The Bravo - Cooper, James Fenimore

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Résumé :
A novel of early eighteenth-century Venice that Cooper called in spirit, the most American book I ever wrote. The Bravo (1831) takes place in early eighteenth-century Venice, when the Serene Republic had lost much of its glory, leaving its oligarchs struggling to hold on to their family wealth by manipulating the government and people through secret councils and a figure-head doge. In 1844, Cooper called it in spirit, the most American book I ever wrote because of its depiction of the masses duped by demagoguery and the attempts of Congress to rein in President Jackson, who Cooper saw as representing the popular will. In the novel, the low-born hero, Jacopo Frontoni, is forced to become an agent of the state because his unjustly imprisoned father languishes in the infamous state prison. On the last page, Jacopo is executed as a scapegoat for the crimes attributed to him of which he is innocent, rendering his beloved insane. Only in a subplot does a noble couple escape Venice to enjoy marriage. The present text is based on all extant manuscript witnesses (including a lengthy deleted section) and offers extensive explanatory notes....

Biographie:
James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 - September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century. His historical romances draw a picture of frontier and Native American life in the early American days which created a unique form of American literature. He lived most of his life in Cooperstown, New York, which was founded by his father William on property that he owned. Cooper was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church and contributed generously to it. He attended Yale University for three years, where he was a member of the Linonian Society. Cooper served in the U.S. Navy as a midshipman, which greatly influenced many of his novels and other writings. The novel that launched his career was The Spy, a tale about counter-espionage set during the American Revolutionary War and published in 1821. He also wrote numerous sea stories, and his best-known works are five historical novels of the frontier period known as the Leatherstocking Tales. Cooper's works on the U.S. Navy have been well received among naval historians, but they were sometimes criticized by his contemporaries. Among his most famous works is the Romantic novel The Last of the Mohicans, often regarded as his masterpiece.

Sommaire:
James Fenimore Cooper was born on September 15, 1789, was an American author. He wrote authentic romantic stories portraying colonist and Native characters from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. His most popular work is The Last of the Mohicans, often regarded as a masterpiece. James Fenimore Cooper was the 11th offspring of William Cooper and Elizabeth (Fenimore) Cooper. He wedded Susan Augusta de Lancey at Mamaroneck, Westchester Area, New York on January 1, 1811. The Coopers had seven children, but only five of them live to adulthood. The Last of the Mohicans (1826) was written in New York City where Cooper and his family resided. It became one of the most-read American books of the nineteenth century. The series includes the racial friendship of Natty Bumppo with the Delaware Indians. In 1826, Cooper moved his family to Europe to acquire more income from his books. He became friends with painters Samuel Morse and Gilbert du Motier and Marquis de Lafayette. In 1832, he entered the list as a political writer in a series of letters to Le National....