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Arundel (novel)
An historical novel by Kenneth Roberts that takes place during the American Revolutionary War. The narrative centers around Steve Nason, a reluctant participant in the war, who runs an inn and ferry on the Kennebec River in Maine. Nason is drawn into the ill-fated march on Quebec by Benedict Arnold, which goes through Maine.
The novel was published in 1929. Arundel remains popular among readers young and old; and is still in print.
Arundel is notable for its detailed and highly accurate descriptions of the Maine geography and the lives of its inhabitants of the time. Notably, also, Roberts attempts to rehabilitate the character of Arnold, who is portrayed as a demanding, dynamic, sometimes supercilious but always heroic leader. This portrayal has not well-stood the advance of historical understanding of the time and Arnold's role in the war; but readers may benefit from being forced to rethink the modern stereotype of the character of the man whose name became a synonym for "traitor."
Roberts also portrays the ill-usage of the American Indians of the region in a light highly unfavorable to the white settlers of the region. However, the "noble savage" representation is minimal, as is the portrayal of native Americans in the opposite aspect, as subhuman. The native Americans are individuals in their own right.
The novel is written in a lightly comic style, with the character of Cap Huff providing much of the "comic relief." In this respect, it represents a marked departure from the tendency to self-seriousness often found among historical fiction. Roberts attempts to present the history and the lives of the times agreeably and enjoyably. Structurally, the novel could be considered melodrama; the characters grow out of their historical context, rather than the other way around. Like many historical novels of the first half of the twentieth century, however, Arundel does expect the reader to make the intellectual effort to understand detailed descriptive and complex narrative writing.
Kenneth Roberts received the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation in 1957. The citation honored his general contribution to historical fiction for his writings about early American history.
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