Theme: romanticism in american literature romanticism and transindentalism in American literature. Plan

JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
(1789-1851)

James Cooper was born in a family of a wealthy judge and owner of a big estate in Cooperstown. It was only a village of a pioneer-settlement not far from state of New York. Here the boy saw a varied life. In 1803 he entered the Yale University but he was dismissed in 3 years and served in the American Navy. In 1811 he got married and then he settled in Cooperstown. His first novel was “The Spy” (1821). It referred to the period of Independence War. It made him famous. But he is famous not by this novel but by a series of novels about an Indian Hunter “Leather Stocking”. In 1823 he published his first novel of this series, “The Pioneers”, then “The Last of the Mohicans” (1826), and “The Prairie” (1827). All these novels are devoted to the life and adventures of his favorite noble Indian Hunter Nathanial Bumpo (nickname – Leather Stocking). During 1826-1833 he went for a journey to Europe. After his returning home he wrote a number of stories, sketches, three novels in which he reflected his views and impressions of Europe. “The Bravo” (1831) where the scene is laid in Venice of the Middle Ages. In 2 other novels the action is laid in Switzerland and Germany. In the 40-ties of the 19^th century he returned to his works at his “Leather Stocking’s” series. This series include also “The Pathfinder” (1840), “The Deerslayer” (1841). The value of these novels lies in vivid graphic descriptions of American nature, in the protest against the colonizers and also in the song he sings to the honest, simple and courageous people. He also wrote a number of novels dealing with the sea. Belinsky noted, saying that Cooper has created two distinct types of a novel –

1. 
   the description of American prairies
   
2. 
   the sea novel, and among them “The Pilot” (Лоцман) (1824), “The Red Rover” (1827), “The Two Admirals” (1842)
   

He was a master of seascape and landscape. He is a romanticist of his time but there are some critical tendencies in his works. He created a number of novels in which he satirically showed the bourgeois reality. “The Monikins”, (1835), is a satirical novel. Here he describes some distinct country inhabited by monikins. It is an allegorical exposal of the system of the USA, corruption of money worship. His satire remained its force till our days.