ABSTRACT
Although Rob of the Bowl was published in December 1838, John Pendleton Kennedy had been at work on it since 29 September 1835— slightly more than a year before the end of Jackson's administration and the election that placed Martin Van Buren in the presidency. The case for writing a work set around the time of the Revolution was strong; Kennedy had enjoyed success with such a novel in Horse-Shoe Robinson, and the Revolutionary period attracted readers. Rob of the Bowl offered readers a large cast of characters representing all sorts and conditions of humanity, generally arranged in an orderly hierarchy. Rob, who is really Albert's father, recognizes his son on the basis of a miniature that he wears. On the strength of their kinship, Rob seeks to save Albert's life, and he offers to oversee the young man's execution but instead helps him escape.
