James-Fenimore-Cooper.ppt

1、James Fenimore Cooper,Junsong Chen Ph.D. Department of English East China Normal University Email: ,James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851),James Fenimore Cooper,He legally added his mothers maiden name “Fenimore” to his original nameJames Cooper Born on Sept.15 , 1789 in Burlington, NJ, a little more tha

2、n five months after George Washington took office as President The twelfth of thirteen children in the family (one of only seven to survive childhood) Coopers father, William Cooper, was a religious man, a shrewd land developer, and a willing public servant. He was selected as the first judge of the

3、 court for Otsego County, NY, and served as the countys 4th and 6th U.S. Congresses.,James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851),James Cooper , decided by his stern father, was sent to receive the best education. Attended Yale University in 1803, but was sent home due to his neglect of studies His father dete

4、rmined that a career in the Navy would give his son the discipline he needed; James served as a sailor for nearly a year aboard the Stirling. On Jan. 1, 1808, James served in the U.S. Navy as a midshipman stationed at Fort Oswego on Lake Ontario. Married Susan Augusta De Lancey after his father died

5、, and resigned his navy post, and settled down in Cooperstown as a gentleman farmer.,Cooper: From Farmer to Author,Cooper , always an avid reader, became disgusted by the poor quality of a British novel he was reading and, hurling it across the room, declared that he could write a better one. His wi

6、fe bluntly stated her doubts and challenged him to do so.,Coopers Literary Career,Cooper published his first novel, Precaution in 1820 at his own cost. He used the novels of Jane Austen as his guide, but this novel turned out to be a disappointment. Cooper used the enormously popular historical roma

7、nces of Sir Walter Scott as his model for his second novel , but made it uniquely his own and uniquely American. The Spy; A Tale of the Neutral Ground (1821), his second novel, is considered the first American historical novel. The success of his second novel prompted Cooper move his family to NYC i

8、n 1822. For the next five years, he enjoyed the life of a literary celebrity.,The Leather Stocking Tales,The Pioneers (1823) The Last of the Mohicans; A Narrative of 1757 (1826) The Prairie (1827) The Pathfinder (1840) The Deerslayer (1841),Miscellaneous Works,Sea Stories The Pilot; A Tale of the Se

9、a (1824) The Red Rover (1828) Historical Novels The Spy (1821) Lionel Lincoln; or, The Leaguer of Boston (1825) Social Criticism A Letter to His Countrymen (1834) The American Democrat (1834),Natty Bumppo,Natty Bumppo, Coopers most famous creation, nicked named Leather-Stocking by the Templeton sett

10、lers With his friend, John Mohegan, a Delaware who has lost not only his land but also his Indian name, chingachgook, represents all dispossessed American Indians. Civilization vs. wilderness.,An American Author in Europe,For improving his health and a better education for his children, Cooper trave

11、lled to Europe in 1826. Resided in Paris, but travelled to England, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, and Belgium. Befriended with a French hero of the American Revolutionthe Marquis de Lafayette. Completed two novels: The Prairie (1827) and The Red Rover (1827). Involved in European issues, and wrote se

12、rious articles about European politics, detached from his American readers,Return to His Origins,Returned to New York with his family in 1833 Move his family back to his boyhood homeCooperstown Completed A Letter to His Countrymen (1834-35) The Monikins (1845), a satire Based on his observations in

13、Europe, he wrote a sharply worded attack on American politics and provincialism, The American Democrat (1838) His final novels concern with such end-of-life themes as conversion experiences, in The Oak Openning; or, The Bee-Hunter (1848),Reputation,Coopers reputation has waxed and waned over the yea

14、rs Once the most popular author in America and Europe, he is rarely found on any schools recommended reading list in a time of cultural sensitivity and political correctness He was ridiculed by Mark Twain in “Femimore Coopers Literary Offenses” but recognized as a major literary figure in D. H. Laur

15、ences Studies in Classic American Literature (1923). His innovative use of the sea as a setting greatly influenced Herman Melville and Joseph Conrad His tales of a larger-than-life hero and his noble Indian companion find their imitations a century and a half later,The Last of the Mohicans (1826),Th

16、e Last of the Mohicans (1826),The second book of the Leatherstocking Tales, is a historical novel. The story takes place in 1757, during the French and Indian War (the Seven Years War), when France and the Great Britain battled for control of the North American colonies, and has been described as th

17、e “first World War.” During the war, the French called on allied Native American tribes (the Indians) to fight against the more numerous British colonists. The novel was one of the most popular in English in its time, and remains widely read in American literature courses.,About the Title,The charac

18、terChingachgook speaks a line that holds the title, saying, “When Uncas follows in my footsteps, there will no longer be any of the blood of the sagamores, for my boy is the last of the Mohicans.” The title is also referred to near the end of the book, whenTamenundsays, “I have lived to see the last warrior of the wise race of the Mohicans.”,The Last of the Mohicans (1992),enemies,Chingachgook last chief of the Mohican tribe,Uncas,Magua a H