American Literature 101: New American Hero Natty Bumppo, The Pioneers by James Cooper
Foreword
The main aim of the American Literature 101 series is to offer readers prominent authors and their impacts on their time. With their distinctive powers and values, American Literature brought a new impact to world literature. Consisting of different races and identities from all around the world, the United States of America both culturally and literarily has an important place in the world. Key elements are individuality and uniqueness, hence the reader can understand the hidden part of human nature. The huge divergent identical background of the United States of America shows the exceptional nation’s culture and literature. With the corresponding texts, the reader can understand the core of the American culture better. Writers of the United States of America have been gathering striking issues throughout centuries.
American Literature series consist of five main articles:
1. American Literature 101: Awakening to the New Nation, Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
2. American Literature 101: New American Hero Natty Bumppo, The Pioneers by James Cooper
3. American Literature 101: Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
4. American Literature 101: Moby-Dick or The Whale by Herman Melville
5. American Literature 101: Moral Dilemma between Europe and America, Daisy Miller by Henry James
American Literature 101: New American Hero Natty Bumppo, The Pioneers by James Cooper
Born in New Jersey in 1789 James Fenimore Cooper was the first pioneer novelist in American literature. When he was a child, Cooper and his brother spent most of their time in the thick woods of New York, and he observed pure nature. D.H. Lawrence states, "Cooper was a rich American of good family. His father founded Coopers-Town, by Lake Champlain.’’ As he expanded his vision with the help of nature, Cooper became more acquainted and aware of its importance. These strolls into the woods brought a great impact on Cooper's imagination. Around the Hudson River and certain New York regions, Cooper had the chance to meet the Native Americans, the group of people indigenous to the continent. These adventures paved the way the piquant ideas for Cooper’s writing. As A.W. Watson mentions, "The Pioneers is close in many aspects to the situation in Cooperstown in which James grew up.’’ Also in his writings, Cooper examined American history and aimed to create traditions that only belonged to the new American nation.
John Wesley Jarvis: Portrait of Fenimore Cooper
The Leatherstocking Tales consists of five-volume of roman