Swashbuckler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Swashbuckler (disambiguation).
Swashbuckler is a term that came about in the 16th century and was applied to rough, noisy and boastful swordsmen. It came about due to the popularity of the fighting style using a side-sword with a buckler in the off-hand, which was filled with much "swashing and making a noise on the buckler" (see dictionary.com reference, below)
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Today the term "swashbuckler" is used to denote a particular type of character and is usually applied to fictional characters. (Usually, these characters rarely actually use the buckler, instead only using a sword.) A swashbuckler will display a strong sense of justice, an aptitude for and enjoyment of fighting, and calmness, class, and wit even during combat. The archetypical swashbuckler is a handsome young rapier-wielding European man from the 16th to the 18th century, though as "swashbuckler" is a character type, it is not confined to time or place. The showiness of this type of swashbuckler is particularly appropriate as regards stage fighting, which has more in common with the art of fencing, in which the fighting is a stylized form originally used to teach the principles of actual dueling, while real sword fighting aims at bodily harm.
Swashbucklers have made appearances in works of literature such as The Three Musketeers, Ivanhoe and Scaramouche. Even today, the romantic appeal of the swashbuckler still endures. Contemporary movies that feature swashbuckling include Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Mask of Zorro, and Lives No Longer Ours.
Many subgenres are distinguished by their tendency to include large amounts of swashbuckling in their plots, such as fantasy of manners and Ruritanian romance.
[edit] List of swashbucklers
Notable swashbucklers from literature and other media include:
- Alan Breck Stuart
- d'Artagnan
- Athos
- Porthos
- Aramis
- Robin Hood
- Solomon Kane
- Nightcrawler
- Sandokan
- the Scarlet Pimpernel
- Edmond Dantès
- Zorro
- Captain Blood
- V
[edit] List of authors of swashbuckling literature
- Alexandre Dumas
- Baroness Orczy
- Rafael Sabatini
- Emilio Salgari
- Lawrence Schoonover
- Sir Walter Scott
- Samuel Shellabarger
- Robert Louis Stevenson
- P. C. Wren
- Frank Yerby
[edit] Other uses
The swashbuckler is also a type of men's shirt of the sort worn in swashbuckling movies. It is usually white in color, with an open neck and chest with a lace up front.
