![]() 1883 illustration from German edition of novel Die Gefahren der Wildnis by Hermann Vogel | |
Author | Robert Montgomery Bird |
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Language | English |
Publisher | Carey, Lea and Blanchard |
Publication date | March 1837 (United States) [1] |
Publication place | United States |
Pages | Two vol. (1837 ed.) (240 pg. Vol. I; 246 pg. Vol. II); 1837 English ed. is Vol. I-III |
Nick of the Woods; or, The Jibbenainesay is an 1837 novel by American author Robert Montgomery Bird. Noted today for its savage depiction of Native Americans, it was Bird's most successful novel and a best-seller at the time of its release. [2]
The novel was eventually published in twenty-three editions in English, and four translations, including a best-selling German translation by Gustav Höcker. [1] [3] The long popularity of the novel is evidenced by the fact that Mark Twain referenced the main character of the book in 1883's Life on the Mississippi , presuming the audience would know the reference. [1] [3]
The novel is set in Kentucky in the 1780s and revolves around the mysterious figure of "Nick of the Woods", dressed as a monster, who seeks to avenge the death of his family by killing numerous Indians, carving a cross on the body of all he slays. "Nick" is revealed to be Nathan Slaughter, a Quaker by day who should by nature and creed avoid all violence. Bird's brutal depiction of Native Americans (the Shawnee) was very hostile, and in part a reaction to the more positive representation of Indians by James Fenimore Cooper in the Leatherstocking Tales. [2] [4] This heightened level of violence on the American frontier may have been inspired by Logan (1822) by John Neal. [5]
The novel has been called a "prominent example of the American Gothic form." [2] The Columbia Companion to American History on Film, which dubs Nathan Slaughter "a one-man genocide squad", also credits the novel for popularizing the mode of unintelligent Indian speaking ("Me Inju-man! ... Me kill all white man!") used by many later authors and in movies. [6]
The novel was also adapted for the stage in at least three versions, the most popular one by Louisa Medina. [7] [8] The Medina version debuted at the Bowery Theatre in New York on February 5, 1838, to great success, although a fire burned down the house after two weeks. It returned to the Bowery in 1839 when it re-opened. The role of Nick became a lifetime starring role for actor Joseph Proctor. [9] In his introduction to Victorian Melodramas (1976), James L. Smith called the play "the most successful American melodrama for more than half a century." [10]