Down The River; Or, Practical Lessons Under The Code Duello - Softcover

George W. Hooper

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0371777259 ISBN 13: 9780371777251

Publisher: HardPress, 2021

Synopsis

Down The River; Or, Practical Lessons Under The Code Duello by George W. Hooper is a satirical historical novella that lampoons the culture of honor and duel etiquette in 19th?century America. Presented as a self?conscious memoir by an amateur narrator, the book charts a comic odyssey through a supposed “affair of honor” on the Chattahoochee River. The narrative follows Major Woodson, Colonel Hurd, and Hercules Diogenes Lofty as they stage verbal exchanges, notes, testimonies, and social rituals that escalate into a river voyage toward a supposed duel at Neil’s Landing. Through a succession of private interviews, formal bowing ceremonies, time?keeping debates, and a proliferating series of notes, the text lampoons the elaborate etiquette and pretensions surrounding the Code Duello, often turning courtly gestures into comic farce. The work includes appended mock?scholarly documents drawn from the American, French, and Irish codes, and it parodies the idea that honor requires public spectacle rather than peaceful resolution. With a wry, documentary flavor, the book critiques violence cloaked in civility while offering a playful reminiscence of a decaying ritual culture.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0371777259
• ISBN 13: 9780371777251
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 296