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.
| ISBN: | 9781438494968 |
| Publication date: | 1st July 2023 |
| Author: | James Fenimore Cooper |
| Publisher: | SUNY Press an imprint of State University of New York Press |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 548 pages |
| Series: | The Writings of James Fenimore Cooper |
| Genres: |
Classic fiction: general and literary Historical Fiction Literature: history and criticism |
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.
The Bravo features in the following genres: Classic fiction: general and literary, Historical Fiction, Literature: history and criticism
The Bravo is available in Hardback
The Bravo was written by James Fenimore Cooper and published by SUNY Press an imprint of State University of New York Press
The Bravo has 548 pages
Yes it is part of The Writings of James Fenimore Cooper series