American Sea Fiction: Cooper, Poe, Dana

Abstract

There are significant differences between British and American maritime fiction. For example, British maritime fiction is generally written from the perspective of the shore; indeed, more often than not it is land-based. American maritime fiction places more emphasis on the voyage, which is often a quest or journey of self-discovery. It is easy to suggest reasons why the two traditions differ. The British novel has a long history to call upon, and is always aware of a complex social inheritance; the nineteenth-century American novel, by contrast, is the product of, and reflection of, a country still in the process of formation. Consequently, whereas the British maritime novel dwells on family connections and social structures, the American maritime novel focuses more on isolated individuals, heroes on the edge of a new frontier. This is underlined by a different sense of space. Even when it takes place at sea, the British novel reflects a small island where people live in close proximity. The American sea novel, however, can feel boundless: the distances covered are enormous, and the time spent away from land is lengthy. British sea novels never seem to offer a similar sense of remoteness.1