What follows are three highly speculative but carefully researched articles by Norman Barry attempting to nail James Fenimore Cooper as the author of the original anonymous 1845 sketch entitled "The Helmsman of Lake Erie."

As these articles represent the very first of their kind and, if they do hit the mark, must be seen as demanding a revised interpretation of Cooper's literary achievement, Norman forewarns the reader to approach them with caution and to exercise her/his own critical judgment in the authorship controversy.

The articles zero in on three salient aspects of the original 1845 John Maynard text: a) historical background, b) geography, and c) religion. A follow-up analysis of "language" (words, expressions & grammar) is "in the works."

THE LEGEND OF JOHN MAYNARD, "THE HELMSMAN OF LAKE ERIE," IN THE BACKDROP OF THE YEAR 1845: THE JACKSON - ELLIOTT - COOPER CONNECTION -- an essay by Norman Barry in which he puts the 1845 anonymously written prose version of the story of John Maynard in its historical context and speculates that James Fenimore Cooper could have been its author. Below are files of information to which he refers in the essay and a comparison of the language used in the anonymous story with language used by James Fenimore Cooper in his writings.

E : The Jesse Duncan Elliott File
J : The Death of General Andrew Jackson
M : The Gansevoort Melville Folder
Cooper and "The Helmsman" : A Textual Comparison by Norman Barry [In Progress]

 

The Author's Signature: The Good Ship Jersey in "The Helmsman of Lake Erie," and the Significance of the Geography of New Jersey in the Works of James Fenimore Cooper by Norman Barry

 

"THE HELMSMAN OF LAKE ERIE" IN LIGHT OF THE ROLE PLAYED BY RELIGION IN THE FICTIONAL WRITING OF JAMES FENIMORE COOPER -- OR, THE SECRET WHY THE GOOD MAN, WHEN DYING, DOES NOT GROAN, an essay by NORMAN BARRY.