James Fenimore Cooper


James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) was the first major U.S. novelist. His mature work, iespecially the Leatherstocking tales, are the first novels to employ uniquely American characters and settings. His portrayal of frontier adventure used current and historical American events to illustrate contrasting American ideals: the freedoms of the frontier wilderness and the "cultivated garden" of the East.

The five novels devoted to Natty Bumppo, the "Leatherstocking" tales, were not written in narrative order: "The Pioneers" (1823), "The Last of the Mohicans" (1826), "The Prairie" (1827), "The Pathfinder" (1840), and the "Deerslayer" (1841). Cooper later wrote a series of "sea novels" based on his experiences in the Navy. They were among the first Fiction to explore the sea as a protagonist.

Cooper was born of a wealthy family and was left independently wealthy after the death of his father. He was expelled from Yale for a prank and later joined the Navy. He dabbled at several occupations and reportedly wrote his first novel on a dare from his wife, Susan De Lancy. In later life, he took responsibility for a large debt generated by a failed business investment which he spent the remainder of his life paying off.