The SotWeed Factor Author:John Barth THE SOT-WEED FACTOR is, certainly, the story of Ebenezer Cooke, poet and virgin. The time is the late 17th century, and Ebenezer's picaresque adventures - which put his "innocence" to incredible tests - begin in London when he is appointed Poet and Laureate of Maryland and, commissioned to write an epic poem, The Marylandiad, sets out for the N... more »ew World. In his erratic journeys to and through Maryland, Ebenezer survives pirates, shipwrecks, political intrigues, rebellion, capture by Indians; sees his estate turned into an opium den - and worse, his sister carried off by an Ahatchwhoop prince; encounters swindlers, bawds, imposters, and knaves of every description. Appearing through in a variety of disguises is Ebenezer's ex-tutor, Henry Burlingame III, whose search for the identity of Burlingame I and II leads to the discovery of the amazing "secret diary" of Captain John Smith. Ebenezer Cook's career comes full circle with his creation, finally, - not of the epic Marylandiad - but rather The Sot-Weed Factor, a bitter satire detailing his disillusionment.« less