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| Fenimore Cooper - biography, information, personal life. Fenimore Cooper short biography and interesting facts Pentalogy about Leather Stocking |
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If the indisputable merit of Irving and Hawthorne, as well as E. Poe, was the creation of the American short story, then the founder American novel James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) is rightfully considered. Along with W. Irving, Fenimore Cooper- a classic of romantic nativism: it was he who introduced into US literature such a purely national and multifaceted phenomenon as the frontier, although this does not exhaust the America Cooper opened to the reader. Cooper was the first in the United States to begin writing novels in the modern understanding of the genre; he developed the ideological and aesthetic parameters of the American novel theoretically (in the prefaces to works) and practically (in his work). He laid the foundations for a whole series of genre varieties of the novel, previously completely unknown to domestic and, in some cases, world fiction. Cooper - creator of the American historical novel: with his "Spy" (1821) the development of heroic national history. He is the founder of the American maritime novel ("The Pilot", 1823) and its specifically national variety - the whaling novel ("Sea Lions", 1849), later brilliantly developed by G. Melville. Cooper developed the principles of American adventure and moral novels (Miles Walingford, 1844), a social novel (At Home, 1838), a satirical novel (The Monikins, 1835), a utopian novel (Colony on the Crater, 1848) and the so-called “Euro-American” novel (“Concepts of Americans”, 1828), the conflict of which is based on the relationship between the cultures of the Old and New Worlds; it then became central in the work of G. James. Finally, Cooper is the pioneer of such an inexhaustible field of Russian fiction as the frontier novel (or “border novel”) - a genre variety that includes, first of all, his pentalogy about Leather Stocking. It should be noted, however, that Cooper’s pentalogy is a kind of synthetic narrative, for it also absorbs the features of historical, social, moral and adventure novels and an epic novel, which is fully consistent with the actual significance of the frontier in the national history and life of the 19th century. James Cooper was born into the family of a prominent political figure, congressman and large landowner Judge William Cooper, a glorious descendant of quiet English Quakers and stern Swedes. (Fenimore - maiden name the writer's mother, whom he added to his own in 1826, thus marking a new stage in his literary career). A year after his birth, the family moved from New Jersey to New York State to the uninhabited shores of Lake Otsego, where Judge Cooper founded the village of Cooperstown. Here, on the border between civilization and wild, undeveloped lands, the future novelist spent his childhood and early adolescence. He was educated at home, studying with an English teacher hired for him, and at the age of thirteen he entered Yale, from where, despite brilliant academic success, he was expelled two years later for “provocative behavior and a tendency to make dangerous jokes.” Young Cooper could, for example, bring a donkey into the classroom and seat it in the professor's chair. Let us note that these pranks fully corresponded to the morals prevailing on the frontier and the very spirit of frontier folklore, but, of course, went against the ideas accepted in the academic environment. The measure of influence chosen by the strict father turned out to be pedagogically promising: he immediately sent his fifteen-year-old scoundrel son as a sailor on a merchant ship. After two years of service, James Cooper entered the navy as a midshipman and spent another three years sailing the seas and oceans. He resigned in 1811, immediately after his marriage, at the request of his young wife, Susan Augusta, née de Lancie, from a good New York family. Soon after, his father died from a stroke suffered during a political debate, leaving his son a decent inheritance, and Cooper lived the quiet life of a country gentleman squire. He became a writer, as family legend says, completely by accident - unexpectedly for his family and for himself. Cooper's daughter Susan recalled: “My mother was unwell; she was lying on the couch, and he was reading aloud to her a recent English novel. Apparently, the thing was worthless, because after the very first chapters he threw it away and exclaimed: “Yes, I would write to you myself.” a better book than this!" Mother laughed - this idea seemed so absurd to her. He, who hated even writing letters, would suddenly sit down to a book! Father insisted that he could, and indeed, he immediately sketched the first pages of a story that still there was no title; the action, by the way, took place in England." Cooper's first work, an imitative novel of morals, Precaution, was published in 1820. Immediately after this, the writer, in his words, “tried to create a work that would be purely American, and the theme of which would be love for the motherland.” This is how the historical novel “The Spy” (1821) appeared, which brought the author widespread fame in the USA and Europe, marking the beginning of the development of the American novel and, along with V. Irving’s “Book of Sketches,” distinctive national literature in general. How was the American novel created, what was the “secret” of Cooper’s success, what were the features of the author’s storytelling technique? Cooper based his work on the main principle of the English social novel, which came into particular fashion in the first decades of the 19th century (Jane Austen, Mary Edgeworth): stormy action, free art of creating characters, subordination of the plot to the affirmation of a social idea. The originality of Cooper's works created on this basis lay, first of all, in the theme, which he found already in his first not imitative, but “purely American novel.” This theme is America, which was completely unknown to Europeans at that time and always attractive to the patriotically minded domestic reader. Already in “The Spy,” one of the two main directions in which Cooper further developed this topic was outlined: national history (mainly the War of Independence) and the nature of the United States (primarily, the frontier and the sea, familiar to him from his youth; 11 is dedicated to navigation from 33 Cooper novels). As for the drama of the plot and the vividness of the characters, national history and reality provided no less rich and more recent