The American Revolution in American Romance

Abstract

W RITING ON Late American Books in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine for September, I825, John Neal, an American novelist and critic living in England, observes that large amount of historical fiction had begun to be written in the United States, month of late, nay, almost every week yielding a volume or two, such as they were, of tales founded, with some regard for historical truth on the American past. favourite period, he goes on to say, would seem to be that of the Revolution, though quite enough, he believes, had already been said on that subject.1 Novels of the American Revolution were, of course, not nearly so numerous as Neal's observation implies,2 but the time was right for the appearance of this kind of fiction, and American writers were quick to seize the occasion. This was, after all, the period of intense nationalistic feeling that followed the War of I8I2, feeling that could hardly be expected to subside as the fiftieth anniversary of the Revolution approached and memories were reawakened by the grand tour of the United States made by the Marquis de Lafayette between July, I824, and September, I825. For writers of historical fiction, the time was golden. What form that fiction should take, however, remained something of problem, for two quite different models had already appeared. In The Spy (I82I); James Fenimore Cooper had used the historical romance, derived from the work of Sir Walter Scott, as vehicle for presenting his theme, and Cooper had used the form in two other