Chesapeake (novel)
First edition cover
|
|
| Author | James A. Michener |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Random House |
|
Publication date
|
June 12, 1978 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 865 pp |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 3730647 |
| 813/.5/4 | |
| LC Class | PZ3.M583 Ch PS3525.I19 |
Chesapeake is a novel by James A. Michener, published by Random House in 1978. The story deals with several families living in the Chesapeake Bay area, from 1583 to 1978.
The storyline, like much of Michener's work, depicts a number of characters over a long time period. Each chapter begins with a voyage which provides the foundation for the chapter plot. It starts in 1583 with American Indian tribes warring, moves through English settlers throughout the 17th century, slavery and tobacco growing, pirate attacks, the American Revolution and the Civil War, Emancipation and attempted assimilation, to the final major event being the Watergate scandal. The last voyage, a funeral, is in 1978.
The novel has a number of central themes, such as religion, slavery, poverty, and industry, each personified by a particular family that settles on the bay, and in some cases, by several families.
The religious element of the novel applies to the Steeds, who are Roman Catholic and the Paxmores who are Quakers. At one point there is a religious debate between Ralph Steed, a priest, and Ruth Brinton, a matriarch of the Paxmore family. Their disagreement is mainly about slavery.
Slavery is an overriding theme of the entire book. The Steeds are great landowners and one of the greatest holders of slaves in the colonies, whereas the Paxmores, through Ruth Brinton, are the first proponents of emancipation. It is said that the Choptank Quaker's Association is the first religious organization to ban slavery. Later in the book, Cudjo Cater is captured in Africa and put to work on the Steed plantation, where he buys his freedom and settles in the nearby township with a wife. The Cater family is forever affected by slavery, even after emancipation, as evidenced when Jeb Cater tries to get his son treated for an ear infection. Prior to the Civil War, the Paxmores form the Maryland link of the Underground Railroad to Pennsylvania, which Cudjo contemplates using before he buys his freedom.
...
Wikipedia