The Yellow Cardinal, introduction and outline
- Colonial-NewYorker
- Aug 19
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 31
Below you can find a general outline for the first act of my historical fiction novel, titled The Yellow Cardinal, which I would describe rather lovingly as eclectic and eccentric. Act two is partially finished, and I will post as I write, averaging around two posts a week on this topic. The novel spans the years 1765-1776, beginning with the Stamp Act Riots and culminating in the Fire of Manhattan in 1776. It will end with the success of the nascent revolutionary movement being less than certain of success, and will focus more on the peripheries of that conflict than on well known events or people. In doing so, the novel will explore themes of struggling to find one's identity as we age, struggling against addiction, the plights of the enslaved, struggles of womanhood, and the intersection of faith and civic duty. On the whole, the author hopes to portray to the reader an impression of the 18th century as it stands in his mind, and as such the work will feature digressive elements, inspired by Lawrence Sterne and Herman Melville, and will likewise feature metatextual narration and interposition from a fictional narrator, who will be prefaced with a short framing narrative. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. It is a direct result of my passionate readings across the years of the 18th century, English literature, and the intersection of those passions with my daily life. I offer it, free of charge, to you, my most dutiful and loyal reader. Enjoy!
N.B. All sections of the work are to be understood in a draft phase, and stand open to revision by the author. Likewise, the entire novel and all posts remain the intellectual property of the author.
The Yellow Cardinal
An Eighteenth-Century Tragedy
⸙
How e'er unlike in Form and Name
All things are virtu'lly the same.
Since Terms are confounded, and Words on the Rack,
And White is oft taken for Blue or for Black,
Since Nonsense now passes for sound Sense and Reason,
And Words are let loose to fix what Sense you please on;
'Tis virtual' the same to, stay here or go there,
To breathe a free British or some other Air;
A Freeman in London, or Vassal at Bender
In Effect are the same-the Masculine Gender:
Thus good Things and bad Things, and great Things and small Things,
Are here reconciled-and virtually all Things.
-The New York Gazette, July 1765
Chapter Index:
Act One: Foundations (1765-66)
14 • The Stranger
15 • The Floating Island
16 • A Furtive Stroll
17 • The Presbyterian Meeting House
18 • Blood of Slaves
19 • Poor Richard’s Almanac
20 • The Yellow Cardinal
21 • On Naming
22 • Farewell Virginia
• Postscript
23• The Beast of Gevaudan
24 • The Progeny of William Cecil
25 • The Tavern Wench
26 • Pope’s Day
• First Interlude: The Rings of Saturn
27 • George’s Diary
28 • The Demon in the Manor
29 • The Coffee House
30 • Evensong
31 • Christmas Eve
32 • The Polly
33 • A Treatise on Rioting in Three Parts
34 • George’s Diary cont.
35 • The Lantern
36 • The Inn
37 • The Painting
38 • George’s Diary cont.
39 • Rex v. Prendergast
40 • Hung, Drawn, and Quartered
41 • The Grave
42 • George’s Diary cont.
43 • The Post-Road
44 • A Pastoral Idyll
45 • A Church of Friends
46 • Aeschylus
47 • The Long Wharf
48 • A Hidden Note
49 • The Akedah
50 • God Save the King
51 • George’s Diary cont.
52 • A Dutch Intermission
Act Two: Twining Yarns (1769-1771) TBD
Act Three: Tapestry (1775-76) TBD
Warning: The Yellow Cardinal contains adult themes that may not be suitable for all audiences under the age of 18. Some chapters may contain descriptions of graphic scenarios including but not limited to: suggestive materials, violence, 18th century racism and slavery, sexism, etc. Read with caution and/or parental permission.
Feature Image of a Yellow Cardinal, credit: Hector Bottai, Wiki Commons
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