Mercedes of Castile

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The blessing of Columbus’ sailors before leaving Palos

Mercedes of Castile; or, The Voyage to Cathay is an 1840 historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper. The novel is set in 15th-century Europe, and follows the preparations and expedition of Christopher Columbus westward to the new world.[1]

Archival materials

[edit | edit source]

A full manuscript of the novel is held at the Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia.[2]

Contemporary reception

[edit | edit source]

The New York Review of Books reviewed the novel in 1840 and was unimpressed, saying the novel was not contributing to "any great increase of fame or fortune to Mr Cooper".[3] The review continued to describe the novel as not including much "romance", instead successfully focusing on the historical elements.[3] In 1978, critic Kennedy Williams, Jr. agreed with the assessment, noting that the novel uses history well and accurately, but is Cooper's best example of the combination of history and fiction when "fail[ing] miserably" in Cooper's novels.[4]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

Further reading

[edit | edit source]
  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
[edit | edit source]

Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).


Stub icon

This article about a historical novel of the 1840s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page.

Retrieved from "http://70.231.62.181/index.php?title=Mercedes_of_Castile&oldid=21192970"