material for this than the life of the Old World. Absolutely innovative and unlike the style of English novelists was the style of Cooper's nativist narrative: the plot, the figurative system, landscapes, the very method of presentation, interacting, created a unique quality of emotional Cooper's prose. For Cooper, writing was a way of expressing what he thought about America. At the beginning of it creative path, driven by patriotic pride for his young fatherland and optimistic about the future, he sought to correct certain shortcomings of national life. The “touchstone” of democratic beliefs for Cooper, as well as for Irving, was a long stay in Europe: a New York writer at the zenith of world fame, he was appointed American consul in Lyon. Fenimore Cooper, who took advantage of this appointment to improve his health and introduce his daughters to Italian and French culture, stayed abroad longer than expected. After a seven-year absence, he, who had left John Quincy Adams's USA, returned in 1833, like Irving, to Andrew Jackson's America. Shocked by the dramatic changes in the life of his country, he, unlike Irving, became an implacable critic of Jacksonian vulgarization of broad frontier democracy. The works written by Fenimore Cooper in the 1830s earned him fame as the first “anti-American,” which accompanied him until the end of his life and caused many years of persecution by the American press. “I am at odds with my country,” Cooper said. The writer died in Cooperstown, in full bloom of his creative powers, although his unpopularity as an “anti-American” overshadowed the brilliant glory of the singer of his native land. Read also other articles in the section "Literature XIX century. Romanticism. Realism": The artistic discovery of America and other discoveries Romantic nativism and romantic humanism
National history and history of the soul of the people History and modernity of America in dialogues of cultures
Famous American writer early 19th century, author of adventure novels about early settlers and Indians. His most famous work is the novel " Last of the Magicans». James Fenimore Cooper/ James Fenimore Cooper was born on September 15, 1789 in Burlington, New Jersey, the son of a US congressman William Cooper/William Cooper and Elizabeth Fenimore/ Elizabeth Fenimore. He was the eleventh of twelve children. One of his ancestors came to the New World from the English city of Straitford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare. Soon after James was born, the family moved to Cooperstown, a town founded by his father on the shores of Lake Otsego. At the age of 13 James Fenimore Cooper entered Yale, but was expelled three years later due to a prank by a fellow student. In 1806, 17-year-old Cooper decided to become a sailor and signed up on a merchant ship. During his voyage, he managed to visit the coasts of England and Spain. By 1811 he had become a midshipman in the fledgling US Navy. The order awarding him the officer rank was signed by the future US President Thomas Jefferson. After several campaigns, Cooper returned to his native state of New York, where he participated in the construction of a schooner intended for the war with England. In free time James Fenimore Cooper often wandered through the forests and explored the surroundings of the lake where the Indians lived. At the age of 20 James Fenimore Cooper received an inheritance from his father. In 1820, his wife bet Cooper whether he could write a better book than the one she was reading. In reply James Fenimore Cooper wrote a novel " Precaution” and published it under a pseudonym. In 1823 he wrote " Pioneers", where the Delaware leader Chingachgook first appeared. In 1826 he became the protagonist of James Fenimore Cooper's most famous novel, The Last of the Mohicans" It was one of the most popular novels in 19th century America. That same year, Cooper moved with his family to Europe, where he hoped to earn more income from books and give his children a good education. During this period, he began to write novels on a maritime theme: “ Red Corsair" And " Sea sorceress" In Paris, he also wrote articles on political topics for French magazines, in which he defended his homeland. European history inspired him to create the novel " Bravo, or in Venice». In 1833, the Coopers returned to the United States and restored the estate in Cooperstown, built by the writer's father. In 1839 James Fenimore Cooper finished his work “History of the US Navy,” for which he collected materials for 14 years. In 1840 Cooper returned to the adventure genre and wrote the novel Pathfinder, or On the Shores of Ontario" A year later, another famous novel was published James Fenimore Cooper « St. John's wort, or the first warpath». In 1847 he wrote the utopia " Crater"about US history. His latest book " New trends"was published in 1850. Personal life of James Fenimore Cooper / James Fenimore CooperIn 1811 James Fenimore Cooper married a wealthy heiress Susan Auguste de Lancie/ Susan Augusta de Lancey. The couple had seven children, two of whom died in infancy. James's daughter Susan Fenimore Cooper became a writer and active suffragist. The writer and his great-great-grandson Paul Fenimore Cooper/ Paul Fenimore Cooper. Death of James Fenimore Cooper / James Fenimore CooperThe writer died on September 14, 1851 from dropsy, on the eve of his 62nd birthday. His wife survived him by several months. In 1992, a film was made based on James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Last of the Magicans, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. The film won an Oscar for Best Sound and grossed over $75 million at the box office. English James Fenimore Cooper American novelist and satirist, classic of adventure literature Fenimore Cooper short biographyAmerican novelist, the first writer of the New World, whose work was recognized by the Old World and became a powerful stimulus for the further development of the American novel. His homeland was Burlington (New Jersey), where he was born on September 15, 1789 into a family whose head was a judge, congressman, and large landowner. He became the founder of the village of Cooperstown in New York State, which quickly grew into a small town. There, James Fenimore was educated at a local school, and, as a 14-year-old teenager, became a student at Yale University. It was not possible to obtain a higher education because... Cooper was expelled from his alma mater for violations of discipline. During 1806-1811. the future writer served in the merchant navy, and later in the navy. In particular, he had the opportunity to participate in the construction of a warship on Lake