The Water-Witch

The Water-Witch is an 1830 novel by James Fenimore Cooper. Set in 17th century New York and the surrounding sea, the novel depicts the abduction of a woman, Alida de Barbérie, by the pirate captain of the brigantine Water-Witch, and the subsequent pursuit of that elusive ship by her suitor, Captain Ludlow.[1]

Cooper wrote the novel, while on an extended tour of Europe, during his stay in the villa Palazzu detta del Tasso near Naples.[1] Cooper tried to print the novel while he was in Italy in 1829 but Papal censors forbade its publication in Italy.[1] Cooper was then able to print the novel in Dresden, before also sending copies to his publishers in the US and England.[1] Critic Allan Axelrod describes the novel as heavily influenced by the Italian context of its writing, noting that it even compares the landscapes of New York with that of Italy.[2]

References
  1. Baym, Max I.; Matenko, Percy (January 1970). "The Odyssey of The Water-Witch and a Susan Fenimore Cooper Letter". New York History. LI (1): 33–41 – via James Fenimore Cooper Society.
  2. Axelrad, Allan M. (July 1993). James D. Wallace (ed.). "Epiphany at Ischia: The Effect of Italy on James Fenimore Cooper's Literary Landscape Painting" (9). State University of New York College at Oneonta: 1–27. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Further reading


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