James Fenimore Cooper

America was born in Burlington New Jersey in 1789 as of eight children James grew up in coopertown New York judge William Cooper Cooper toown was a settled community no Indians are bold frontiersmen but jimes would listen eagerly to his father's days don't stop Father tell me more son tell me about the time SE and mother had me in her arm and you had had to pick her up with a chair and carry her with you I'll tell it to you but father you were a Pioneer you slept in the forest and fought real Indians and founded Cooper town and now we live in a seago hall and miss all the fun I want to fight against too afraid not son I had to fight for a civilization but your fight will be to make that Civilization grow first you're going to study in Albany then you're going to Yale what's the matter with you Cooper can't you see we're studying the eminent faculty of Yale University has put me on the carpet I'm afraid I'm true studying for good you mean you've been expelled your father isn't going to like this very much the judge is a pretty good sport I think it's worth being expelled just to raise little action around this place I don't wish you fellas anything bad all around this place from now on but you're not in the least worried after going all this time time not to graduate Connors have you ever been lost in a forest never have you ever slept Outdoors killed deer fought the Indians or blazed a trail never well one experience like that is worth a thousand sheep skins have you ever fought an Indian no I I haven't but to me those are the important things they're what built up this country they're what'll keep on building it I'd like to to be a part of that romantic old James still dying to meet an Indian someday I'll do those things the things that are important to this country now not Latin and logic America hasn't got time bad chance you've got to be an Indian fighter Cooper you're just like us lands to hold and develop a position to keep now that you're getting packed I tell you what you do James what go on back to coopertown and behave yourself are you that's no way to act you don't want to get spell twice in the same week do you say if anyone could do it Cooper could goodbye you old Indian fighter goodbye say hello to the Backwoods Forest James Cooper went home to oo for 2 years to wait and grow up in the Autumn of 18006 Judge William Cooper signed his wayward son to a Captain Johnson of the merchantman Sterling it was while serving on Captain Johnson's ship that he learned the ways of the Mariner in which we find the origin for his belief in a large and powerful navy in which we find the beginnings of his Dee rooted antipathy toward everything English no sir I I don't carry no such papers with me I I ain't got no proof of my nationality but I'm an American by order of his Majesty's Navy you are hereby pressed into his Majesty's Service as set forth in articles Johnson these Englishmen have no right to impress our man he's an American how can they possibly hope you'll forget yourself it's unfortunate but I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it this man has no proof of his nationality and we are in British Waters see that that man's papers are in [Music] order where are your proofs right here General you don't think I'd be caught without them when you were around do [Music] you Ned how can they do this not can they Cooper when do they stop the English we'll have another War yet you can't do this to me you can't do this in his voyage aboard the Sterling James came to love the sea he was commissioned a midshipman in the United States Navy but at the end of 2 years service he had to return home due to the death of his father he immediately found himself involved in helping his brothers care for his father's estate and at the same time he met Susan Augusta Delany with whom he fell in love Susan this is the last time I'm going to ask you William Mar a sailor no James I love you very much but I don't want to marry a sailor I want to marry you but remember you and I both have Estates to look after we'll have to take our place in the community together I don't want to have to do it alone you win Susan I'll resign from the Navy but there's just one thing I'm going to insist on that we live in Cooper town I do love my Marin So and I've never been away from Westchester County more than a week at a time but this time you win James [Music] James and Susan Cooper took a small house in mamin but their marriage was a beautiful relationship in the first nine years they had three daughters and James became a true gentleman Farmer at the age of 30 he found himself very far removed from the dreams and hopes of his Youth and that my dear Susan is the end of this book it should go down in history as a novel minus writing wasn't a very good book was it my dear I believe I could write a better story myself you know from what I've seen you don't even like to write letters we've lived among the Gentry for so many years I hope you don't think I've begun to think like them Susan I hope you don't think that do you don't be silly I was in the Navy remember and missed the War of 1812 I know I told you everyone would think it most unpatriotic to get back to that book I don't think you could write a better story than that what I dare you to to what I say I dare you to write a better novel well now isn't that nice my own wife daring me to well maybe I will do it good for you and that is how this clever spy fellow out Fox both the English and the Tores near the close of the Revolution and right here in Westchester mind you in the neutral ground quite a man I would say Governor Jay quite a man by the way James I um I read that novel of yours rley the one Charles wils advised you to publish called uh wasn't it quite correct and uh quite bad I'm afraid from what the critics said hopelessly bad in style structure and characters and even disfigured by typographical errors no James really your writing isn't bad you know it's uh just a shade uh shall we say inadequate well that's quite a compliment coming from John J I told you you had possibilities didn't I my dear then really isn't such a bad novel after all is that what you mean John well frankly it certainly isn't a good one but then I really didn't expect as much from you I can't understand why you chose well-mannered Society for your background and set in England to boot and that title precaution really James why not write about something that has some excitement to it something in which you yourself are interested something you're acquainted with