Ontario. The knowledge and impressions he gained subsequently helped him delight the public with excellent descriptions of the lake in his works. In 1811, Cooper became a family man; his wife was the Frenchwoman Delana. It was thanks to a chance argument with her, as legend has it, that James Fenimore tried himself as a writer. The reason was allegedly a phrase he dropped while reading someone’s novel aloud, about how it’s not difficult to write better. As a result, just a few weeks later, the novel “Precaution” was written, set in England. This happened in 1820. The debut remained unnoticed by the public. But already in 1821, “The Spy, or the Tale of Neutral Territory” was published, romanticizing the period of the American Revolution and the struggle for national independence, and the author became famous not only in his homeland, but also in European countries. Written in subsequent years, the series of novels “Pioneers, or the Origins of Sasquianna” (1823), “The Last of the Mohicans” (1826), “The Prairie” (1827), “Pathfinder, or Lake-Sea” (1840), “St. John’s Wort, or the First Warpath" (1841), dedicated to the American Indians and their relations with Europeans, made James Fenimore Cooper famous throughout the world. The somewhat idealized image of the hunter Natty Bumppo, the no less interesting images of Chingachgook and some other “children of nature” quickly aroused universal sympathy. The success of the series of novels was enormous, and even harsh British critics were forced to admit it, calling him the American Walter Scott. Even after becoming a famous writer, J.F. Cooper did not focus exclusively on literature. In 1826-1833 his biography is connected with a large-scale journey across the European continent as the American consul in French Lyon (the position was rather nominal than requiring active work). Cooper visited not only France, but also Germany, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy. Gained fame, etc. maritime novels, in particular, “The Pilot” (1823), “The Red Corsair” (1828), “The Sea Sorceress” (1830), “Mercedes of Castile” (1840). There is in the creative heritage of J.F. Cooper works of a historical, political, journalistic nature. The History of the American Navy, published by him in 1839, characterized by its desire for impartiality, turned both the Americans and the British against him. In particular, the residents of Cooperstown decided to remove all books of the famous fellow countryman from the local library. Litigation with them and with the journalistic fraternity took a lot of energy and health from Cooper in the last years of his life. He died on September 14, 1851; the cause of death was given as cirrhosis of the liver. Biography from WikipediaJames Fenimore Cooper(eng. James Fenimore Cooper; September 15, 1789, Burlington, USA - September 14, 1851, Cooperstown, USA) - American novelist and satirist. A classic of adventure literature. Soon after Fenimore's birth, his father, Judge William Cooper, a fairly wealthy Quaker landowner, moved to New York State and founded the settlement of Cooperstown there, which turned into a town. Having received his initial education at a local school, Cooper went to Yale University, but without completing the course, he entered the naval service (1806-1811) and was assigned to the construction of a warship on Lake Ontario. To this circumstance we owe the remarkable descriptions of Ontario found in his famous novel “The Pathfinder, or On the Shores of Ontario.” In 1811, Cooper married a Frenchwoman, Susan Augusta Delancey, who came from a family that sympathized with England during the Revolutionary War; its influence explains those relatively mild reviews of the English and the English government that are found in Cooper's early novels. Chance made him a writer. Once reading a novel aloud to his wife, Cooper noticed that it was not difficult to write better. His wife took him at his word, and in order not to seem like a braggart, he wrote his first novel, Precaution (1820), in a few weeks. Novels
Assuming that, due to the already begun competition between English and American authors, English criticism would react unfavorably to his work, Cooper did not sign his name for the first novel, “Precaution” (1820), and transferred the action of this novel to England. The latter circumstance could only harm the book, which revealed the author’s poor familiarity with English life and caused very unfavorable reviews from English critics. Cooper’s second novel, already from American life, was the famous “The Spy, or the Tale of the Neutral Ground” (1821), which had enormous success not only in America, but also in Europe. Cooper then wrote a series of novels about American life:
In them, he depicted the wars of the European aliens among themselves, in which they involved the American Indians, forcing the tribes to fight against each other. The hero of these novels is the hunter Natty (Nathaniel) Bumppo, who appears under various names (St. John's Wort, Pathfinder, Hawkeye, Leather Stocking, Long Carbine), energetic and handsome, and soon became a favorite of the European public. In Cooper's work, not only this representative of European civilization, but also some of the Indians (Chingachgook, Uncas) are idealized, albeit with subtle humor and satire, usually accessible only to an adult reader. The success of this series of novels was so great that even English critics had to recognize Cooper's talent and called him the American Walter Scott. In 1826, Cooper went to Europe, where he spent seven years. The fruit of this journey was several novels - "Bravo, or in Venice", "The Headsman", "Mercedes of Castile", - set in Europe. The mastery of the story and its ever-increasing interest, the brightness of the descriptions of nature, which emanate the primeval freshness of the virgin forests of America, the relief in the depiction of characters who stand before the reader as if alive - these are Cooper’s advantages as a novelist. He also wrote maritime novels “The Pilot, or a Maritime Story” (1823), “The Red Corsair” (1827). After EuropeUpon returning from Europe, Cooper wrote the political allegory “Monikins” (1835), five volumes of travel notes (1836-1838), several novels from American life (“Satanstowe”; 1845 and others), the pamphlet “The American Democrat” (The American Democrat, 1838). In addition, he also wrote “History of the United States Navy”, 1839. The desire for complete impartiality revealed in this work did not satisfy either his compatriots or the British; the controversy it caused poisoned the last years of Cooper's life. Fenimore Cooper died on September 14, 1851 from cirrhosis of the liver.
