Satanstoe, or the Littlepage Manuscripts: A Tale of the Colony

by James Fenimore Cooper, Kay Seymour House (Introduction), Constance Ayers Denne (Text by)

Overview

Though Satanstoe has been too much neglected by readers of Cooper's time and ours, it is one of his most interesting books, combining nostalgic autobiographical recollections, pictures of manners, action and adventure, and social philosophy in one of the author's happiest experiments in fiction. Ostensibly, it gives a comprehensive view of colonial life and society in New York State in the middle of the eighteenth century, blending all these elements with the narrative skill for which the author has always been famous.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780887069048
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	07/10/1990
Series:	The Writings of James Fenimore Cooper
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	500
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

The creator of two genres that became staples of American literature — the sea romance and the frontier adventure — James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) was born in New Jersey, raised in the wilderness of New York, and spent five years at sea before embarking on his successful writing career. Among Cooper’s many novels, his best-known books are the five "Leatherstocking" tales — including The Deerslayer and The Last of the Mohicans — each featuring the fictional hero Natty Bumppo.

Date of Birth:

September 15, 1789

Date of Death:

September 14, 1851

Place of Birth:

Burlington, New Jersey

Place of Death:

Cooperstown, New York

Education:

Yale University (expelled in 1805)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Illustrations
Historical Introduction
Preface

Satanstoe, or The Littlepage Manuscripts
Explanatory Notes
Textual Commentary
Note on the Manuscript
Textual Notes
Emendations
Rejected Readings
Word-Division

Editorial Reviews

"Satanstoe (1845) is perhaps Cooper's best novel after the Leatherstocking Tales. The pastoral picture it gives of colonial life, particularly among the Dutch settlers at Albany, reminds one of The Pioneers." — Marius Bewley, The Eccentric Design: Form in the Classic American Novel

"Much of the time in this charming book, Satanstoe, which George Sand thought one of his best, Cooper is on holiday from his more strenuous ideas. Taking advantage of this point of view as a pre-Revolutionary New Yorker, he enjoys living in the cozy province that speaks so warmly of England as home and trusts the mother country unhesitatingly, certain of her superior wisdom and ability." — James Grossman, James Fenimore Cooper

From the Publisher

A charming experiment in fiction, Satanstoe combines nostalgic autobiographical recollections, pictures of manners, action and adventure, and social philosophy within its narrative of colonial life and society in New York State in the middle of the 18th century. The text is approved by the Committee on Scholarly Editions of the MLA, and the volume includes an historical introduction and explanatory notes. Paper edition (unseen), $14.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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