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James Fenimore Cooper -- The Historian James Fenimore Cooper is, in his own right, a historian. Cooper is responsible for passing on views of early America that will never be available to us again. He helped many Americans view Indians and other ethnic groups as people and not savages. Historical events greatly influenced Coopers writing. Time periods such as the Revolutionary war and the American exploration of the West were often the backgrounds for Coopers most successful novels. Novels such as The Spy, The Pioneers, and The Last of the Mohicans all possessed these qualities, and as a The Spy was Coopers second novel and first success.
Many readers felt that The Spy possessed a quality of realism that his first novel, Precaution, didnt (Ringe 13). It was in this novel that Cooper first branched the topic of a war theme. It took place in Westchester Country which was neutral ground and also the scene of many battles between the English and the American colonists. The novel makes good use of its setting and revolves around the conflicts of one family (the Wharton's). The majority of the family remain loyalists and support the English. However, the youngest daughter favors the rebels and goes as far as to become engaged to an American major (Long 32 - 35).
This conflict in particular was one that many Americans could relate to. Since many of Coopers readers had lived through the Revolutionary war, they had often had experiences like the ones in this book. Another important historical element that Cooper enriched this novel was the use of actual people as characters. Major Andre was mentioned several times in this novel. In real life, Major Andre was a revolutionary war spy for the British (Campbell 1).
Cooper used vivid imagery to portray the realities of war. In the beginning Chapter 8, he writes, With fire and sword the country round was wasted far and wide; and many a chilling mother, then, and new-born infant died; but things like these, you know, must be at every famous victory. (Campbell 2). Cooper realized the source of this novels success and continued to use an historical theme The Pioneers was Coopers next novel and although it had a markedly different tone (Ringe 16), it was just as successful as The Spy. Instead of using the war theme this time, he dealt with something that was also familiar to most Americans. He used the basic idea that the American wilderness must be invaded and destroyed if civilization is to spread across the continent (Ringe 16). The setting of this novel was Coopers home town of Cooperstown, New York.
It centers around disputes between American Colonists and the Native Americans. Another important asset to this book is the use of imagery. Cooper depicts a landscape in the process of change from the untouched wilderness hunted by Leathingstocking and visited by Judge Temple when he came to survey his possessions, to the placid domestic scene of 1823 (Ringe 16). This novel starts out with Judge Temple, Leathingstocking, and Oliver Edwards all shooting at the same deer and then all of them trying to claim it.
Throughout the rest of the novel, hostilities rise. The novel, overall, was one of the most important ones that Cooper ever wrote. It was in this novel that Cooper first introduced the character Leathingstocking. Leathingstocking was used many times in Coopers novels. The next novel, The Pilot, offered a change of pace to Coopers readers. The novel took place on a ship that was sailing in the waters surrounding England.
This ship was preparing for a raid on England. The books theme was that for such a dangerous mission to succeed, strict obedience to proper authority is absolutely necessary (Ringe 20). This obviously presents a problem to the men fighting who had not only denied obedience to the authority of the king but is actually in open rebellion against him. This whole novel lead many readers to realize just how deeply committed to American democracy Cooper was (Ringe 22). It was also another example of how successful Coopers The book that was responsible for making Cooper a household name was The Last of the Mohicans.
This novel was the first one where Cooper used Indian romance (Long 52). Cooper knew that many Americans had no grasp on what real Indian culture was like. So, in this novel, he offered an introduction to explain the Indian way of life and to give readers insight on Indian culture (Cooper 1). Cooper also knew that, despite the lack of education Americans had when it came to Indians, this book would appeal to many different types of readers. The book centers around the romance of the chief of the Mohicans adopted son and his romance with the daughter of an army general. This topic was one that was new to many Americans.
What was not new was Coopers infallible description of the untouched wilderness of the uninhibited Americas. This novels setting was in the wilderness that is now upstate New York. He took many readers back to an America that we will never see. Another thing that made this novel successful was the use of violence. In a world without television or radios, early Americans had only books.
Reading about fights between Indians and Americans was something that most Americans only heard about. With Coopers vivid writing, many readers felt as if they were witnessing the battles themselves. The Prairie differs from Coopers other books because The Prairie depicts a world that man cannot pretend to master, for it is beyond his control (Ringe 28). The plot again involved Indian tribes battling against each other as in The Last of the Mohicans. In fact, Cooper was accused of laziness in the writing of this book because the main characters, Hard Heart and Mahtoree, are so much like The Last of the Mohicans Units and Manga (Ringe 28).
Despite these weaknesses, The Prairie was still a success. Cooper saw how much attention The Last of the Mohicans got and modeled another book after it. The use of conflicts between Indian tribes seemed to hold readers attention. Most were unaware that this too was an important part of Americas In writing The Spy, The Pilot, The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, and The Prairie, Cooper used the underlying historical theme. This was because historical themes were a great asset to Coopers already good writing. In all of his most successful novels he used real events and explicit imagery to relay history in an interesting, appealing manner.
Coopers career started off rocky and he was by no means an overnight success. Cooper rose above other writers of his time because he drew upon his life experience. He knew that people liked to read about true stories and real events. He used his many experiences along with historical events to enhance his writing and to lay foundation for his novels.
This proved successful and made Cooper one of the most popular novelists from the Romantic period of American Campbell, Derek. The Spy. Fall 1996. Online.
Yahoo. web Cooper, James Fenimore. The Last of the Mohicans. Online. wysiwyg: // 34 / web Long, Robert Emmet. James Fenimore Cooper.
Continuum. 1990. Motley, Warren. The American Abraham. Cambridge University Ringe, Donald A. James Fenimore Cooper. G.
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Research essay sample on James Fenimore Cooper Indian Tribes
