The Red Rover

Last updated
The Red Rover
The Red Rover 1827.jpg
1827 title page
Author James Fenimore Cooper
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Published1827 (Paris), 1827 (UK), 1828 (US)

The Red Rover is a novel by American writer James Fenimore Cooper. It was originally published in Paris on November 27, 1827, [1] before being published in London three days later on November 30. It was not published in the United States until January 9, 1828, in Philadelphia. In the same year, it was translated and published in Germany under the name Red Rover. [2] Soon after its publication it was adapted for theater both in the United States and in England. [3]

Contents

The novel follows the activities of the sailor Dick Fid, free black sailor Scipio Africanus and Royal Navy officer James Wilder as they encounter the famous pirate, "The Red Rover". A contemporary reviewer in the North American Review noted how Cooper was particularly good at writing sea novels such as The Red Rover, the sea being his more natural element than what the author calls wilderness novels which focused on an Indian introducing a white man to the wilderness, like The Last of the Mohicans . In addition, The Red Rover presents some of the first serious depictions of characters of African lineage in American literature.

Characters

The two black characters, Scipio Africanus, a free black sailor, and Cassandra, a slave attendant, throughout the novel remain distanced and separate from their white companions. While all the other main characters end the book with positive outcomes, Scipio finds a tragic end. Therman O'Daniel suggests, that though these are some of the first black characters to be seriously treated in American literature, they still receive unsatisfactory outcomes for all their actions. [4]

For Cooper, the sea novel offered an opportunity to blur social barriers between characters. This is particularly evident in his treatment of women, such as a girl disguised as a cabin boy in The Red Rover who is able to function within the crew, even though she is female. Additionally, throughout the novel, a tight friendship exists between Scipio Africanus, fellow sailor Dick Fid, and a Royal Navy officer whom they befriend after saving his life. Though the two men treat him like an officer, deferring to him with respect, they still remain friendly. [5]

Genre

"The annals of America are surprisingly poor in such events; a circumstance that is doubtless owing to the staid character of the people, and especially that portion of them which is addicted to navigation...[the author must] invent his legend without looking for the smallest aid from traditions or facts."

-Cooper in the preface of Red Rover [6]

Cooper is one of the authors credited with helping pioneer the sea novel genre. [7] For him, however, American history before his time hardly offered real maritime tradition to seize in his historical fiction; instead he innovated, writing purely fictional pieces, unlike his novels about other events in American history. [5]

Theatrical adaptation

Forty four days after the first American publication of the novel in 1828, the first theatrical adaptation was performed in the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. The adaptation was composed by actor Samuel H. Chapman. The adaptation was published in 1828 – or possibly later – by a publisher in Philadelphia. [8] On May 1, 1828, a second adaptation of the novel was performed in the Park Theater, New York. It was performed multiple times, documented to have had multiple successful runs. [9] A third play is mentioned to have been performed in the Lafayette Circus (Theatre) in New York, however no other evidence exists of it. Subsequently, these early American adaptations were performed another four times before 1862, the evidence is clear which was performed at each performance. [10]

At the same time as American adaptations were being performed, four adaptations were being performed in England. These all made debuts in 1829 at various theaters: one at the Royal Cobourg Theatre, one at the Adelphi Theatre in London, one in the Surrey Theatre, London, and the last in the Sadler's Wells Theatre. [11] Additionally a Victorian burlesque, unacknowledged by early scholars of the plays and books that parodied one of the earlier London adaptations of the novel was performed in the Royal Strand Theatre in London in 1877 and adapted by Francis Cowley Burnand. [11]

Critical reception

In 1828, the North American Review reviewed the work, generally praising it. The Review commented "he has, in this instance, done more and better things for his name, than upon any former occasion", also comparing the text and style to that of Sir Walter Scott. [12] The Review also was very critical of the use of the Indian native in wilderness novels and was pleased that Cooper had returned to "his own element" of the Sea from the misuse of the Indian which he was prone to in other novels. [13] However, the reviewer did note, the "indistinctness" which happens at the closing of scenes, but left that as his only criticism. [14]

Modern reviewer Susan Manning, notes that Red Rover, despite being perhaps one of the most successful novels by Cooper for the contemporary 19th century literary circles, is very dry to read for modern readers, "confusing and obscure in places, banal in others; a full quarter of this long narrative elapses, slowly, before anything emerges which could properly be called a story." [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Fenimore Cooper</span> American writer (1789–1851)

James Fenimore Cooper was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonial and indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought him fame and fortune. He lived much of his boyhood and his last fifteen years in Cooperstown, New York, which was founded by his father William Cooper on property that he owned. Cooper became a member of the Episcopal Church shortly before his death and contributed generously to it. He attended Yale University for three years, where he was a member of the Linonian Society.

