Effect On Popular Culture
Although some of the details are often misremembered, the effect upon popular culture of the Golden Age of Piracy can hardly be overstated. A General History of the Pyrates by Charles Johnson, is the prime source for the biographies of many well known pirates of the Golden Age, providing an extensive account of the period. In giving an almost mythical status to the more colorful characters such as the notorious English pirates Blackbeard and Calico Jack, the book provided the standard account of the lives of many pirates in the Golden Age, and influenced pirate literature of Robert Louis Stevenson and J. M. Barrie. Such literary works as Treasure Island and Peter Pan, while romanticized, drew heavily on pirates and piracy for their plots. Movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Anime such as One Piece and video games such as the Monkey Island series drew heavily from this romanticized ideal of piracy. In turn, they helped implant an (often inaccurate) image of old-time pirates in contemporary minds.
More recently, even less accurate depictions of historical-era pirates (e.g., Talk Like a Pirate Day) have advanced to the forefront. However, these phenomena have only served to advance the romantic image of piracy and its treasure-burying swashbucklers in popular culture.
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