James Fenimore Cooper

The Water-Witch James Fenimore Cooper

The Water Witch is a 1830 novel by James Fenimore Cooper. Set in 17th century New York, and the surrounding sea, the novel depicts the abduction of a women, Alida de Barbérie, by the pirate captain of the brigantine, Water Witch, and the subsequent pursuit of that elusive ship, by the her suitor, Captain Ludlow. Cooper wrote the novel, while on a extended tour of Europe, during his stay in the villa Palazzu detta del Tasso near Naples. Cooper tried to print the novel while he was in Italy in 1829 but Papal censors forbade its publication in Italy. Cooper was then able to print the novel in Dresden, before also sending copies to his publishers in the US and England. Critic Allan Axelrod describes the novel as heavily influenced by the Italian context of its writing, noting that it even compares the landscapes of New York with that of Italy.