In RussiaIn the early 1840s, Cooper's novels were very popular in Russia. The first translations into Russian were made by children's writer A. O. Ishimova. In particular, the novel “The Pathfinder” (English: The Pathfinder, Russian translation of 1841), published in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski, aroused great public interest, about which V. G. Belinsky said that it was a Shakespearean drama in the form of a novel. The adventure novels of James Fenimore Cooper were very popular in the USSR, their author was quickly recognized by his second, rare name Fenimore. For example, in the film “The Mystery of Fenimore,” the third episode of the 1977 children’s television mini-series “Three Merry Shifts” based on the stories of Yu. Yakovlev, it tells about a mysterious stranger named Fenimore, who in the pioneer camp comes to the boys’ ward at night and tells amazing stories about Indians and aliens. Bibliography
en.wikipedia.org Biography Soon after Fenimore's birth, his father, a fairly wealthy landowner, moved to New York state and founded the village of Cooperstown there, which turned into a town. Having received his initial education at a local school, Cooper went to Yale University, but without completing the course, he entered the naval service (1806-1811); was appointed to participate in the construction of a warship on Lake Ontario. We owe this circumstance to the magnificent descriptions of Ontario found in his famous novel “The Pathfinder.” In 1811, he married a Frenchwoman, Delana, who came from a family that sympathized with England during the War of Independence; its influence explains those relatively mild reviews of the English and the English government that are found in Cooper's early novels. Chance made him a writer. Once reading a novel aloud to his wife, Cooper noticed that it was not difficult to write better. His wife took him at his word: in order not to seem like a braggart, he wrote his first novel, “Precaution” (1820), in a few weeks. Novels Assuming that, in view of the already begun competition between English and American authors, English criticism would react unfavorably to his work, Cooper did not sign his name and transferred the action of his novel to England. The latter circumstance could only harm the book, which revealed the author’s poor familiarity with English life and caused very unfavorable reviews from English critics. Cooper’s second novel, already from American life, was the famous “The Spy, or the Tale of the Neutral Ground” (1821), which had enormous success not only in America, but also in Europe. Then Cooper wrote a whole series of novels from American life ("Pioneers", 1823; "The Last of the Mohicans", 1826; "The Barrens", otherwise "Prairie", 1827; "The Discoverer of Trace", otherwise "Pathfinder", 1840; "The Hunter for deer”, otherwise “St. John’s Wort, or the First Warpath”, 1841), in which he depicted the struggle of European aliens with the American Indians. The hero of these novels is the hunter Natty (Nathanael) Bumppo, who appears under various names (St. John's Wort, Pathfinder, Hawkeye, Leather Stocking, Long Carbine), energetic and handsome, and soon became a favorite of the European public. Cooper idealizes not only this representative of European civilization, but also some of the Indians (Chingachgook, Uncas). The success of this series of novels was so great that even English critics had to recognize Cooper's talent and called him the American Walter Scott. In 1826 Cooper went to Europe, where he spent seven years. The fruit of this journey was several novels (Bravo, The Headsman, Mercedes of Castile), set in Europe. The mastery of the story and its ever-increasing interest, the brightness of the descriptions of nature, which emanate the primeval freshness of the virgin forests of America, the relief in the depiction of characters who stand before the reader as if alive - these are Cooper’s advantages as a novelist. He also wrote maritime novels “The Pilot” (1823) and “The Red Corsair” (1828). After Europe Upon returning from Europe, Cooper wrote the political allegory “Monikins” (1835), five volumes of travel notes (1836-1838), several novels from American life (“Satanstowe”; 1845 and others), the pamphlet “The American Democrat” (The American Democrat, 1838). In addition, he also wrote “History of the United States Navy”, 1839. The desire for complete impartiality revealed in this work did not satisfy either his compatriots or the British; the controversy it caused poisoned the last years of Cooper's life. Fenimore Cooper died on September 14, 1851 from cirrhosis of the liver. Cooper in Russia In the early 1840s, Cooper's novels were very popular in Russia. In particular, the one published in “ Domestic notes""Discoverer of Trace" ("Pathfinder, or On the Shores of Ontario", "The Pathfinder", Russian translation 1841), about which V. G. Belinsky said that this is a Shakespearean drama in the form of a novel (Works. vol. XII, p. 306). Bibliography 1820 composes a traditional novel of morals, Precaution, for his daughters. Biography Future writer was born into the family of a large landowner, whose character was reminiscent of Marmaduke Temple from the novel “The Pioneers.” His childhood was spent in the village of Cooperstown, named after his father and located on the shore of a lake in New York state. His origin left its mark on the formation of Cooper’s socio-political views: all his life he remained a supporter of large land ownership, the way of life of “country gentlemen”, and in democratic land reforms he often saw only rampant bourgeois acquisitiveness and demagoguery. (This was reflected, for example, in the novels of the “Ground Rent Trilogy.”) At the same time, the writer’s work and his assessment of the socio-political development of the United States is based on a consistently democratic position. This was facilitated teenage years Cooper, who passed in the atmosphere of post-revolutionary upsurge in the USA, and later - his stay in France during the revolutionary events of 1830.  After several years of study - first at Cooperstown School, then at Albany and at Yale College - years of wandering begin for seventeen-year-old Cooper. He becomes a sailor, first in the merchant and then in the military fleet, makes long journeys, crosses the Atlantic Ocean, and becomes closely acquainted with the Great Lakes region, where the action of his novels unfolds. During these years, Cooper accumulates a variety of life experiences, material for literary creativity. After his father's death in 1810, Cooper married and settled with his family in the small town of Scarsdale. There, in 1820, he wrote his first novel, “Precaution.” Cooper later recalled that the book was written “as a bet”; he half-jokingly, half-seriously undertook to write a novel no worse than those works by English authors that his wife was fond of. His next novel, The Spy (1821), was based on material from the Revolutionary War. “Spy” brought the writer unexpectedly quick and loud fame. With his novel, Cooper filled the vacuum in national literature and determined the guidelines for its future development. Encouraged by success, Cooper decides to devote himself entirely to literary work. Over the next five years, he wrote five more novels, including three books in the future Leatherstocking pentalogy (The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie), as well as Cooper's first sea novel, The Pilot. In 1826 Cooper went to Europe. He lives for a long time in France, Italy, and travels to other