Fenimore Cooper's Literary Interests

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pseudonym Mark Twain, has been central to American literature for over a century. His seemingly effortless diction accurately exemplified America’s southern culture. From his early experiences in journalism to his most famous fictional works, Twain has remained relevant to American writing as well as pop culture. His iconic works are timeless and have given inspiration the youth of America for decades. He distanced himself from formal writing and became one of the most celebrated humorists. Mark Twain’s use of the common vernacular set him apart from authors of his era giving his readers a sense of familiarity and emotional connection to his characters and himself.

    One of the most notable techniques of realism was the simplicity of its writing and dialogue. Realism usually followed the adventures and life of the common person, therefore in order to accurately portray the average man authors had to drop the fancy words and grammar of romanticism and pick up the simple dialect of daily life. Twain is best known for his ability to replicate dialogue in this way. He would usually break the rules of grammar and spelling to capture the accents of an area, as seen in his story “ The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Cavalier County”. “H'm so 'tis. Well, what's he good for… Well, I don't see no p'ints about that frog that's any

Even though the book shows immaturity I think the audience it's intended for is old enough to not be influenced by bad behavior in a book. This leads me into my next point The strength of writing of Mark Twain. Mark Twain’s writing is very unique because of the way he studies the background of the people the books are about. One of the best features of the book is the way Mark Twain uses dialect. "No! W'y, what has you lived on? But you got a gun. Oh, yes, you got a gun. Dat's good. Now you kill sumfn en I'll make up de fire." (Twain). As you can see in the quotes Mark Twain has a magical way of writing and giving an accurate picture of how it was in the mid 1800s.

Many critics agree that Twain's skilled use of the satirical literary style, defines himself as a writer. "If the prevailing spirit of Mark Twain's humor is not a sort of good-natured self-satire, in which the reader may see his own absurdities reflected, I scarcely should be able to define it" (Howells). This similarity was present in all three short stories.

The literary rebellion, known as realism, established itself in American writing as a direct response to the age of American romanticism’s sentimental and sensationalist prose. As the dominance of New England’s literary culture waned “a host of new writers appeared, among them Bret Harte, William Dean Howells, and Mark Twain, whose background and training, unlike those of the older generation they displaced, were middle-class and journalistic rather than genteel or academic” (McMichael 6). These authors moved from tales of local color fiction to realistic and truthful depictions of the complete panorama of American experience. They wrote about uniquely American subjects in a humorous and everyday

Religio-historical objects are things of crafted pieces of writing that reveal the realities of religious subjects through the perspective visions of their author (C.J Bleeker). Compared to an artist who has a muse, writers also have a “muse” something that influences their writing. Whether it is a personal experience, religious belief, or common morals writers derive the context within their writing from many different aspects of life. One thing most authors derive their ideas from is their religion or just any religion that interest them. Authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Flannery O’Connor, writings often include many allegories and symbols to religious faiths.

Twain begins the essay by quoting a few critics, who praise the works of Cooper, as Thomas Lounsbury, Brander Matthews and Willkie Collins. Twain comments: “It seems to me that it was far from right for the Professor of English Literature in Yale, the Professor of English Literature in Columbia, and Willkie Collins to deliver opinions on Cooper’s literature without having read some of it. It would have been much more decorous to keep silent and let persons talk who have read Cooper”. Twain hints at Brander Matthews ironically, when he tells us that Cooper’s books “reveal an extraordinary fullness of invention”. Twain accepts Brander Matthews’s literary judgments and applauds his “lucid” and “graceful” phrasings; but he offers to take that particular

Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain aims to paint a clear picture of the racist atmosphere of the Pre-Civil War south while using satire, irony, and his characters to attack the shortcomings of the romantic style. Twain’s goal of critiquing romanticism stems from the need to use literature to call attention to important social issues, like the evils of slavery and systemic racism that plague the American south. Twain often demonstrates his frustration of the whimsical, and often inaccurate and irrelevant stories under the style, through satire. For example, the structure of the novel, more like a collection of short stories than a chapter book, is reminiscent of the short, exciting plots

Trying to get over his angriness he started to write (Mark Twain.) In 1894 he published “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court”, it was a historical fiction novel about England in the years past (Mark Twain.) The next writing was “The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson”, many people considered this novel to be very bitter and sad (Mark

Mark Twain’s assessment of James Fennimore Cooper’s “literary offenses” is an outrageous attack on one of the most proven of early 19th century authors. If one is to believe it satire, as has often been asserted, then why choose Cooper at all? Surely there were more fitting Romantic authors for Mark Twain to “pick on.” If this is, indeed, a real attack against the author, then it is incorrect and fallacious. Twain condescending and malicious tone discredits his own arguments as he proceeds to make wild exaggerations, as well as attack the word usage of Cooper.

Mark Twain seemed like a strong person who fought for himself, but he was also willing to forgive when offered an apology, like when he was in Germany and ran into Mr. Carleton who had rejected his work. When he was talking to Mr. Carleton he was trying to be funny but Mr. Carleton didn't understand. How similar to the way I might react to someone who I would be nervous in their presence. Unfortunately, this could have resulted in his book not getting published. You can also tell that Mark Twain was very intelligent but quietly confident and wanted to come across as a normal person. It would have been hard for him to try to get his work published again after many

James Fenimore Cooper was the eleventh child of twelve. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Cooperstown, New York, where he later died. He attended Yale University for only two years, because he was expelled. The reason behind his expulsion was he pranked a fellow scholar by blowing up the student’s door. Because of this expulsion, he found a deep disdain towards New Englanders and became a sailor. Once his dad passed away, he inherited a large sum of money; he settled into a countryman lifestyle and married Susan Augusta De Lancy. After just two years of this lifestyle, his wife bet he could write a better novel than what she was reading at the time. From this, blossomed Precaution, a story of morals. Next, he wrote The Spy:

A Critique of “Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses” Twain, Mark. “Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses.” Learning Resources Folder. Summary of Major Ideas

The definition of art has been debated time and time again, but there is still not a concrete line drawn between what is defined as art and what is not. However, there are certain works of art that set the example for what other works of art should contain. Specifically, according to Ernest Hemingway, an American author from the early twentieth century, “all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since”. In other words, Hemingway stated that Mark Twain had laid the foundation for modern American writers who strive to create works of art through literature. Twain directly refers to how a work of literature should constitute art in his essay “The Literary Offenses of Fenimore Cooper” where he criticizes Deerslayer for not reaching the requirements of literary art that Twain describes. He stresses the idea that everything in the literary work should “accomplish something and arrive somewhere”, have correct and definite personage that makes sense, care about the characters in the story, and have proper diction. In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he successfully applies the appropriate aesthetic and literary values that he holds literature to in his essay on the violation of literary art in Fenimore Cooper’s Deerslayer through his purposeful portrayal of Huckleberry Finn and his endeavors.

The American writer Mark Twain wrote “Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses” in response and his own opinion about Cooper’s novels. In this essay, Twain criticizes the major mistakes and “rules” which Cooper violates in writing his series, The Leatherstocking Tales. A large portion of the rules which Twain writes about can be found in Cooper’s novel, The Last of the Mohicans. His self-made rules are very encompassing of Cooper's literary flaws which can easily be pointed out through his novel. With Cooper violating these basic set of rules, he makes his novel seem very rushed and undeveloped as the rules which do not follow encompass very crucial criteria which not only these kinds of novels must have, but any novel must do.