The American Prisoner
Encyclopedia
The American Prisoner is a novel
written by Eden Phillpotts
, published in America in 1904 and adapted into a film
in 1929. The story concerns an English woman who lives at Fox Tor
farm, and an American captured during the American Revolutionary War
and held at the prison at Princetown on Dartmoor
.
The heroine's father, Maurice Malherb, is based on Thomas Windeatt.
In the novel Malherb is a miscreant who destroys Childe's tomb and beats his servant. He is depicted as a victim of his own bad temper rather than a sadist.
Malherb is introduced as the younger son of a noble family and he builds the Fox Tor house to be the impressive gentleman's residence suggested by William Crossing
rather than the humble cottage which it actually is.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Eden Phillpotts
Eden Phillpotts
Eden Phillpotts was an English author, poet and dramatist. He was born in India, educated in Plymouth, Devon, and worked as an insurance officer for 10 years before studying for the stage and eventually becoming a writer....
, published in America in 1904 and adapted into a film
The American Prisoner (film)
The American Prisoner is a 1929 British drama film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Carl Brisson, Madeleine Carroll and Cecil Barry. It was adapted from the 1904 novel The American Prisoner by Eden Phillpotts. An American sailor imprisoned on Dartmoor during the Napoleonic Wars manages to...
in 1929. The story concerns an English woman who lives at Fox Tor
Fox Tor
Fox Tor is a relatively minor tor on Dartmoor in the United Kingdom. It is probably best known for the swampy land that lies beneath it, Fox Tor Mires. This is said to have been the inspiration for the fictional Grimpen Mire in the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...
farm, and an American captured during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and held at the prison at Princetown on Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
.
The heroine's father, Maurice Malherb, is based on Thomas Windeatt.
In the novel Malherb is a miscreant who destroys Childe's tomb and beats his servant. He is depicted as a victim of his own bad temper rather than a sadist.
Malherb is introduced as the younger son of a noble family and he builds the Fox Tor house to be the impressive gentleman's residence suggested by William Crossing
William Crossing
William Crossing was a writer and documenter of Dartmoor and Dartmoor life. He lived successively at South Brent, Brentor and at Mary Tavy but died at Plymouth.-Early life:...
rather than the humble cottage which it actually is.