countries. New impressions again and again force him to turn to the history of both the New and Old Worlds. In Europe, Cooper wrote sea novels “The Red Corsair”, “The Sea Sorceress”, as well as a trilogy about the European Middle Ages (“Bravo”, “Heidenmauer”, “Executioner”). In 1833 Cooper returned to his homeland. During the seven years that he was away, much had changed in America. The heroic time of the American Revolution was receding further into the past, and the principles of the Declaration of Independence were being forgotten. The United States entered a period of industrial revolution, which destroyed the remnants of patriarchy in life and in human relations. Cooper calls the “great moral eclipse” the disease that has struck American society. According to him, the country began to be ruled by the “Great Immoral Postulate, known as Money Interest.” Back in Europe, in a moment of bitter insight, Cooper once said: “I have parted ways with my country.” Returning “home”, he discovered that the gap between them was even wider than he thought. Cooper makes an attempt to “reason” and “correct” his fellow citizens. He still believes in the advantages of the American socio-political organization, considering negative phenomena as something external, superficial, a perversion of initially reasonable and healthy foundations. To rise up to fight these “distortions” is the call that sounds from the pages of his “Letters to Compatriots.” But this call did not achieve its goal. On the contrary, a torrent of open hatred and secret slander fell upon Cooper. Because the writer dared to criticize social vices, bourgeois America accused the first national novelist of lack of patriotism, quarrelsomeness, arrogance, and at the same time of a lack of literary gift. Cooper retires to Cooperstown and there, until the last day of his life, he continues, working either on novels or on journalistic works, preaching his views. In that last period Cooper wrote the novels “Pathfinder” and “St. John’s Wort”, which are included in the pentalogy, the satirical-allegorical novel “Monicins” (1835), in which the vices of the socio-political system of England and the USA are exposed, published in the book under the names High Jumping and Low Jumping, social novels “ Home" (1837) and "At Home" (1838), a trilogy about land rent ("The Devil's Finger", 1845; "The Land Surveyor", 1845; "Redskins", 1846), the social-utopian novel "The Crater" (1847), etc. In general, Cooper's works of this time are unequal in ideological and artistic terms; along with insightful criticism of the bourgeois system, they contain elements of a conservative utopia associated with false ideas about the "landed aristocracy". But despite all this, Cooper invariably remains in consistently critical anti-bourgeois positions. Cooper's literary heritage is very extensive. It includes 33 novels, several volumes of journalism and travel notes, pamphlets, and historical research. Cooper laid the foundations for the development of the American novel, creating various examples of it: historical, maritime, social and everyday novels, satirical-fantasy novels, and a utopian novel. The writer was the first in American literature to strive for an epic reflection of the world, which was reflected, in particular, in the combination of a number of his books into cycles: pentalogy, trilogy, dilogy. In his work, Cooper remained faithful to three main themes: the War of Independence, the sea and life on the frontier. Already in this very choice, the romantic basis of the writer’s creative method is revealed: Cooper contrasts the heroism of the soldiers of the American Revolution, the freedom of the sea, virgin forests and endless prairies of the West with an American society overwhelmed by a feverish thirst for profit. This gap romantic ideal and reality lies at the heart of the ideological and artistic concept of each of Cooper’s books.  Cooper widely uses a variety of artistic means from the arsenal of romantic aesthetics: lyrically colored pictures of nature, creating an atmosphere of mystery, hyperbolization, a sharp division of characters into “good” and “bad,” etc. At the same time, Cooper’s work has features of continuity with the educational novel XVIII century The writer retains trust in reason and logic, a commitment to epic storytelling and precise details of landscape, everyday life, appearance, etc., and adheres to many of the structural and compositional principles of the educational novel. Cooper's works continue to affirm the principles of realism, going from the 18th century to end of the 19th century c., even if future generations did not always realize this connection. Cooper was often called “the American Walter Scott,” and was sometimes accused of imitating the great Scot. These reproaches are unfair. Cooper's work is imbued with a deeply national spirit; his creations are based on national issues. In the prefaces to his novels, Cooper more than once emphasized the need for the development and promotion of national American literature. It is impossible not to note Cooper’s skill in constructing the plot of the work, creating vivid dramatic scenes, images that have become the personification of the national character and at the same time “eternal companions of humanity.” Such are Harvey Birch from The Spy, Natty Bumppo, Chingachgook, Uncas from the books about Leatherstocking. Perhaps the best pages of the writer are those that depict the untouched, grandiose and amazing nature of the New World. Cooper is an outstanding master of literary landscape. He is especially attracted by colorful landscapes, either captivating the eye with their soft beauty (the Shimmering Lake in “St. John’s Wort”), or majestic and harsh, inspiring anxiety and awe. " In his “sea” novels, Cooper equally vividly depicts the changeable, menacing and enchanting elements of the ocean. Carefully written battle scenes occupy an important place in almost every Cooper novel. They often culminate in a duel between powerful opponents: Chingachgook and Magua, Hard Heart and Matori. The writer's artistic language is distinguished by emotionality, the range of shades of which is different - from solemn pathos to touching sentimentality. In Russia, they became acquainted with Cooper’s work in 1825, when the novel “The Spy” was published in Moscow. Cooper's books quickly gained the love and popularity of Russian readers. They were highly valued by M. Yu. Lermontov, V. G. Belinsky, V. K. Kuchelbecker and other prominent progressive cultural figures. Filled with the poetry of heroism and struggle, Cooper’s books continue to teach honor, courage, and loyalty.  