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Book Details
Abstract
The Arkansas Regulators is a rousing tale of frontier adventure, first published in German in 1846, but virtually lost to English readers for well over a century. Written in the tradition of James Fenimore Cooper, but offering a much darker and more violent image of the American frontier, this was the first novel produced by Friedrich Gerstäcker, who would go on to become one of Germany’s most famous and prolific authors. A crucial piece of a nineteenth-century transatlantic literary tradition, this long-awaited translation and scholarly edition of the novel offers a startling revision of the frontier myth from a European perspective.
Christoph Irmscher is Provost Professor of English at Indiana University and the George F. Getz Jr. Professor in Indiana University’s Wells Scholars Program, which he also directs. His many publications include Longfellow Redux (2006), Louis Agassiz: Creator of American Science (2013), and Max Eastman: A Life (2017).
Charles Adams is Professor of English and Dean of the Honors College at the University of South Florida. He specializes in Early American Literature with interests in Native American, African American, and world literatures. In addition to numerous essays and reviews, he has published two books: The Guardian of the Law: Authority and Identity in James Fenimore Cooper (1990) and a critical edition of The Narrative of Robert Adams: A Barbary Captive (2005).
“Americans are often amazed and amused at the fascination and enthusiasm Germans have long brought to tales of the American West. It is an enthusiasm, rooted in the real and imagined, that stretches back across nearly two centuries. It’s alive today. Now comes the delightful story of The Arkansas Regulators – translated in its entirety into lively English for the first time since its publication in 1846. This is Friedrich Gerstäcker's celebrated yarn of the frontier, the granddaddy of German novels about the Old West, a picaresque tale that will surely satisfy scholars and charm lay readers.” • Christopher Corbett, author of Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express
“An accurate, full-length translation of this text has been needed for many years, and it is exciting that Friedrich Gerstäcker’s work is being made available to an English readership.” • Kathleen Condray, University of Arkansas
“This is a solid piece of scholarship and an excellent translation. Irmscher and Adams deserve praise for their historical thoroughness and rediscovery of Gerstäcker's American legacy.” • Wolfgang Hochbruck, University of Freiburg
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contents | vii | ||
| The Arkansas Regulators | iii | ||
| Copyright | iv | ||
| Illustrations | x | ||
| Acknowledgments | xii | ||
| A Note about the Text | xiii | ||
| Abbreviations | xv | ||
| Introduction | 1 | ||
| Foreword. | 21 | ||
| Chapter 1 — The Reader Makes the Acquaintance of Four Worthy Fellows and Learns More about Their Circumstances | 23 | ||
| Chapter 2 — Several New Persons Make Their Appearance on the Stage. Wonderful Hunting Adventure of “The Little Man.” | 39 | ||
| Chapter 3 — The Indian and the Methodist. – An Invitation to a Wedding. | 49 | ||
| Chapter 4 — The Regulators. – Squabble and Struggle. | 61 | ||
| Chapter 5 — Brown and Marion. | 69 | ||
| Chapter 6 — Bear Baiting. – The Strange Discovery. – The Indian’s Ingenuity. | 81 | ||
| Chapter 7 — Two Genuine Backwoodsmen. – Bahrens’ and Harper’s Stories. | 95 | ||
| Chapter 8 — Morning in the Log Cabin. – Searching for the Traces of Blood Found the Previous Evening. – Assowaum Dives for the Corpse. | 107 | ||
| Chapter 9 — The Gang of Four Negotiates a Business Matter. – Rowson’s Righteous Indignation at the Murder, and Marion’s Weakness. | 115 | ||
| Chapter 10 — The Sheriff ’s Election in Pettyville. – A Lack of Rosin. The Pursuers Are on the Trail. | 121 | ||
| Chapter 11 — Assowaum, the “Feathered Arrow,” and His Squaw. – Weston and Cotton Impatiently Await Their Comrades. | 137 | ||
| Chapter 12 — The Horse Thieves’ Trick. – The Surprise. – Alapaha and Rowson. | 145 | ||
| Chapter 13 — The Preacher Unmasked by the Indian Woman. – The Successful Escape. | 153 | ||
| Chapter 14 — Brown on His Way Home. – The Mysterious Meeting. – The Indian. – The Old Farmer. – A Canoe Trip. | 161 | ||
| Chapter 15 — The Prayer Meeting. – The Terrible Message. | 175 | ||
| Chapter 16 — The Deathwatch. | 187 | ||
| Chapter 17 — The Burial of the Indian Woman. | 195 | ||
| Chapter 18 — Roberts’ Adventure on the Panther Hunt. – The Water Party. | 203 | ||
| Chapter 19 — Harper’s Dwelling. – Cook’s Account of the Pursuit of the Horse Thieves. – Harper’s and Bahrens’ Wonderful Tales. | 211 | ||
| Chapter 20 — Rowson at Roberts’. – Assowaum. | 221 | ||
| Chapter 21 — Wilson’s Confessions. – The Beautiful Washerwoman. – An Arkansas Cradle. – The Retreat. | 229 | ||
| Chapter 22 — Atkins’ Dwelling. – The Strange Visit. – The Password. | 239 | ||
| Chapter 23 — A Gang of Criminals. – Unexpected Guests. – The New Scheme. | 251 | ||
| Chapter 24 — The Pioneer Family. – The New Regulator Sets a Trap for Himself | 265 | ||
| Chapter 25 — Harper and Marion. – Ellen’s Arrival at Roberts’. | 275 | ||
| Chapter 26 — The Regulators’ Meeting. – Jones Finds Himself in a Most Unpleasant Position. – Cunning versus Cunning. | 281 | ||
| Chapter 27 — The Return from the Meeting. | 295 | ||
| Chapter 28 — The Indian on Johnson’s Trail. | 303 | ||
| Chapter 29 — Rowson at Roberts’. – The Turkey Hunt. – Ellen and Marion. | 315 | ||
| Chapter 30 — The Ambush. | 325 | ||
| Chapter 31 — The Company of Ladies. – Account of Various Children’s Illnesses, Related for the Consolation of the Mother. – The Surprise. | 333 | ||
| Chapter 32 — The Cross Oak. | 345 | ||
| Chapter 33 — The Criminal Unmasked. | 351 | ||
| Chapter 34 — The Siege. | 357 | ||
| Chapter 35 — Ruse and Counter-Ruse. – The Assault. – Indian and Methodist. | 369 | ||
| Chapter 36 — The Court of the Regulators. | 383 | ||
| Chapter 37 — Roberts’ House. | 395 | ||
| Chapter 38 — The Revenge of the “Feathered Arrow.” | 399 | ||
| Chapter 39 — Coda. | 403 | ||
| Selected Bibliography | 409 |