Biography
James Fenimore Cooper was an influential pioneer in American literature, known for creating the first historical novel centered on American themes and characters, along with the first sea novel. Through both fiction and nonfiction, he established himself as a perceptive critic of democracy's excesses. This narrative explores Cooper's early life, his lifelong works, and the legacy he left behind.
Early Life
Born as the eleventh child to William and Elizabeth Fenimore Cooper on September 15, 1789, in Burlington, New Jersey, James Fenimore Cooper's life began in a bustling town. As an infant of just over a year, his family relocated to the more rugged and untamed landscape around Ostego Lake, where his father constructed Ostego Hall, forming the basis for Cooperstown. This frontier setting inspired the fictional Templeton in Cooper's novel The Pioneers (1823), with his father becoming the model for Judge Temple and Ostego Lake morphing into Lake Glimmerglass. While Cooper's interactions with indigenous people were limited to literary sources, the surrounding wilderness played a vital role in shaping his works.
Education in Cooperstown followed, with James attending the local academy before studying under Reverend William Ellison in Albany. In 1803, he enrolled at Yale at the young age of thirteen, where he was more inclined toward mischief than academics, leading to his expulsion after a prank involving gunpowder. The sea became his next classroom when, the following year, he embarked on voyages aboard the Stirling, experiencing thrilling episodes, including pirate pursuits and British naval impressment during the Napoleonic Wars.
Returning to America, Cooper was eligible for a navy midshipman's commission, though his hopes of active service were dashed by assignments that kept him ashore. Despite these setbacks, his time by the sea enriched his understanding of nautical life, knowledge that would later be intricately woven into his literary endeavors.
After his father's death in 1809 and a subsequent furlough to tend to family matters, Cooper married Susan Augusta DeLancey in 1811. Committed to leaving the navy, he embarked on life as a gentleman farmer and land speculator. However, the deaths of his six siblings between 1813 and 1819 burdened him with their debts and dependents, challenging his financial stability.
Life’s Work
By 1820, living in Scarsdale, Cooper's disdain for Jane Austen's Persuasion sparked his literary journey when he boasted he could pen a better novel. Despite his aversion to writing, his wife's challenge led to the creation of Precaution (1820). Though this British-style novel of manners was not remarkable on its own, it marked the beginning of Cooper's writing career.
His next endeavor, The Spy (1821), tackled the daunting task of engaging American readers with American themes. Despite initial difficulties, its success was undeniable, quickly garnering multiple editions, stage adaptations, and even a French translation. Critics lauded it, with the North American Review dubbing Cooper "the first who deserved the appellation of a distinguished American novel writer."
In The Spy, Cooper painted a vivid picture of New York's landscape and society during the American Revolution, centering on the enigmatic figure of Harvey Birch. This character was American in essence, standing apart from societal norms unlike British fictional heroes, embodying the rugged outsider.
Cooper's subsequent novel, The Pioneers , struck a chord with readers, selling thousands of copies immediately upon release. It introduced the legendary character Natty Bumppo, a self-reliant figure reminiscent of America's westward expansion, whose legacy persists in popular culture from dime novels to modern film heroes. It was the first of the Leatherstocking Tales, a series that chronicled Bumppo's life from youth to death, alongside the creation of a mythic frontier that greatly influenced...
(This entire section contains 1221 words.)
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American historical narratives.
Cooper's portrayal of the frontier involved a complex interplay between indigenous populations and encroaching white civilization. In these narratives, Cooper both justified and lamented the displacement of Native Americans, depicting them as either noble savages or vicious adversaries. His works captured the tragic beauty of a wilderness steadily disappearing beneath the axe of progress.
Cooper ventured into new territory with The Pilot (1824), a sea novel that showcased his detailed maritime knowledge, and later works like The Last of the Mohicans (1826) further solidified his literary reputation. Cooper's contributions were recognized with honors and celebrations, including his appointment on the committee to welcome the Marquis de Lafayette and an honorary degree from Columbia University.
While in Europe, Cooper expanded his influence, publishing novels and political commentaries that both praised and critiqued American democracy. However, his popularity waned due to his involvement in European politics and critical reception of his later European-themed novels. Upon returning to America, Cooper expressed his disillusionment with what he saw as the excesses of Jacksonian democracy, a sentiment reflected in works like A Letter to His Countrymen (1834).
Even in semi-retirement, Cooper's literary output continued with travel books and novels critiquing societal issues in both Europe and America. His firm belief in republican ideals remained, though he observed changing American values with concern. In The American Democrat (1838), Cooper articulated his vision of democracy, advocating for merit-based leadership within a structured society.
Despite mixed reception to his novels exploring these democratic themes, Cooper briefly recaptured his audience with the final Leatherstocking Tales and additional sea adventures. His involvement in the Antirent War sided him with landowners, as reflected in the Littlepage novels, where he criticized both tenant demands and political figures.
In The Crater (1847), Cooper imagined an ideal Jeffersonian democracy corrupted by societal vices, culminating in its ultimate destruction. Though often embroiled in controversy, Cooper's literary and social contributions were acknowledged posthumously in a memorial tribute organized by Washington Irving.
Summary
Cooper's assertion that America lacked material for a national literature was contradicted by his creation of thirty-two novels, which laid the groundwork for an authentically American literary tradition. His works, characterized by distinctly American settings and characters, resonated with themes rooted in the ideals of the nation's founding fathers.
Not only did Cooper craft American narratives, but he also fostered a readership for them, significantly increasing the publication of American literature. His historical novels, though more myth than history, shaped perceptions of indigenous peoples and the American wilderness, fueling the spirit of Manifest Destiny.
While critical of democracy's pitfalls, Cooper established a legacy of social critique that influenced countless authors. Despite controversies, his role as a literary pathfinder and pioneer in exploring America's character and destiny remains undeniable.
Bibliography
Boynton, Henry Walcott. James Fenimore Cooper. New York: Century Co., 1931. Focuses on Cooper's persona rather than his literary output, often glossing over his faults. Franklin, Wayne. The New World of James Fenimore Cooper. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982. Analyzes Cooper's frontier attitudes through five novels, highlighting the transformation from promise to tragedy. McWilliams, John P. Political Justice in a Republic: James Fenimore Cooper’s America. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1972. Examines Cooper's lifelong republican ideals amid changing societal landscapes. Railton, Stephen. Fenimore Cooper: A Study in His Life and Imagination. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1978. A psychological interpretation of Cooper's life, focusing on paternal influences. Spiller, Robert Ernest. Fenimore Cooper: Critic of His Times. New York: Minton, Balch and Co., 1931. Discusses Cooper's societal critiques contextualized within his era. Walker, Warren S. James Fenimore Cooper: An Introduction and Interpretation. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1962. Organizes Cooper's biography around his central themes and reviews critical responses. Waples, Dorothy. The Whig Myth of James Fenimore Cooper. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1938. Explores the political misrepresentations of Cooper by Whigs during his lifetime.
Criticism by James Fenimore Cooper
