Cooper James Fenimore is a famous American writer, author of 33 novels. His style combined elements of romanticism and enlightenment. For a long time, Cooper's work was the personification of American adventure literature. Of course, similar works were written before him. But Fenimore was the first writer to receive recognition from a European audience. And his novels firmly entered the circle of interests of a huge number of children. This article will present a brief biography of the writer, as well as his key works.
Childhood
James Fenimore Cooper was born in 1789 in Burlington (New Jersey). The boy's father was a large landowner. The childhood of the future writer was spent in the village of Cooperstown, located in New York, on the lake. It was so named in honor of father James. Of course, the origin left its mark on the formation of the political views of the hero of this article. Fenimore preferred the lifestyle of the "rural gentlemen" and remained an adherent of large land tenure. But he linked democratic land reforms only with the rampant demagogy and bourgeois money-grubbing.
Study and travel
Cooper James Fenimore was first educated at a local school, and then enrolled at Yale College. After graduation, the young man had no desire to continue his studies. Seventeen-year-old James became a sailor in the merchant, and then in the navy. The future writer crossed the Atlantic Ocean, traveled a lot. Fenimore also studied the Great Lakes region well, where his works will soon unfold. In those years, he accumulated a lot of material for his literary work in the form of a variety of life experiences.
Carier start
In 1810, after his father’s funeral, Cooper James Fenimore married and settled with his family in the small town of Skarsdale. Ten years later, he wrote his first novel, entitled Caution. James later recalled that he created this work "for an argument." Fenimore’s wife was fond of English novels. Therefore, the hero of this article, half in jest, half seriously, began writing such a book.
"Spy"
The War of Independence was a topic that James Fenimore Cooper was very interested in at that time. The Spy, written by him in 1821, was entirely devoted to this issue. The patriotic novel brought the author great fame. We can say that Cooper filled the void formed in national literature with this work and showed the guidelines for its future development. From that moment on, Fenimore decided to devote himself entirely to literary creation. In the next six years, he wrote several more novels, including three works that were included in the future pentalogy about Leather Stocking. But we will talk about them separately.
Europe
In 1826, James Fenimore Cooper, whose books were already quite popular, traveled to Europe. He lived for a long time in Italy, France. The writer also traveled to other countries. New impressions forced him to turn to the history of both the Old and the New World. In Europe, the hero of this article wrote two sea novels (The Sea Sorceress, Red Corsair) and a trilogy about the Middle Ages (The Executioner, Heidenmauer, Bravo).
Return to America
Seven years later, Cooper James Fenimore arrived home. America has changed a lot during his absence. The heroic time of the revolution is a thing of the past, and the principles of the Declaration of Independence have been forgotten. In the United States, a period of industrial revolution began, which destroyed the remnants of patriarchalism both in human relations and in life. "Great moral eclipse" - so Cooper christened the disease that has penetrated into American society. Money has become the highest interest and priority for people.
Appeal to fellow citizens
James Fenimore Cooper, whose books were known far beyond America, decided to try to "reason" with his fellow citizens. He still believed in the advantages of the socio-political system of his own country, considering the bad phenomena to be superficial, an external perversion of initially healthy and reasonable foundations. And Fenimore released "Letters to the Compatriots." In them, he called for a fight against the “distortions” that appeared.
But it did not end with success. On the contrary, a lot of secret slander and open hatred fell upon James. Bourgeois America did not disregard his appeal. She accused Fenimore of arrogance, quarrelsomeness, lack of patriotism and lack of literary talent. After that, the writer retired to Cooperstown. There he continued to create journalistic works and novels.
The last period of creativity
During this period of time, James Fenimore Cooper, whose complete works are now available in almost any library, completed the last two pentalogy novels about Leather Stocking (St. John's Wort, Pathfinder). In 1835, he published the satirical novel "Monokins" about the exposed vices of the socio-political system of the United States and England. In the book they are displayed under the names Low Jump and High Jump. Also noteworthy is his trilogy on land rent ("Surveyor", "Devil's Finger", "Redskins"), published in the forties. In terms of ideology and art, the latest works of Cooper are very unequal. In addition to criticizing the bourgeois system, they contain components of a conservative utopia that give readers false ideas about the “land aristocracy”. But, despite this, the writer always adhered to critical anti-bourgeois positions.
