Place
The Rachel
Moby-Dick, Herman Melville
A father searches the sea for his lost boy, and Ahab sails on.
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Character
Nemo’s Crew
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, Jules Verne
The unnamed crew move like a hidden undersea society, loyal to Nemo even in burial and loss.
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Passage
Rambling Thoughts of the Sea
The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
His hunger for the sea defies family, duty, and hints of coming ruin.
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Character
Abraham Gray
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
A mutineer’s last-minute change of side proves that loyalty can still be chosen.
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Place
The Pharaon
The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
The ship that should have made Edmond captain instead carries the errand that destroys him.
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Place
Laestrygonian Harbor
The Odyssey, Homer
A calm, sheltered harbor turns out to have no way back out for the ships that trust it.
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Place
Japan / Nangasac
Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, Jonathan Swift
The last real port before Gulliver sails home from a voyage full of impossible places.
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Character
Boatswain
The Tempest, William Shakespeare
A wet working sailor shouting kings below deck while the sea decides rank.
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Place
Brig Covenant
Kidnapped, Robert Louis Stevenson
A brig with a holy name carries David off to be sold as a slave.
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Place
New York
Around the World in Eighty Days, Jules Verne
The steamer has already gone, and Fogg must buy his own way across the Atlantic.
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Passage
Thanks on Terra Firma
The Swiss Family Robinson, Johann David Wyss
After surviving chaos and shipwreck, relief gives way to gratitude and uncertain hope.
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Character
Iris
The Aeneid, Virgil
Iris enters Sicily in disguise and turns exhaustion into burning ships.
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Character
Walton's master
Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
A gentle shipmaster helps bring Victor from the ice into the story.
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Passage
Cleopatra Will Not Stay Behind
Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare
Cleopatra's pride and Antony's vanity may steer an empire toward ruin.
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Passage
Through the Dark Tunnel
The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling
Kotick follows on faith, but the tunnel may cost him his last breath.
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Character
Captain Hook
Peter Pan, J. M. Barrie
A black-haired pirate captain raises an iron hook while listening for the tick that means the crocodile is near.
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Passage
Finding the Black Sea Ship
Dracula, Bram Stoker
One ship may carry Dracula home, and every lost hour strengthens him.
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Character
Nala
The Rámáyan of Válmíki, Valmiki
The builder whose skill makes a road across the sea.
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Character
Thunder Child’s captain and crew
The War of the Worlds, H. G. Wells
A warship’s crew turns toward the Martians so refugee ships can get away.
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Passage
Safe Landing at the Mainland
Beowulf, Anonymous
After a perilous crossing, relief gives way to whatever awaits beyond the sea.
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Passage
King Ajib Sets Sail
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 01, Anonymous / traditional; translated and annotated by Sir Richard Francis Burton
A just young king sets out for pleasure, unaware how quickly power can turn precarious.
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Passage
Saving Arrius Amid Vengeance
Ben-Hur, Lew Wallace
He saves a hated enemy, then feels fierce satisfaction at vengeance nearby.
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Passage
Antonio Is Sufficient
The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare
A promise of money turns ominous as trust depends on fortune's fragile ships.
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Place
Kingstown
Ulysses, James Joyce
The harbour where the mailboat leaves for England, watched by the man who stays.
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Passage
The Voice of the Sea
The Awakening, Kate Chopin
The sea's call promises freedom, but how many souls survive awakening to themselves?
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Passage
Leo Is Gone
She, H. Rider Haggard
Leo may be lost forever, and death suddenly feels like mercy.
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Place
Barcelona harbor and galleys
Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
A busy harbor where oars, prisoners, and a woman in disguise drag Sancho into the real sea of empire.
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Passage
The Witless Flight
The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: The Inferno, Dante Alighieri
A reckless promise of glory tempts exhausted men beyond every human limit.
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Character
Sailors
Hamlet, William Shakespeare
Sea messengers carry Hamlet’s letter back into Elsinore.
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Passage
News That the Wars Are Done
Othello, William Shakespeare
A storm destroys the enemy, but where is Othello as victory arrives?
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