The Headsman: The Abbaye des Vignerons

The Headsman: The Abbaye des Vignerons is an 1833 novel by James Fenimore Cooper set in Switzerland.[1] The novel was inspired by one of Cooper's trips during his European travels in 1832.[2] The novel is one of three of Cooper's "European" novels, following The Bravo and The Heidenmauer, all of which use the European setting to deal with socio-political contrast with American institutions.[3]

Development

During his time living in Europe, Cooper visited Switzerland in 1832. While there, he wrote in his journal "I have determined now I am here to commence a Swiss tale". Cooper's eldest daughter suggested that he had read up on the history of Vevey, including the organisation known as the Abbaye des Vignerons which organised the Fête des Vignerons, though it seems he did not observe this festival himself. He may also have been inspired by "The Headsman; A Tale of Doom", an adaptation by Joseph Hardman of Lauritz Kruse's "Das Verhängnis" that had been published in Blackwood's Magazine (February 1830), and also "Hereditary Honours", a humorous sketch in the New Monthly Magazine (1832).[4]

Themes

The novel explores a number of themes related to how society structures itself, including justice, authority, friendship, parental relationships, love and marriage.[5][6]

Critical reception

The novel is typically described for its socio-political commentary, but critics have argued the importance of treating the novel as part of Cooper's deliberate artistry.[5][7] Constance Ayers Denne describes this artistry as largely reflected in the novel's powerful structure and successful thematic treatment.[5] Many critics who have read the novel for socio-political themes, were unsatisfied with its ending.[5] Critic Thomas Palfrey argues that the novel has structural and thematic similarities to Balzac's works, such as Jesus Christ in Flanders.[8]

References
  1. "Checklist of Cooper's Works". external.oneonta.edu. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  2. Cooper, Susan Fenimore (1861). "Introduction to The Headsman". external.oneonta.edu. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  3. MacDougall, Hugh (2013). "Cooper's The Headsman: What Have Swiss Executioners Got to Do with African-Americans?". James Fenimore Cooper: His Country and His Art, Papers from the 2013 Cooper Conference and Seminar: 29–35.
  4. Franklin, Wayne (2017). "Republican Principles". James Fenimore Cooper: The Later Years. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 139–141. doi:10.12987/9780300229103-007. ISBN 9780300229103.
  5. Denne, Constance Ayers (1974-01-01). "Cooper's Artistry in The Headsman". Nineteenth-Century Fiction. 29 (1): 77–92. doi:10.2307/2933407. JSTOR 2933407.
  6. Pudaloff, Ross J. (1983-01-01). "Cooper's Genres and American Problems". ELH. 50 (4): 711–727. doi:10.2307/2872924. JSTOR 2872924.
  7. Denne, Constance Ayers (July 1980). "Cooper's Use of Setting in the European Trilogy". 3rd Annual Cooper Seminar: 52–70.
  8. Palfrey, Thomas R. (1932-01-01). "Cooper and Balzac: "The Headsman"". Modern Philology. 29 (3): 335–341. JSTOR 433617.


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