The novel “Spy” opened up the world for American writers of the 19th century. rich possibilities for using national history material. It remains not only Cooper's best book in the genre of historical novel, but also the highest achievement of US literature in this field. At the center of the novel is a dramatic episode from the history of the struggle of American colonists against English rule. In the preface to the 1849 edition, Cooper directly names the theme of the book - patriotism. The Spy takes place in 1780. Main character- peddler Harvey Birch - secret intelligence officer American army, performing particularly important and dangerous command tasks. It operates in "no man's land" between two warring armies. The situation is puzzlingly complicated by the fact that in order to disguise his true identity, Birch deliberately poses as a spy. English king. Death threatens him from both sides, and there is nowhere to wait for help. Birch isn't even looking for her. Moreover, in a moment from threatening? Before his execution at the hands of American patriots, who take him for a spy of their enemies, he swallows a note from General Washington, certifying his faithful service to his homeland. If he had shown it, the danger would have passed, but with it the opportunity to complete the task. The very choice of the traveling merchant Birch as the hero of the novel speaks of Cooper's democracy and his deep understanding of the driving forces of the American Revolution. Not wise generals or brilliant officers, but people from the people are ready to make any sacrifice for the triumph of the cause of independence and freedom. They are the true heroes of these harsh and bright pages of American history. Harvey Birch sacrificed everything for the good of his homeland: his honest name, his family hearth, his home, without demanding any reward for it. The key scene in the novel is the scene of the last meeting between General Washington and his secret agent Birch. In payment for his “services,” the general offers Birch one hundred doubloons, but he refuses to take them. He asks: does the general really think that he risked his life and disgraced his name for the sake of money? Here the intelligence officer is morally superior to the commander. Washington reminds that Birch will have to be known as an enemy of his homeland until his grave: he will not be allowed to take off the mask that hides his true face for many years, and most likely never. But Burch has been ready for it from the day he took on his job. Instead of a bag of gold, he, like the greatest treasure, takes away a paper written in Washington’s hand, replacing the one that was lost. The further fate of the “spy” is loneliness, wandering, need. And Washington's note would be found thirty-three years later on the body of an old man killed in battle during the war of 1812-1815. between England and the USA. Seventy-year-old Harvey Birch was killed by a bullet in his last battle for American independence. Cooper ends the novel with a heartfelt epitaph: “He died as he lived, a devoted son of his homeland and a martyr for its freedom.” Although Cooper does not develop this motif in any detail, Birch's fate objectively reflects the tragic discrepancy between the high ideals of the American Revolution and the actual practice caused by its bourgeois character. Birch's lot looks especially unfair against the backdrop of the easy career of frivolous officers, the calculating cowardice of the townspeople and the greed of the robbers - "skinners" who posed as fighters for independence, but in fact robbed on "neutral territory". Later, Cooper's theme of the bitter fate of the true heroes of the War of Independence would be picked up and deeply revealed by the “second generation” romantic G. Melville in the book “Israel Potter.” Cooper's highest achievement is the pentalogy about Leatherstocking. It includes five novels, written in the following order: “The Pioneers” (1823), “The Last of the Mohicans” (1826), “The Prairie” (1827), “The Pathfinder” (1840), “Deerslayer” (1841). They are united by the image of the hunter Nathaniel Bumppo, who also has numerous nicknames: Deerslayer, Tracker, Hawkeye, Leatherstocking and Long Carbine. In the pentalogy, Bumpo's entire life passes before the readers - from his youth ("St. John's wort") to the day of death ("Prairie"). But the order in which the books were written does not coincide with the stages of the main character’s life. Cooper began the story of Bumpo when the hunter had already entered old age, continued the epic with the novel from Natty's mature age, then portrayed him in old age, a year before his death. And only after a noticeable break the writer again turned to the adventures of Leatherstocking and returned to the days of his youth. If we consider the parts of the pentalogy not in the order in which they were written, but according to the chronology of the events described (and this is how they are usually read), then the sequence of time and place of action is as follows: “St. John’s wort” - 1740, north eastern USA, upper Susquehanna River; "The Last of the Mohicans" - 1757, Hudson River area; “Pathfinder” - the very end of the 50s, one of the Great Lakes - Ontario; "Pioneers" - 1793, development and settlement of western forests; "The Prairie" - 1805, the prairie region west of the Mississippi. Thus, the path of the protagonist of the pentalogy is from a narrow strip of land on the Atlantic coast, where the first colonists landed, to the Great Lakes and further to the endless western prairies. This path took both in life and in Cooper’s pentalogy about sixty years. 
Taken together, nine novels are a fictional history of the American frontier, a history of the movement American nation from east to west. The fate of Natty Bumppo embodied the history of the conquest of the continent and at the same time the history of the strengthening of bourgeois civilization in the country, the history of the moral losses that the nation suffered while expanding its territory. All five novels have approximately the same plot structure. The hunter Natty Bumppo, an inhabitant of the extreme frontier, on the first pages of each book meets one of the settlers, a wave of which is moving to the west (officers, adventurers, traders, etc.). He performs miracles of courage and heroism, speaking on the side of the “positive” heroes, fighting injustice, helping the weak and offended. At the end of each of the novels, Bumpo leaves his usual places and goes further to the west, and in the next book, history repeats itself again. The plot of “St. John's Wort” is based on the fate of the hero, who is in his early twenties and who for the first time sets out on the “warpath” with the Huron Indians. In this deadly struggle, Natty’s friendship with the young Mohican Indian Chingachgook arises and strengthens, a friendship that they both will carry throughout their lives. The situation in the novel is complicated by the fact that St. John's wort's white allies - "Floating" Tom Hutter and Harry March - are cruel and unfair towards the Indians and themselves provoke violence and bloodshed. Dramatic adventures - ambushes, battles, captivity, escape - unfold against the backdrop of picturesque nature - the mirror surface of the Shimmering Lake and its wooded shores. The Last of the Mohicans is Cooper's most famous novel. The plot is based on the history of the capture of Colonel Munro's daughters Cora and Alice by the cruel and treacherous leader of Magua - the Sly Fox - and the attempts of a small detachment led by Natty Bumppo - Hawkeye to free the captives. Together with Natty and Chingachgook, a young Indian warrior, Chingachgook's son Uncas, takes part in breathtaking pursuits and battles. He - although Cooper does not develop this line in detail - is in love with one of the captives, Cora, and dies in the last battle, trying in vain to save her. The novel ends with a deeply touching scene of the funeral of Uncas, the last of the Mohicans, and Cora. Hawkeye and Chingachgook set off on further journeys. The Pathfinder depicts scenes from the Anglo-French War of 1750-1760. In this war, both the British and the French brought Indian tribes to their side by bribery or deception. Bumpo, with his well-aimed carbine, and Chingachgook take part in the battles on Lake Ontario and once again help their comrades win. However, Natty, and along with him the author, sharply condemn the war unleashed by