Piracy, Pirates

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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  • The Literary Encyclopedia. WORLD HISTORY AND IDEAS: A CROSS-CULTURAL VOLUME.

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Introductory Overview

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a pirate as “one who robs or plunders on the sea, navigable rivers, etc; a sea-robber”. The English word “pirate” (dating from the fourteenth century) derives from the Latin pirata and in turn from the Greek (third/fourth century BCE). Although “piracy” has recently come to signify intellectual property theft, and even the hijacking of aircraft, this essay addresses the traditional sense: maritime attacks by rovers and the efforts to contain their actions. Popular culture nurtures the image of the pirate as a charismatic transhistorical individual, but it is a phenomenon with social, political and economic causes. Intense bursts of piracy have coincided with political upheavals: imperialism, independence movements,

5817 words

Citation: Seager, Nicholas. "Piracy, Pirates". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 July 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1736, accessed 28 March 2024.]

1736 Piracy, Pirates 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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