Leather Stocking Pentalog
This series of books is Cooper's highest achievement. It included five novels: Pioneers, Prairies, The Last of the Mohicans, St. John's Wort, and Pathfinder. All of them are united by the image of the main character named Nathaniel Bampo. He is a hunter with many nicknames: Long Carabiner, Leather Stocking, Hawkeye, Pathfinder, St. John's Wort.
The pentalogy presents the whole life of Bampo - from youth to death. But the stages of Nathaniel's life do not coincide with the order of writing novels. James Fenimore Cooper, whose collected works are all fans of his work, began to describe the life of Bampo from old age. The epic continued with a story about the mature age of Natty, then there was old age. And only after a thirteen-year break Cooper again took up the history of Leather Stocking and described his youth. Below we list the works of the pentalogy precisely in the order of growing up of the protagonist.
"St. John's wort"
Here, Nathaniel Bampo is a little over twenty. The enemies of the youth are the Huron Indians. Fighting with them, Natty meets Chingachgook on his way. Bogpo will make friends with this Mohican Indian and will stay in touch for the rest of his life. The situation in the work is complicated by the fact that the white allies of Natti are unfair and cruel to a foreign people. They themselves provoke bloodshed and violence. Dramatic adventures - captivity, escape, battles, ambushes - unfold against the backdrop of a very picturesque nature - the wooded shores of Lake Shimmering and its mirror surface.
"The Last of the Mohicans"
Perhaps the most famous novel of Fenimore. Here, the antipode of Bampo is the insidious and cruel leader of Magua. He abducted Alice and Cora, the daughters of Colonel Munro. Bampo led a small detachment and set off to free the captives. Natty also accompanies Chingachgook with his son Uncas. The latter is in love with one of the abducted girls (Kora), although Cooper does not particularly develop this line. The son of Chingachgook dies in battle, trying to save his beloved. The novel ends with the funeral scene of Cora and Uncas (the last of the Mohicans). After Chingachgook and Natty set off on a new journey.
Pathfinder
The plot of this novel is based on the Anglo-French War of 1750-1760. Its members are trying to trick or bribe the Indians to their side. Natty and Chingachgook are fighting on Lake Ontario, helping their brothers. However, Cooper, through the mouth of Bampo, strongly condemns the war unleashed by the colonialists. He emphasizes the pointlessness of death in this battle, both Indians and whites. A significant place in the work is given to the lyrical line. Leather Stocking is in love with Mabel Dunham. The girl appreciates the nobility and courage of the scout, but still leaves for Jasper, who is close to her in character and age. Disappointed, Natty leaves west.
"Pioneers"
This is the most problematic novel written by James Fenimore Cooper. "Pioneers" describe the life of Leather Stocking at the age of seventy. But, despite this, Bampo has not yet lost his vigilance, and his hand is still firm. Chingachguk is still nearby, only from a powerful and wise leader he turned into a drunken decrepit old man. Both heroes are in the village of colonists, where the laws of a "civilized" society. The central conflict of the novel lies in the confrontation of far-fetched social orders and natural laws of nature. At the end of the novel, Chingachgook dies. Bampo leaves the village and hides in the forest.
"Prairie"
The final part of the pentalogy written by James Fenimore Cooper. "Prairie" tells the story of Nathaniel's life in old age. Bampo made new friends. But now he helps them not with a well-aimed shot, but with great life experience, the ability to talk with a severe Indian leader and to hide from natural disaster. Natty and her friends confront the Bush family and the Sioux Indians. But the adventurous plot ends quite well - a double wedding. The ending of the work describes the soulful and solemn scene of the last moments of Bampo's life and his death.
