Israel Potter
his fifty years of exile
by Herman Melville
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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.
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Subjects
Historical Fiction, Fiction, Exiles, History, Peddlers and peddling, Peddling, American fiction (fictional works by one author), Fiction, historical, Fiction, biographical, London (england), fiction, United states, history, revolution, 1775-1783, fiction, American literature, Prisoners and prisons, FICTION / Classics, Personal narratives, FICTION / Literary, Fiction, historical, generalPeople
Israel Potter (1744-1826?)Places
United States, London (England), London(England)Times
Revolution, 1775-1783Showing 10 featured editions. View all 56 editions?
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Israel Potter: His Fifty Years of Exile
2016, Dover Publications, Incorporated
in /languages/eng
0486799956 9780486799957
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Israel Potter: his 50 years of exile
2006, Barnes & Noble
in /languages/eng
076077773X 9780760777732
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Israel Potter: his fifty years of exile
1982, Northwestern University Press, Newberry Library
in /languages/eng
- Northwestern-Newberry ed.
0810105527 9780810105522
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Book Details
Edition Notes
"Life and remarkable adventures of Israel R. Potter / by Henry Trumbull": p. 287-394.
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