the colonialists, leading to the senseless death of both whites and Indians. A significant place in the novel is occupied by the love story of Bumpo and Mabel Dunham. Appreciating the scout’s courage and nobility, the girl, however, gives preference to Jasper, who is closer to her in age and character. Bumpo generously refuses the marriage (although Mabel was ready to keep her promise to her dead father and marry the Pathfinder) and goes further to the West. "Pioneers" is the most problematic novel in the pentalogy. Leather Stocking is already nearly seventy here, but his eye has not lost its vigilance, and his hand has not lost its firmness. However, his lonely old age is sad. Chingachgook's old friend, the Great Snake, is still nearby, but the wise leader and mighty warrior has turned into a decrepit, drunken old man - Indian John. Natty and Chingachgook are strangers in the colonists’ village, where the laws and orders of a “civilized” society are gradually being established. At the center of the novel is the conflict between the natural laws of nature and the human heart and far-fetched and unjust social orders. At the end of the book, Chingachgook dies, and Bumpo, having again arranged the happiness of the young couple - Oliver Effingham and Elizabeth Temple, refuses the benefits of a prosperous old age and again hides in the forest thicket. Natty Bumppo is eighty-five at Prairie. He is not a hunter, but a trapper, a trapper. At the very beginning of the book, Cooper explains that Leatherstocking was driven from his beloved forests by the sound of an ax and he is forced to seek refuge on a barren plain that stretches to the Rocky Mountains. Natty now helps his new young friends not with a well-aimed shot, but with his vast life experience, the ability to escape from a natural disaster and carry on a conversation with a formidable Indian leader. Danger threatens Bumpo and his friends both from the Sioux Indians and from the Bush family of white settlers. All the many twists and turns of the adventurous plot end happily - with a double wedding. Having parted with his friends, Natty spends the last year of his life among the Indians of the Pawnee tribe, whose young leader, Hard Heart, partially replaces the deceased Mohican Uncas. The ending of the novel is a solemn and heartfelt scene last hours Leatherstocking and his death. The image of Natty Bumppo is Cooper’s highest achievement. It is a deeply national character, generated by the specific conditions of American history, and at the same time, one of the “eternal companions of humanity,” captivating with its example one generation after another of readers in different countries. Gave a vivid description of this literary hero V. G. Belinsky: “A man with a deep nature and a powerful spirit, who voluntarily abandoned the comforts and lures of civilized life for the wide expanse of majestic nature, for an elevated conversation with God in the solemn silence of his great creation... a man who matured under open air, in an eternal struggle with dangers... a man with iron muscles and steel muscles in a lean body, with a dove’s heart in a lion’s chest.” In accordance with Rousseauian ideas, Cooper explains the high moral qualities of his beloved character by life in communion with nature and the absence of the corrupting influence of civilization. In “The Deerslayer,” he calls Bumpo “a wonderful example of what natural kindness and the absence of bad examples and temptations can make a young man.” In “The Pathfinder,” the writer compares his hero with “Adam before the Fall,” calls him “a man of excellent spiritual qualities,” “a sage from a distant outskirts,” notes his “incorruptible, unerring sense of justice,” emphasizes that “his loyalty was unbreakable, like a rock." Natty is absolutely selfless and incapable of committing a dishonest act. Leather Stocking cannot imagine life outside of nature, without a sense of his unity with the surrounding forests, sky, and water. “The true temple is the forest,” he says. The forest equalizes people, destroying, even if only temporarily, the artificial barriers erected between them by civilization. The great school of nature, Natti believes, is much more useful and more important than the far-fetched book learning of the townspeople. Awkward and confused on the streets of the white colonists' settlements, Bumpo is transformed when he finds himself in his element. Life on the extreme edge of the frontier also attracts Natti with its freedom and independence. He understands freedom simply: this is the right to roam freely through his native forests. The regulation of human life by law seems to Bumpo to be unfair and sinful. In The Pioneers, Nutty declares to Judge Temple, who is trying to prove the need for a set of laws and rules of civilization: “I roamed these mountains when you were a baby in your mother’s arms. And I know that I have the right to walk this earth for the rest of my life.” The complexity and drama of Natty Bumppo’s fate lies in the fact that he had a historically conditioned dual role. Fleeing from the sound of the ax, heralding the onset of a new way of life, retreating further and further to the west, Leather Stocking unwittingly paves the way for that very cold and hostile civilization that is destroying his world. There is a bitter and tragic irony in the fact that the courageous and selfless pioneer becomes the guide of the shopkeeper, lumberjack, sheriff, etc. The key scene of the entire pentalogy in this regard is the scene of the trial of Leatherstocking in the novel “Pioneers”. Once upon a time, Natty Bumppo, an old resident of these places, met Marmaduke Temple here, fed him, gave him shelter, and gave him his bear skin to make his bed. Years have passed, and now the aged hunter and his friend Indian John are two sad remnants of the past in the “civilized” village of Templeton. Bumpo's enemies, Hiram Doolittle and Sheriff Richard Jones, imagined that the old man was secretly mining silver on land belonging to the "owner" of the village, Marmaduke Temple. Using the newly introduced "law" regarding the timing of the hunt, they try to break into Bumpo's hut. Protecting someone else's secret entrusted to him, Leather Stocking repels the brazen invasion. Bumpo is put on trial for “resisting authorities.” Judge Temple, a humane man by nature and sincerely grateful for saving his daughter Elizabeth from death in the claws of a panther, is nevertheless forced, following the laws of a “civilized society,” to sentence Bumpo to imprisonment, a large fine and sitting in the stocks in the pillory. The laws of civilization and the norms of humanity turn out to be incompatible. The episode that opens the novel “Prairie” is also very indicative. Natty meets a caravan of Bush settlers who cannot find water, food for livestock, or shelter for the night. Bumpo leads them to a place where a stream gurgles in the shadow of tall poplars. Axes are immediately used, trees fall to the ground, “as if a hurricane had swept through here.” The next morning, the detachment moves on, and Natty looks with bitterness at the devastation caused, at the unnecessary, abandoned logs, which just yesterday were proud, handsome poplars. Thus, the pentalogy artistically captures the tragedy of American pioneering, which was the result of the discord between the noble goals of the pioneers and territorial expansion under capitalism. In the pentalogy, the life of the Indians is the embodiment of a free life and closeness to nature. When drawing her, Cooper did not strive for a