Israel Potter
His Fifty Years of Exile
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Contributions
- Robert Levine (Editor, Introduction) - Contributor
Publication
2008-03-25 - Penguin Books
Language
English
Word Count
72,000 words, Guess
Page Count
288 pages
Physical Format
Paperback
Identifiers
- ISBN-10014310523X
- ISBN-139780143105237
- Goodreads3103470
- LibraryThing433283
- Library of Congress Control Number2008277389
and 3 more
- OCLC Control Number166382388
- Better World Books9780143105237
- Open LibraryOL10099938M
Classifications
- LCCPS2384 .I7 2008
- LCCPS2384
Description
Melville's eighth book was begun as a simple rewrite of an obscure little narrative entitled Life and Remarkable Adventures of Israel R. Potter, in which Israel tells the story of his sad fall from Revolutionary hero to London peddler. Following its opening chapter Melville's novel retells that tale, with close adherence to the language and events of the Life, and then, shaking free of the original narrative, alternately moves between invented episodes and historical sources unrelated to the Life. Israel Potter is unique among Melville's books. It is the only one to be offered in the guise of literal biography, the tale presuming to offer an accurate life history of the man Israel Potter who did in fact fight at Bunker Hill. It is also Melville's only historical novel: it presents famous men of the American Revolution - Benjamin Franklin, John Paul Jones, Ethan Allen, and others - in situations that are a matter of historical record.
Description
"Based on the life of an actual soldier who claimed to have fought at Bunker Hill, Israel Potter is unique among Herman Melville's books: It is a novel in the guise of a biography. In telling the story of Israel Potter's fall from Revolutionary War hero to peddler on the streets of London, Melville alternated between invented scenes and historical episodes, granting cameos to such famous men of the era as Benjamin Franklin (Potter may have been his secret courier) and John Paul Jones, and providing a portrait of the American Revolution as the rollicking adventure and violent series of events that it really was." "This edition of Israel Potter, which reproduces the definitive text, includes selections from Potter's autobiography, Life and Remarkable Adventures of Israel R. Potter, the basis for Melville's novel."--BOOK JACKET.
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- Israel Potter: His Fifty Years of Exile
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