''The Bastard'' is a

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

written by

John Jakes John William Jakes (born March 31, 1932) is an American writer, best known for American historical and speculative fiction. His Civil War trilogy, ''North and South'', has sold millions of copies worldwide. He is also the author of The Kent Fam ...

and originally published in 1974. It is book one in a series known as The Kent Family Chronicles or the American Bicentennial Series. The novel mixes fictional characters with historical events or people, to tell the story of the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

in the time period leading up to the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. The novel was adapted into a four-hour

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

in 1978, also called ''The Bastard''.

Plot summary

The story begins in November 1770 in

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, near Chavaniac. Seventeen-year-old Philippe Charboneau, illegitimate son of James Amberly, the 6th Duke of Kent, travels with his mother Marie to

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England and stake their claim to his inheritance. When they arrive, the Duke's family refuse to recognize Philippe as the son of the Duke. Lacking the funds to return to France, Marie and Philippe flee to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, where Phillippe learns the printing trade and makes plans to emigrate to America. During their transatlantic journey, Marie dies of

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

and is buried at sea, and Philippe decides to adopt an

Anglicized Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influenc ...

version of his name, renaming himself Philip Kent. Philip arrives in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

penniless, becoming homeless and starving. He is introduced to

Benjamin Edes Benjamin Edes (October 15, 1732 – December 11, 1803) was an early American printer, publisher, newspaper journalist and a revolutionary advocate before and during the American Revolution. He is best known, along with John Gill, as the publishe ...

, the editor of the

Boston Gazette The ''Boston Gazette'' (1719–1798) was a newspaper published in Boston, in the British North American colonies. It was a weekly newspaper established by William Brooker, who was just appointed Postmaster of Boston, with its first issue release ...

, who gives Philip a job at his publishing firm. Through this job, Philip meets Abraham Ware, who often contributes to articles to the paper, and his daughter Anne, whom Philip begins courting. Philip participates in the

Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India Company to sell t ...

, and then joins the Boston Grenadier Company under

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following th ...

. A number of measures are enacted after the Tea Party to punish the colonists in Boston. One of these acts, the

Quartering Act The Quartering Acts were two or more Acts of British Parliament requiring local governments of Britain's North American colonies to provide the British soldiers with housing and food. Each of the Quartering Acts was an amendment to the Mutiny A ...

, particularly angers Abraham Ware, because he is required to house a British soldier in his home. George Lumden, the sergeant who is quartered in the Wares' house, falls in love with Daisy O'Brian, the Wares' cook, and decides to desert the British army. Philip, who wants Lumden's musket, encourages the sergeant to do so and even employs a local boy to assist him in taking the musket. However, the boy betrays Philip and informs on Lumden to the commander of his unit, who is none other than Roger Amberly. Roger goes to the Wares' house in search of Lumden, but finds only Anne. When Philip arrives, Roger recognizes and attacks him. Philip stabs his half-brother in the stomach with a bayonet and flees with Lumden for Daisy's father's farm, near

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the co ...

. Anne and Daisy join them at the farm some time later and inform him that Roger survived. He was taken to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

to be treated privately, along with his fiance Alicia Parkhurst. Philip, who once had an affair with Alicia, leaves Concord to see her in Philadelphia. Roger dies before Philip reaches the city. Philip meets with Alicia, who tells him she wants to marry him, but Philip realizes this is only because he is now the Duke's only heir. Philip informs Alicia that he no longer loves her and has decided to give up any claim to his inheritance. On his return from Philadelphia to Concord, Philip participates in Paul Revere's famous " midnight ride" to warn the patriots that the British army is coming. Philip tries to see Anne, but her father will not allow him to. Philip participates in the

Battle of Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, ...

and afterwards is finally reunited with Anne. He tells her that he plans to marry her, and then leaves to continue fighting in the war against the British.

Adaptation

In 1978,

Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a prede ...

adapted the novel into a four-hour

, also called ''The Bastard''. The miniseries starred

Andrew Stevens Herman Andrew Stevens (born June 10, 1955) is an American executive, film producer, director and actor. Early life Stevens was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the only child of actress Stella Stevens and her former husband Noble Herman Stephens. Ca ...

as Phillippe Charboneau/Philip Kent and aired on May 22 and 23, 1978 as part of

Operation Prime Time Operation Prime Time (OPT) was a consortium of American independent television stations to develop prime time programming for independent stations. OPT and its spin-off syndication company, Television Program Enterprises (TPE), were formed by A ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bastard, The 1974 American novels Novels set during the American Revolutionary War Novels by John Jakes American historical novels American novels adapted into films 1978 television films 1978 films 1978 drama films 1970s historical romance films American Revolutionary War films 1970s American television miniseries American films based on actual events Films based on American novels Films directed by Lee H. Katzin Operation Prime Time American historical romance films 1970s American films

Plot summary

Adaptation

See also

References

External links