realistic image. His goal was to paint, as he said, a “beautiful ideal” opposed to the acquisitiveness and cruelty of the bourgeois world. The life and customs of the Indians are painted in bright colors, they emphasize unusual, exotic features, the speech of the Indians is replete with flowery metaphors and comparisons. One of the most important cross-cutting themes of the entire pentalogy is the tragic fate of the American Indians, dying under the ruthless pressure of the civilization of white invaders. The “march” of the American nation to the West was accompanied by the inhumane extermination of the “redskins”, who were, in fact, declared outlaws. In Deerslayer, Cooper portrays two frontiersmen, Harry March and Tom Hutter. The first of them proudly declares that “killing a savage is a feat,” and claims that the redskins differ from animals only in cunning. The second, having learned that only women and children remained in the Indian camp, persuades March to attack the defenseless camp in order to get scalps there, for which the colonial administration pays bonuses. Neither Hutter nor his partner are embarrassed by the inhumanity of the plan: they consider killing Indians to be no less a worthy way to make money than hunting. With great respect and sympathy, the writer paints the images of Chingachgook, Uncas, and Hard Heart. They are distinguished by courage, military valor, honesty and loyalty to their word, contempt for torture and even death itself. True, the writer divides Indian tribes into “good” (Delaware, Pawnee) and “bad” (Hurons, Sioux, etc.). This is due to the participation of these tribes either on the side of the British or on the side of the French in the long-term Anglo-French military clashes in the 18th century. It is significant that even the leaders of hostile Indian tribes, the main enemies of Leatherstocking and his friends - Splintered Oak ("Deerslayer"), Magua ("Last of the Mohicans"), Striking Arrow ("Pathfinder"), Matori ("Prairie") - are depicted Cooper with more than just black paint. Along with ferocity and cunning, these heroes are endowed with extraordinary intelligence, courage, and energy. For example, even in Magua, not only the “evil and ferocious features”, “the fantastic look of the basilisk” are emphasized, but also his strength, courage, and oratorical talent. The defeat and death of these characters has its own dark, tragic grandeur. Many scenes in the novels “The Last of the Mohicans” and “The Pioneers” directly condemn the expansion of white conquerors. In the first of them, Leather Stocking says: “You see before you a great leader, a wise Mohican. Once upon a time, his ancestors could chase a deer over a great distance. And what will his descendants get?” The author gives the final answer to this question in “Pioneers,” where the impoverished and dispossessed Chingachgook and Leather Stocking find themselves powerless and homeless. But the burden of years is not to blame. It was the whites who brought old age with them, says Chingachgook. Rum is their tomahawk. By destroying the Indian world, capitalist expansion also destroys the natural world. In the 18th century It seemed to the settlers that before them was an endless expanse of forests, an inexhaustible supply of natural resources from which they could draw without looking back. The frontiersmen treat nature with thoughtless barbarity, cutting down and burning forests, extortionately depleting the soil, destroying animals and birds. One of the central episodes of “Pioneers” is the scene of the extermination of flocks of pigeons. This disgusting orgy of murder is opposed only by Leather Stocking with his principle “use, but do not destroy.” But his reproach “it is a great sin to kill in vain more than you can eat” cannot stop what even Judge Temple is forced in the end to call “wanton destruction” and “carnage.” The writer plays a great role as a pioneer of the most important themes in US literature. The motif of “leaving” bourgeois civilization, embodied in the fate of Natty Bumppo, will become key in American romanticism, repeated in the story of G. Thoreau’s life on Walden Lake, in the desire of G. Melville’s heroes to escape into the vastness of the ocean, in the flight of fantasy of E. Poe. It will be picked up by subsequent writers literary trends and eras. Huckleberry Finn will dream about escaping to “Indian territory” in M. Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”; to Alaska - not for gold, for real life- the courageous heroes of D. London will go; a hut on the edge of a forest somewhere far to the west will be seen by the “catcher in the rye” - Holden Caulfield, the hero of the novel by D. D. Salinger. The Indian theme will be developed in “The Song of Hiawatha” by G. W. Longfellow. The friendship of Natty and Chingachgook will become a prototype of unions of people of different skin colors based on equality and mutual respect in Melville (Ishmael and Queequeg in Moby Dick), in Twain (Huck Finn and Negro Jim), in many progressive writers of the 20th century, environmental issues, issues of protection nature from unreasonable human intervention, first outlined by Cooper, were also widely picked up by US literature of the 20th century. Fenimore Cooper short biography And Interesting Facts from the life of an American novelist are presented in this article e. Fenimore Cooper short biographyThe future American writer was born in 1879 in the city of Burlington (New Jersey) in the family of a farmer. Since his parents had financial means, they were able to give their son a decent education: first he studied at a local school, then he was sent to Yale College. But studying at college was not very to the liking of young Cooper, and at the age of 17 he entered the naval service. James first served as a sailor on a merchant ship, then on a military ship. The future writer sailed on the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. During his travels, Fenimore discovered the world, gained life experience. In 1810, James's father died, and the young man ended his naval career, inheriting a decent fortune at that time. A year later, Fenimore Cooper marries and begins to lead a sedentary life, settling in the town of Scarsdale. In 1821 he wrote his first work, "Precaution". Continuing his literary activity, the writer wrote the patriotic novel “Spy,” in which he expressed interest in the War of Independence taking place in America. His books quickly became popular all over the world. James went on a “literary tour” of Europe in 1826. For a long time he lived in France and Italy, interested in the Old and New Worlds. In Europe, the novelist wrote novels on nautical themes - “The Sea Sorceress”, “The Red Corsair”, as well as the fascinating medieval trilogy “The Executioner”, “Heidenmauer”, “Bravo”. After 7 years spent in Europe, Fenimore Cooper returns to America and observes the following picture: the industrial revolution destroyed patriarchal relations in society, and money became the main priority in people's thinking. The writer called this phenomenon a moral eclipse and tried to call on fellow citizens to fight against distorted morality. But the American bourgeoisie accused Cooper of personal arrogance, lack of patriotism and literary talent. After such a fiasco, the writer retired to the village of Cooperstown, continuing to write historical and journalistic novels about the city of New York and the US Navy. Great writer died in September 1851.
Fenimore Cooper interesting facts
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