Ebenezer Cooke
Encyclopedia
Ebenezer Cooke a London-born poet
, wrote what some scholars consider the first American satire
: “The Sotweed Factor, or A Voyage to Maryland
, A Satyr” (1708). He has been fictionalized by John Barth
as the comically innocent protagonist of The Sot-Weed Factor
, a novel in which a series of fantastic misadventures leads Cooke to write his poem.
Almost all that is known about Cooke was discovered by Lawrence C. Wroth and published in the introduction to a facsimile edition of The Maryland Muse, (1934, originally published 1730). Building on the few historical references, Wroth theorized that Cooke's grandfather, Andrew Cooke, came to Maryland in 1661 and bought several pieces of property, including a place called "Malden", then later called "Cooke's Point." Cooke's father, also named Andrew, married a woman named Anne in England in 1664. Wroth guesses Ebenezer was born the next year. Based on the poem, Ebenezer attended Cambridge University and came to Maryland in 1694. He returned to England before The Sot–Weed Factor was published in 1708 in London. He probably remained in England until after his father's will was probated in 1711/12 and returned to Maryland before 1717 and died sometime after 1732, the date of publication of the last work signed "Ebenezer Cooke."
couplets, the poem is, on its surface, a scathing Juvenalian satire of America and its colonists, and a parody
of the pamphlets that advertised colonization as easy and lucrative (Arner 38,40). The persona comes to Maryland as a tobacco
merchant, or “sot-weed factor.” He is shocked by the brutishness of Native Americans and English settlers alike, and he is swindled by an “ambodexter quack,” or corrupt lawyer. He leaves the colony in disgust.
Some critics, notably including Arner, J.A. Lemay (81,93) and more recently G.A. Carey and Sarah Ford, read the poem as a dual satire, targeting the closed-minded, embittered, failed colonist as much as it satirizes the colony. This dual satire, Ford argues, helped to promote a national identity, as “the colonists become insiders who perceive the humor in the factor's inability to adapt to life in America” (1). Micklus, too, sees the poem’s humor as contributing to an aspect of American culture—namely, a tendency towards self-referential satire, later further developed by Alexander Hamilton
and Benjamin Franklin
(261). What is significant about the poem, for Micklus, is not what Cooke says about either the colony or the English, but how Cooke goes about showing that his speaker “is a complete ass” (253).
(Titles and dates for the first and last items are taken from Mark Canada http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/canam/cooke.htm.)
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, wrote what some scholars consider the first American satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
: “The Sotweed Factor, or A Voyage to Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, A Satyr” (1708). He has been fictionalized by John Barth
John Barth
John Simmons Barth is an American novelist and short-story writer, known for the postmodernist and metafictive quality of his work.-Life:...
as the comically innocent protagonist of The Sot-Weed Factor
The Sot-Weed Factor
The Sot-Weed Factor is a 1960 novel by the American writer John Barth, which marks Barth's discovery of Postmodernism.-Plot:The novel is a satirical epic of the colonization of Maryland based on the life of an actual poet, Ebenezer Cooke, who wrote a poem of the same title...
, a novel in which a series of fantastic misadventures leads Cooke to write his poem.
Life
Not a great deal is known about the life of Cooke (sometimes spelled “Cook”). However, it is known that Cooke, like the persona of his poem, voyaged to Maryland as a young man. He entered the bar of Prince George's County, Maryland, and practiced law before returning to London by 1694. He later returned to Maryland after inheriting a half interest in his father’s estate at Malden, Maryland. http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/canam/cooke.htmAlmost all that is known about Cooke was discovered by Lawrence C. Wroth and published in the introduction to a facsimile edition of The Maryland Muse, (1934, originally published 1730). Building on the few historical references, Wroth theorized that Cooke's grandfather, Andrew Cooke, came to Maryland in 1661 and bought several pieces of property, including a place called "Malden", then later called "Cooke's Point." Cooke's father, also named Andrew, married a woman named Anne in England in 1664. Wroth guesses Ebenezer was born the next year. Based on the poem, Ebenezer attended Cambridge University and came to Maryland in 1694. He returned to England before The Sot–Weed Factor was published in 1708 in London. He probably remained in England until after his father's will was probated in 1711/12 and returned to Maryland before 1717 and died sometime after 1732, the date of publication of the last work signed "Ebenezer Cooke."
“The Sot-Weed Factor”
Written in HudibrasticHudibrastic
Hudibrastic is a type of English verse named for Samuel Butler's Hudibras, published in parts from 1663 to 1678. For the poem, Butler invented a mock-heroic verse structure. Instead of pentameter, the lines were written in iambic tetrameter...
couplets, the poem is, on its surface, a scathing Juvenalian satire of America and its colonists, and a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the pamphlets that advertised colonization as easy and lucrative (Arner 38,40). The persona comes to Maryland as a tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
merchant, or “sot-weed factor.” He is shocked by the brutishness of Native Americans and English settlers alike, and he is swindled by an “ambodexter quack,” or corrupt lawyer. He leaves the colony in disgust.
Some critics, notably including Arner, J.A. Lemay (81,93) and more recently G.A. Carey and Sarah Ford, read the poem as a dual satire, targeting the closed-minded, embittered, failed colonist as much as it satirizes the colony. This dual satire, Ford argues, helped to promote a national identity, as “the colonists become insiders who perceive the humor in the factor's inability to adapt to life in America” (1). Micklus, too, sees the poem’s humor as contributing to an aspect of American culture—namely, a tendency towards self-referential satire, later further developed by Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
and Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
(261). What is significant about the poem, for Micklus, is not what Cooke says about either the colony or the English, but how Cooke goes about showing that his speaker “is a complete ass” (253).
Other works
- "An ELOGY on the Death of Thomas Bordley Esquire," 1726
- "An Elegy on the Death of the Honorable Nicholas Lowe," Maryland Gazette, 1728. (Signed "E. Cooke. Laureat")
- "Sotweed Redivivus or the Planters Looking Glass," Annapolis, 1730 (signed E. C. Gent)
- The Maryland Muse, containing a revised version of The Sot–weed Factor and "The History of Colonel Nathaniel Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia," 1731 (signed E, Cooke, Gent")
- "An Elegy on the Death of the Honorable William Locke, Esquire" May, 1732 (Signed "Ebenezer Cook, Poet Laureat")
- "In Memory of the Honorable Benedict Leonard Calvert Esquire. Lieutenant Governor in the Province of Maryland" . . . U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland.
(Titles and dates for the first and last items are taken from Mark Canada http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/canam/cooke.htm.)