Tecumseh
Or, The Warrior of the West: A Poem, In four cantos
- Publisher
- Dundurn Press
- Initial publish date
- Jan 1978
- Category
- Canadian, Native American, Poetry
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780919614246
- Publish Date
- Jan 1978
- List Price
- $9.99
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Where to buy it
Out of print
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Description
John Richardson’s Tecumseh: Or, The Warrior of the West was first published in London, England, in 1828, under the pseudonymous statement "By an English Officer." The subject of this narrative poem is the famous Shawnee Indian Chief Tecumseh ("Shooting Star"), a persuasive orator and stout champion of Indian causes, respected by his own and white people alike.
The poem consists of four cantos, each with a varying number of stanzas, and each stanza comprised of eight lines in iambic pentameter, the rhyme scheme being that of Byron’s adaptation of the Italian ottava rima. The naval action on Lake Erie, in which the British force was defeated, forms the main subject of the opening canto.
About the authors
JOHN RICHARDSON (1796-1852) was the first man in the Canadas who attempted to live on the monetary rewards of creative writing. He wrote a considerable amount of non-fiction, some poetry, and several novels. The most famous, Wacousta; or , The Prophecy: A Tale of the Canadas, an historical romance set in the Detroit Amherstburg area, made effective use of the ‘conspiracy’ of Pontiac, the Indian uprising of 1763.
