Description
Book Synopsis
Famed for his novels of the American frontier (notably the Leatherstocking Tales) and of the sea, and also the author of a large body of social and political writings, James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) received mixed reviews from his contemporaries, who generally enjoyed the adventure tales but abhored his social preachings. His posthumous reputation has fluctuated widely. Savagely trashed by, among others, Mark Twain in 1895 for his literary offenses, Cooper was resurrected in 1931 by critic Robert E. Spiller, who viewed him as a profound social critic. By the mid-twentieth century, Cooper was widely praised as a pioneer in the development of the American social and political novel, though his literary qualities remained subject to attack in some quarters. Cooper has continued to be studied from myriad points of views and critical stances both as a writer and as a critic.
The immense body of criticism has been carefully channeled in this annotated bibliogra
Table of Contents
Preface Introduction Bibliography Biography General Studies Frontier and Indian Novels Literature of the Sea Social and Political Writings Miscellaneous Publications Author and Editor Index Subjects Index