I fear I'm only too well acquainted with mannered Society but you're not really interested in the people of your own sort you're um a frustrated Pioneer why not write a book about a man of action a man of the new world like like this fellow I told you about today this spy During the Revolution for your setting the neutral ground Westchester right here you seem to have a knack for describing nature as you yourself want to see it have seen it so write about what's closest at hand well what do you say to that James James fenmore Cooper was inspired by failure his determination and pugnacity once inflamed could never be calmed and he wrote the book suggested by John J with immense speed with contemptuous carelessness Charles I have some more no more no more Cooper we're printing a novel not an encyclopedia we seem to have thousands and thousands of pages here and one doesn't know where to begin good news then Charles when you told me the size of the work was becoming too ponderous I worked out a solution and here it is 200 more pages is no solution but Charles this is the last chapter the last chapter yes now here's what I want you to do I've already given you the first 60 chapters and now I've given you the last just tell me how many chapters you need in between to finish the book tell you how many chapters we need in between I never heard of writing a book that way all I want you to do is to tell me how many pages you want me to write from the 60th chapter to the last in order to complete my story now do you understand oh I think so I think so fine just let me know how many pages you want oh certainly Cooper of course and so written in a truly amazing fashion was a book that was to become an overwhelming success this novel dealt with the American Revolution and the confused loyalties of its people and it still stands as one of the finest pieces of Adventure fiction the spy with the publication of the Spy James fenmore Cooper came into prominence as an author he renewed his ties with his memories and dreams began his tales of the Wilderness and literature of the sea he remembered his robust land seeking father the men of the trail in the early days near Lake ATO he drew on these memories to create the first of the leather stocking Tales the Pioneers later Cooper brought the American Indian to the literary four Hawkeye the Indian Scout was the leading character in the novel The Last of the mikans few books have ever rivaled the popularity of this one and it was translated into many languages becoming the favorite of boys everywhere this encouraged Cooper to make use of Hawkeye in more novels the Pathfinder the Prairie and the deer Slayer and so James fenmore Cooper found a way to relive the pioneer days that were never to be his I repeat so Walter Scott's novel The Pirate could not possibly have been written by a Sean Mr wils why a sailor would die of Shame at having made such gross nautical errors my dear James I failed to Seether wils the pirate might have made the grade is a fair book but only if more of the narrative had been located on board ship what do you say to that Mr Cooper wants to wait us down with the rather crude details of port and staro I believe isn't it could we endure such a book I must add my name to his James such emphasis on insignificant detail can only lead to the failure of any novel I see I am alone in my opinion wils there's only one thing to do write you a book that will prove conclusively my point of view and you're wrong if you think I won't Susan I think I shall do it about John Paul Jones many years ago uh when Ned Myers and myself were aboard the Sterling we discussed what an admirable hero of fiction John Paul Jones would have made somehow James I don't feel there's enough there to write about the sea to me is merely something to get sick on that my girl is the whole trouble perhaps such a book as the pilot is going to be will remove the Witchcraft about the sea from the minds of people it's a book I must write so I best get to it the pilot did succeed and with it Cooper founded the still flourishing School of sea fiction he later followed the pilot with other tales of the sea particularly the Red Rover in his footsteps came Herman Melville Robert Lewis Stevenson and Joseph Conrad themselves were they monuments to the faith of coop ER that expert nautical knowledge would always heighten literature of the sea in 1826 James fenamore Cooper took his wife and daughters to Europe they traveled extensively and were friends with such people as Lafayette casuso and Sir Walter Scott Cooper received the accolades of European critics but always with certain reservations the fact that he was an American we've been abroad long enough already James and why do you insist on staying in Paris aren't we having a good time here Susan new faces new friends new sites and the girls are learning so much did you say friends these Europeans with their backhanded compliments yes I know in one breath they tell me what a fine fellow I am and then the next they deride my own land and fellow countrymen you're not a Savage Mr Cooper you're not crude Mr Cooper I suppose even I must admit that this snobbish attitude of Europeans toward the new world has to be removed if I could only teach them to understand America as she really is why our culture is to work to build to be free Europe's culture is a world of the past America is the future and should be respected as such James don't shout about it write it if you must say something but do you think you really can change Europe's opinions I can try you always do James in his book Notions of Americans picked up by a traveling Bachelor James fenmore Cooper took up the challenge of Europe the book pointed out to Europeans what was wrong with Europe rather than what was right with America in 1800 33 the Coopers were home to stay and the family went back to Old ATO Hall in cooper toown cooper disappointed in the American people's seeming inability to live up to their future of hard work and pioneering began a steady criticism of the government of the press and the customs of the nation in works such as home as F he lost much of his popularity and much time was spent in fighting Lial suits with the newspapers never sacrificing his ideals forever American in his writing James fenmore Cooper became a Pathfinder a scout in the world of a Nation he was the Pioneer for indigenous American literature from American material he blazed the trail clearly indestructibly as Hawkeye himself might have making it a mortal and easily followed for those who came after