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The Bravo is a vel by James Fenimore Cooper first published in 1831 in three volumes. Inspired by a trip to Europe where he traveled through much of Italy, the vel is set in Venice. The Bravo is the first of Cooper's three vels to be set in Europe.This group of three vels, which one critic would call Cooper's European trilogy, include The Heidenmauer and The Headsman. Like his other vels set in Europe, The Bravo was t very well received in the United States.The book largely focuses on political themes, especially the tension between the social elite and other classes. Background In 1829-1830, Cooper toured Italy with his wife and family.Starting in Florence, where he spent considerable time absorbing the Tuscan culture, Cooper departed on a sailing trip around Italy, visiting many historic cities including Gea Marseilles and much of Southern Italy. In Sorrento, Cooper finished Water Witch, after which, he again departed, sailing again through the Adriatic. Upon reaching Venice, Cooper was so struck by the architecture that he was inspired to write the vel that would become The Bravo. James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 - September 15, 1851) was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. His historical romances of frontier and Indian life in the early American days created a unique form of American literature. He lived most of his life in Cooperstown, New York, which was founded by his father William on property that he owned. Cooper was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church and, in his later years, contributed generously to it.He attended Yale University for three years, where he was a member of the Linian Society, but was expelled for misbehavior. Before embarking on his career as a writer, he served in the U.S. Navy as a Midshipman, which greatly influenced many of his vels and other writings. The vel that launched his career was The Spy, a tale about counterespionage set during the Revolutionary War and published in 1821. He also wrote numerous sea stories, and his best-kwn works are five historical vels of the frontier period kwn as the Leatherstocking Tales. Among naval historians, Cooper's works on the early U.S. Navy have been well received, but they were sometimes criticized by his contemporaries. Among his most famous works is the Romantic vel The Last of the Mohicans, often regarded as his masterpiece.