<i>The Last of the Mohicans</i> 1826 historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 is a historical romance novel written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the Leatherstocking Tales pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. The Pathfinder, published 14 years later in 1840, is its sequel; its prequel, The Deerslayer, was published a year after The Pathfinder. The Last of the Mohicans is set in 1757, during the French and Indian War, when France and Great Britain battled for control of North America. During this war, both the French and the British used Native American allies, but the French were particularly dependent, as they were outnumbered in the Northeast frontier areas by the British. Specifically, the events of the novel are set immediately before, during, and after the Siege of Fort William Henry.

<i>Leatherstocking Tales</i> 1823–1841 series of five books by James Fenimore Cooper

The Leatherstocking Tales is a series of five novels by American writer James Fenimore Cooper, set in the eighteenth-century era of development in the primarily former Iroquois areas in central New York. Each novel features Natty Bumppo, a frontiersman known to European-American settlers as "Leatherstocking", "The Pathfinder", and "the trapper". Native Americans call him "Deerslayer", "La Longue Carabine", and "Hawkeye".

<i>The Pioneers</i> (novel) 1823 historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper

The Pioneers, or The Sources of the Susquehanna; a Descriptive Tale is a historical novel by American writer James Fenimore Cooper. It was the first of five novels published which became known as the Leatherstocking Tales. Published in 1823, The Pioneers is the fourth novel in terms of the chronology of the novels' plots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chingachgook</span> Fictional character

Chingachgook is a fictional character in four of James Fenimore Cooper's five Leatherstocking Tales, including his 1826 novel The Last of the Mohicans. Chingachgook was a lone Mohican chief and companion of the series' hero, Natty Bumppo. In The Deerslayer, Chingachgook married Wah-ta-Wah, who had a son with him named Uncas, but died while she was still young. Uncas, who was at his birth "last of the Mohicans", grew to manhood but was killed in a battle with the Huron warrior Magua. Chingachgook died as an old man in the novel The Pioneers, which makes him the actual "last of the Mohicans," having outlived his son.

<i>The Pilot: A Tale of the Sea</i> 1824 novel by James Fenimore Cooper

The Pilot: A Tale of the Sea is a historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper, first published in 1823. Its subject is the life of a naval pilot during the American Revolution. It is often considered the earliest example of nautical fiction in American literature. It is one of Cooper's most renowned works and is considered a classic of adventure literature. The novel follows the thrilling adventures of a mysterious and daring seafarer known as "The Pilot."

<i>The Lady from the Sea</i> Play by Henrik Ibsen

The Lady from the Sea is a play written in 1888 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen inspired by the ballad Agnete og Havmanden. The drama introduces the character of Hilde Wangel who is again portrayed in Ibsen's later play The Master Builder. The character portrayal of Hilde Wangel has been portrayed twice in contemporary film, most recently in the 2014 film titled A Master Builder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natty Bumppo</span> Fictional character created by James Fenimore Cooper

Nathaniel "Natty" Bumppo is a fictional character and the protagonist of James Fenimore Cooper's pentalogy of novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales.

<i>The Bravo</i> Novel by James Fenimore Cooper

The Bravo is a novel by James Fenimore Cooper first published in 1831 in two volumes. Inspired by a trip to Europe where he traveled through much of Italy, the novel is set in Venice. The Bravo is the first of Cooper's three novels to be set in Europe. This group of three novels, which one critic would call Cooper's "European trilogy", include The Heidenmauer and The Headsman. Like his other novels set in Europe, The Bravo was not very well received in the United States. The book largely focuses on political themes, especially the tension between the social elite and other classes.

The Chainbearer; or The Littlepage Manuscripts is a novel by the American novelist James Fenimore Cooper first published in 1845. The Chainbearer is the second book in a trilogy starting with Satanstoe and ending with The Redskins. The novel focuses mainly on issues of land ownership and the displacement of American Indians as the United States moves Westward.

<i>The Spy</i> (Cooper novel)

The Spy: a Tale of the Neutral Ground is a novel by American writer James Fenimore Cooper. His second novel, it was published in 1821 by Wiley & Halsted. The plot is set during the American Revolution and was inspired in part by the family friend John Jay. The Spy was successful and began Cooper's reputation as a popular and important American writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nautical fiction</span> Literary genre

Nautical fiction, frequently also naval fiction, sea fiction, naval adventure fiction or maritime fiction, is a genre of literature with a setting on or near the sea, that focuses on the human relationship to the sea and sea voyages and highlights nautical culture in these environments. The settings of nautical fiction vary greatly, including merchant ships, liners, naval ships, fishing vessels, life boats, etc., along with sea ports and fishing villages. When describing nautical fiction, scholars most frequently refer to novels, novellas, and short stories, sometimes under the name of sea novels or sea stories. These works are sometimes adapted for the theatre, film and television.

