Description
Book SynopsisJames Fenimore Cooper's “Leather-Stocking” tales, published between 1823 and 1841, are generally regarded as America's first major works of fiction. Here, Geoffrey Rans provides not simply a new reading of the five novels that comprise the series but also a new way of reading them.
Trade ReviewA powerful and persuasive new reading of the Leather-Stocking tales. . . . Rans's introduction and endnotes develop a brilliant commentary on Cooper criticism and issues of critical theory. This is an important contribution to Cooper scholarship and to 19th-century cultural history.--
Choice|""This major interpretation of James Fenimore Cooper should result in the recognition that Cooper is a truly major American writer. Moreover, Rans's book is highly readable, genuinely exciting.""--Everett Emerson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|""Rans's reading of the Leather-Stocking tales is a work of exceptional merit, remarkable both for its comprehensive engagement of prior criticism and for its strikingly original insights. . . . A major contribution to Cooper studies.""--William P. Kelly, Graduate Center, City University of New York|""The example of Geoffrey Rans should inspire a deeper and more attentive reading than Cooper has ever had before.""--
American Literary History
