ABSTRACT
Edward Fitzball’s melodrama The Pilot; or, A Tale of the Sea, based on James Fenimore Cooper’s 1823 novel, opened two years later at the Adelphi and ran more than 200 performances. Fitzball’s play tells a different story, reversing key narrative elements. The Pilot of the title, based on the American naval hero John Paul Jones, aids both in battle and in navigating dangerous local waters, particularly during the ship’s final escape. The play never identifies the ship’s mysterious Pilot as Jones, and the melodrama ends with British victory over the Americans, and the reunion of lovers and family members. Cooper’s competition with Walter Scott famously colored the novel, which he claimed to have written “to dispute the seamanship of The Pirate”. This collection, which includes adaptations of both The Pilot and The Pirate, permits easy comparison of their popular adaptations.
