By using this piece of cloth as the main character of his novel, Cooper could satirically criticise both French and American economic life. It is believed to be the first time in English-language literature that a writer made an object, in this case a handkerchief, the main ‘point of view’ character.
Source: HEMMINGS, Jessica (ed., 2012). The Textile Reader, London: Berg, p. 99.
Digital source of illustration (retrieved 15th June 2016).
SA