Afloat and Ashore is a nautical fiction novel by James Fenimore Cooper first published in 1844. Set in 1796–1804, the novel follows the maritime adventures of Miles Wallingford Jr., the son of wealthy New York landowners who chooses to go to sea after the death of his parents. The novel ends abruptly part way through, and is followed by what critic Harold D. Langely called a "necessary" sequel which resolves many thematic and plot elements. The novel is partially autobiographical, based in part on Cooper's own experiences as a sailor, and is his first full-length novel to fully employ a first-person narrative.

<i>Mercedes of Castile</i> 1840 historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper

Mercedes of Castile; or, The Voyage to Cathay is an 1840 historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper. The novel is set in 15th-century Europe, and follows the preparations and expedition of Christopher Columbus westward to the new world.

The Two Admirals is an 1842 nautical fiction novel by American author James Fenimore Cooper. The novel was written after the Leatherstocking Tales novel The Deerslayer. Set during the 18th century and exploring the British Royal Navy, Cooper wrote the novel out of encouragement of his English publisher, who recommended writing another sea novel. Cooper had originally intended to write a novel where ships were the main characters, though eventually decided not to. The novels is one of three novels which Cooper would revise for editions following their first printing, the other two being The Pathfinder and Deerslayer.

Wyandotté is a historical novel published by James Fenimore Cooper in 1843. The novel is set in New York state during the American Revolution. The main character of the novel is an Indian, "Saucy Nick", also called Wyandotté, whose depictions violate stereotypes of Native Americans.

<i>The Sea Lions</i> 1849 novel by James Fenimore Cooper

The Sea Lions; Or, The Lost Sealers is an 1849 sea novel by James Fenimore Cooper. The plot revolves around two sealers stranded in the Antarctic ice. The novel was first published in two volumes, by Stringer & Townsend. Critic W.B. Gates described the novel as taking inspiration from Charles Wilkes's Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition of the Years 1838-1842.

<i>The Oak Openings</i> 19th century American novel

The Oak Openings; or, The Bee Hunter is an 1848 novel by James Fenimore Cooper. The novel focuses on the activities of professional honey-hunter Benjamin Boden, nicknamed "Ben Buzz". The novel is set in Kalamazoo, Michigan's Oak Opening, a wooded prairie that still exists in part today, during the War of 1812.

The Wing-and-Wing; Or, Le Feu-Follet is an 1842, sea novel by the American author James Fenimore Cooper. It includes a thematic interest in religiosity and faith. The novel also introduces metacriticism into Cooper's sea fiction, as does The Sea Lions, unlike earlier novels which typically also focused on nautical and nationalist themes.

The Headsman: The Abbaye des Vignerons is an 1833 novel by James Fenimore Cooper set in Switzerland. The novel was inspired by one of Cooper's trips during his European travels in 1832. The novel is one of three of Cooper's "European" novels, following The Bravo and The Heidenmauer, all of which use the European setting to deal with socio-political contrast with American institutions.

References

  1. ↑ James Fenimore Cooper (1827). The Red Rover, a Tale. By the Author of The Pilot, etc., etc. [...] In Three Volumes. Paris: Printed [by Lachevardiere] for Hector Bossange, quai Voltaire, Nº 11. Bobée et Hingray.—Baudry.—Galignani. OCLC   928273108. Volumes I, II, and III.
  2. ↑ James Fenimore Cooper: Red Rover. Translated by Gottfried Friedenberg, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1828.
  3. ↑ Gordan 66
  4. ↑ O'Daniel, Therman B. (Second Quarter 1947). "Cooper's Treatment of the Negro". Phylon. 8 (2). Clark Atlanta University: 164–176. doi:10.2307/271724. JSTOR   271724.
  5. 1 2 Langley, Harold D. (Fall 1997). "Images of the Sailor in the Novels of James Fenimore Cooper". The American Neptune. 57 (4): 359–370.
  6. ↑ Cooper, The Red Rover. Darley edition (New York: D. Appleton, 1892), preface, 7 quoted in Langley "Images of the Sailor"
  7. ↑ Philbrick, Thomas (1961). James Fenimore Cooper and the Development of American Sea Fiction . Harvard University Press.
  8. ↑ Gordan 66-67
  9. ↑ Gordan 69-70
  10. ↑ Gordan 70
  11. 1 2 Gordan 70-74
  12. ↑ North American Review 139-130
  13. ↑ North American Review 144-145
  14. ↑ North American Review 154
  15. ↑ Manning, Susan (Aug 1993). "Review of Red Rover and Notions of the Americans". The Review of English Studies. New Series. 44 (175). Oxford University Press: 450–452. JSTOR   517317.
Works cited
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.