Cooper's Contribution to American Society

Introduction

America produced many renown authors during the age of American romanticism. During this time, writers, such as: Washington Irving, William Cullen Bryant, Edgar Allen Poe, and James Fenimore Cooper emerged. Romantic writers emphasized intuition, an inner perception of truth that is independent of reason. To discover this truth, Emerson wrote in The American Scholar (1837), a man must 'learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within.' The main key to this inner world is the imagination. Man's imagination leads to expression. Our expression makes each of us a unique human. Romanticism became the way of 'expressing' for this generation of writers. (Brian 391)

Life & Works

Cooper was born in Burlington, New Jersey, the son of William and Elizabeth (Fenimore) Cooper. His father was a United States Congressman. Shortly after his first birthday, his family moved to Cooperstown, New York. Among the giants of this time, Cooper achieved more worldwide fame than Irving or Bryant. The creation of the famous Leatherstocking saga has cemented his position as America's first great national novelist and his influence pervades American literature. In his thirty-two years (1820-51) of authorship, Cooper produced twenty-nine other long works of fiction and fifteen books. He is widely read in Europe, where his Leatherstocking Tales contributed to the romantic notion of American frontier life. 'English novelists such as Joseph Conrad and D. H. Lawrence praised his work; American writers have been of differing opinions. Herman Melville admired Cooper's sea tales; Mark Twain questioned his knowledge of wilderness survival and ridiculed his handling of character and dialogue (Encarta.)'(Brian 391)

Legacy & Criticism

Cooper was one of the most popular 19th century American authors, and his work was admired greatly throughout the world. While on his death bed, the Austrian composer Franz Schubert became an avid reader of Cooper's novels. Honoré de Balzac, the French novelist and playwright, admired him greatly. Cooper's stories have been translated into nearly all the languages of Europe and into some of those of Asia.

Though some scholars may dispute Cooper being classified as a Romantic, Victor Hugo pronounced him greater than the great master of modern romance, and this verdict was echoed by a multitude of less famous readers[who?], who were satisfied with no title for their favorite less than that of the "American Scott.” He was most memorably criticized by Mark Twain whose vicious and amusing review is still read widely in academic circles. His reputation today rests upon the five Leatherstocking tales and some of the maritime stories. His presentation of race relations and native Americans has generated much comment, not all of it sympathetic.

Cooper was also criticized heavily for his depiction of women characters in his work. James Russell Lowell, Cooper's contemporary and a critic, referred to it poetically in A Fable for Critics, writing, ". . . the women he draws from one model don't vary / All sappy as maples and flat as a prairie. (Brian 391)

Image of the American Patriot-James Fennimore Cooper

In his ...