)
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1812 - Living in Kent (Smallbridge)
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1813 - Resided in Bond St. while in London
Other Random Horatian Facts:
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Believed himself to be a "democrat and radical" politically
("Hornblower and His Majesty")
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Distrusted/disliked aristocracy (Beat to Quarters)
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Income in 1848: £6000/year (£3000/year as Admiral of
the Fleet, plus another £3000/year from his investments in the Funds) ("The
Last Encounter")
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