A Message from the Sea

Last updated

"A Message from the Sea" is a set of short stories by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Robert Buchanan, Charles Allston Collins, Amelia Edwards and Harriet Parr, written in 1860 for the Christmas issue of All the Year Round . [1]

Contents

Plot summary

The narrative begins with Captain Jorgan's arrival on a beautiful island, where he has to deliver a letter he found in a bottle during one of his travels to Alfred Raybrock, a young boy living on the island. When they read the letter, it turns out that Alfred's father has stolen money, £5,000. Alfred was about to marry Kitty, but in order to investigate his father's crime, he breaks up the wedding and begins his journey to Lanren with Jorgan.

Jorgan and Alfred meet Keith's father, Mr. Tregarthen, who gives them the names of the elders of their village of Lanren. Jorgan interviews the listed individuals and other elders as well, although none of them know anything about the expedition. As it later turned out, Alfred's brother, Hugh, was miraculously saved, and the person accused in the letter was Tregarthen himself. Hugh recounted his adventure to Jorgan, according to which, of the 5 surviving sailors, only Hugh and Clissold survived on the island.

Months later, an unknown ship survives the collision with the shore and they are seen as lost. The ship was discovered by pirates, who enslaved them. Clissold survived after 1 year, and Hugh suffered for 3 years. After escaping, Hugh went to Laren to investigate his father's case, where he accidentally met Alfred.

They discover that Mr. Tregarthen was involved in the story of the missing money, so they return to talk to him again to clarify everything. They find a desk at Tregarthen's old firm, with a missing sheet of ledger, after which Mr. Tregarthen recovers the stolen money. She gives the money to her daughter, Kitty, who in the following days marries Alfred.

Related Research Articles

<i>Pride and Prejudice</i> 1813 novel by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice is an 1813 novel of manners by English author Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist of the book, who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness.

<i>Come to the Stable</i> 1949 film by Henry Koster

Come to the Stable is a 1949 American comedy drama film that tells how two French religious sisters come to a small New England town and involve the townsfolk in helping them to build a children's hospital. It features Loretta Young, Celeste Holm, Hugh Marlowe, Elsa Lanchester, Thomas Gomez, Dooley Wilson and Regis Toomey.

<i>The Reverse of the Medal</i> 1986 novel by Patrick OBrian

The Reverse of the Medal is the eleventh historical novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1986. The story is set during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.

<i>The Pleasure Garden</i> (1925 film) 1925 film by Alfred Hitchcock

The Pleasure Garden is a 1926 British-German silent drama film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in his feature film directorial debut. Based on the 1923 novel by Oliver Sandys, the film is about two chorus girls at the Pleasure Garden Theatre in London and their troubled relationships.

<i>The Secret Warning</i> Book by Franklin W. Dixon

The Secret Warning is Volume 17 in the original The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>The Twisted Claw</i>

The Twisted Claw is Volume 18 in the original The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>The Phantom Freighter</i>

The Phantom Freighter is Volume 26 in the original The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Hickory Dickory Dock</i> (novel) 1955 Poirot novel by Agatha Christie

Hickory Dickory Dock is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 31 October 1955 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in November of the same year under the title of Hickory Dickory Death. The UK edition retailed at ten shillings and sixpence (10/6) and the US edition at $3.00. It features her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The novel is notable for featuring Poirot's efficient secretary, Miss Felicity Lemon, who had previously appeared only in the Poirot short stories.

<i>Poirot Investigates</i> 1924 short story collection by Agatha Christie

Poirot Investigates is a short story collection written by English author Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by The Bodley Head in March 1924. In the eleven stories, famed eccentric detective Hercule Poirot solves a variety of mysteries involving greed, jealousy, and revenge. The American version of this book, published by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1925, featured a further three stories. The UK first edition featured an illustration of Poirot on the dust jacket by W. Smithson Broadhead, reprinted from the 21 March 1923 issue of The Sketch magazine.

<i>Poirots Early Cases</i> Short story collection

Poirot's Early Cases is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by Collins Crime Club in September 1974. The book retailed at £2.25. Although the stories contained within the volume had all appeared in previous US collections, the book also appeared there later in 1974 under the slightly different title of Hercule Poirot's Early Cases in an edition retailing at $6.95.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Message in a bottle</span> Form of communication

A message in a bottle is a form of communication in which a message is sealed in a container and released into a conveyance medium.

<i>When the Whales Came</i> 1989 British film

When the Whales Came is a 1989 British drama film directed by Clive Rees and starring Helen Mirren, Paul Scofield, David Suchet, Barbara Jefford, David Threlfall, John Hallam, Barbara Ewing, and Jeremy Kemp. It is based on the 1985 children's book Why the Whales Came written by Michael Morpurgo. The film is, like the book, set on Bryher, one of the Isles of Scilly.

<i>Baby Island</i>

Baby Island is a children's novel by Carol Ryrie Brink, first published in 1937. It resembles Robinson Crusoe in that the protagonists Mary and Jean are stranded on a desert island – but with four babies. The novel was republished many times over the next several decades.

<i>Gumnaam</i> 1965 Indian Bollywood thriller film

Gumnaam is a 1965 Indian Hindi-language mystery film directed by Raja Nawathe and produced by N. N. Sippy. Released in India on 24 December 1965, the film stars an ensemble cast of Manoj Kumar, Nanda, Pran, Helen, Madan Puri, Mehmood, Tarun Bose, Dhumal and Manmohan. The film is a loosely inspired adaptation of the 1939 mystery novel And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and was remade in Tamil as Naalai Unathu Naal (1984).

<i>No Name</i> (novel)

No Name is a novel by Wilkie Collins, first published in 1862. Illegitimacy is a major theme of the novel. It was originally serialised in Charles Dickens' magazine All the Year Round before book publication.

<i>Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea</i> 2006 book by Michael Morpurgo

Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea is a book by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 2006 by HarperCollins. It was inspired by the history of English orphans transported to Australia after World War II. The book's title is taken from a line in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

<i>The Ebb-Tide</i>

The Ebb-Tide. A Trio and a Quartette (1894) is a short novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson and his stepson Lloyd Osbourne. It was published the year Stevenson died.

<i>The Sport of the Gods</i> Novel by Paul Laurence Dunbar

The Sport of the Gods is a novel by Paul Laurence Dunbar, first published in 1902, centered on American urban black life. Forced to leave the South, a family falls apart amid the harsh realities of Northern inner city life in this examination of the forces that extinguish the dreams of African Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bennet family</span> Fictional family

The Bennet family is a fictional family created by the English novelist Jane Austen in her 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice. The family consists of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their five daughters: Jane, Mary, Catherine, Lydia, and Elizabeth, the novel's protagonist.

Rugrats is a Nickelodeon media franchise created by Klasky Csupo consisting of television shows, films, video games, and other entries. It commenced in 1991 with the premiere of the television series of the same name. The franchise revolves around the adventures of a group of toddler friends who learn about the world and their relationship to it. It is owned by Paramount Global.

References

  1. Trodd, Anthea (2001). "Messages in Bottles and Collins's Seafaring Man". SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500–1900 . 41 (4): 751–64. JSTOR   1556205.