The Water-Witch

This article is about the 1830 novel. For other uses, see Waterwitch.

The Water-Witch is an 1830 novel by James Fenimore Cooper. Set in 17th-century New York and the surrounding sea, the novel depicts the abduction of a woman, Alida de Barbérie, by the pirate captain of the brigantine Water-Witch, and the subsequent pursuit of that elusive ship by her suitor, Captain Ludlow.^[1][2]

Illustration of an episode from The Water Witch, from a musical composition inspired by the story

Cooper wrote the novel while on an extended tour of Europe, during his stay in the villa Palazzu detta del Tasso near Naples.^[1] Cooper tried to print the novel while he was in Italy in 1829 but Papal censors forbade its publication there.^[1] He was eventually able to print the novel in Dresden before also sending copies to his publishers in the US and England.^[1] Critic Allan Axelrad describes the novel as heavily influenced by the Italian context of its writing, noting that it even compares the landscapes of New York with that of Italy.^[3]

The unincorporated community of Waterwitch, New Jersey is named after the novel.^[4]