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]

Themes

The novel explores a number of themes related to how society structures itself, including justice, authority, friendship, parental relationships, love and marriage.[4][5]

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.[4][6] Constance Ayers Denne describes this artistry as largely reflected in the novel's powerful structure and successful thematic treatment.[4] Many critics who have read the novel for socio-political themes, were unsatisfied with its ending.[4] Critic Thomas Palfrey argues that the novel has structural and thematic similarities to Balzac's works, such as Jesus Christ in Flanders.[7]

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. 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.
  5. Pudaloff, Ross J. (1983-01-01). "Cooper's Genres and American Problems". ELH. 50 (4): 711–727. doi:10.2307/2872924. JSTOR 2872924.
  6. Denne, Constance Ayers (July 1980). "Cooper's Use of Setting in the European Trilogy". 3rd Annual Cooper Seminar: 52–70.
  7. Palfrey, Thomas R. (1932-01-01). "Cooper and Balzac: "The Headsman"". Modern Philology. 29 (3): 335–341. JSTOR 433617.


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