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101-472: The Sketch Book , along with James Fenimore Cooper 's Leatherstocking Tales , was among the first widely read works of American literature in Britain and Europe. It also helped advance the reputation of American writers with an international audience. Apart from " Rip Van Winkle " and " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow " – the pieces which made both Irving and The Sketch Book famous –

202-792: A French revolutionary free-thinker, loses the Italian girl he loves because he cannot accept her simple Christianity. In contrast, in the 1849 The Sea Lions the hero wins his beloved only after a spiritual transformation while marooned in the Antarctic. And the 1848 The Oak Openings features a pious Parson Amen who wins the admiration of the Indians who kill him, praying for them during torture. After establishing permanent residence in Cooperstown, Cooper became active in Christ Episcopal Church, taking on

303-466: A baby with him, but after several years is eventually returned to her parents. Often, he gives contrasting views of Native characters to emphasize their potential for good, or conversely, their proclivity for mayhem. The Last of the Mohicans includes both the character of Magua, who fearing the extinction of his race at the hands of the whites savagely betrays them, as well as Chingachgook, the last chief of

404-702: A character in Anya Seton 's 1944 historical romance Dragonwyck . Henry Brevoort James Carson Brevoort (July 10, 1818 – December 7, 1887) was an American collector of rare books and coins. He served as superintendent of the Astor Library for two years, also serving as trustee. J. Carson Brevoort was born in Bloomingdale, Manhattan on July 10, 1818. He received his early education at home, in France, and at Hofwyl , near Berne, Switzerland . He then studied at

505-553: A commander in the navy of the United States, &c. was first published in Graham's Magazine of 1843–44 . It was a review of the court martial of Alexander Slidell Mackenzie who had hanged three crew members of the brig USS Somers for mutiny while at sea. One of the hanged men, 19-year-old Philip Spencer, was the son of U.S. Secretary of War John C. Spencer . He was executed without court-martial along with two other sailors aboard

606-410: A critic, referred to it poetically in A Fable for Critics , writing, "... the women he draws from one model don't vary / All sappy as maples and flat as a prairie." Cooper's lasting reputation today rests largely upon the five Leatherstocking Tales . In his 1960 study focusing on romantic relationships, both hetero- and homo-sexual, literary scholar Leslie Fiedler opines that with the exception of

707-578: A debt of gratitude—a class of men among whom, I am always ready to declare, not only the earliest, but many of the happiest days of my youth have been passed. Cooper's historical account of the U.S. Navy was well received, though his account of the roles played by the American leaders in the Battle of Lake Erie led to years of disputes with their descendants, as noted below. Cooper had begun thinking about this massive project in 1824, and concentrated on its research in

808-640: A large piece of land which he had bought for development. Later, his father was elected to the United States Congress as a representative from Otsego County . Their town was in a central area of New York along the headwaters of the Susquehanna River that had previously been patented to Colonel George Croghan by the Province of New York in 1769. Croghan mortgaged the land before the Revolution and after

909-606: A level of celebrity previously unseen for an American writer. "I am astonished at the success of my writings in England," Irving wrote to his publisher, "and can hardly persuade myself that it is not all a dream. Had any one told me a few years since in America, that any thing I could write would interest such men as . . . Byron, I should have as readily believed a fairy tale." The Sketch Book introduced three of Irving's most enduring and iconic characters, Rip Van Winkle , Ichabod Crane , and

1010-550: A masterpiece and professed great admiration for Cooper's portrayal of nature, only equalled in his view by Walter Scott. Mark Twain , the ultimate Realist, criticized the Romantic plots and overwrought language of The Deerslayer and The Pathfinder in his satirical but shrewdly observant essay, " Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses " (1895). Cooper was also criticized heavily in his day for his depiction of women characters in his work. James Russell Lowell , Cooper's contemporary and

1111-504: A memorial in New York, six months after his death, in February 1852. Daniel Webster gave a speech to the gathering while Washington Irving served as a co-chairman, along with William Cullen Bryant , who also gave an address which did much to restore Cooper's damaged reputation among American writers of the time. Cooper's father was a lapsed Quaker; probably influenced by his wife's family,

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1212-434: A modern publisher summarizes his goals as follows: A Letter to My Countrymen remains Cooper's most trenchant work of social criticism. In it, he defines the role of the "man of letters" in a republic, the true conservative, the slavery of party affiliations, and the nature of the legislative branch of government. He also offers her most persuasive argument on why America should develop its own art and literary culture, ignoring

1313-584: A mysterious and independent young woman defending herself against criminal charges. Cooper spent the last years of his life back in Cooperstown. He died on September 14, 1851, the day before his 62nd birthday. He was buried in the Christ Episcopal Churchyard, where his father, William Cooper , was buried. Cooper's wife Susan survived her husband only by a few months and was buried by his side at Cooperstown. Several well-known writers, politicians, and other public figures honored Cooper's memory with

1414-413: A neophyte novel set in England he called Precaution (1820). Its focus on morals and manners was influenced by Jane Austen 's approach to fiction. Precaution was published anonymously and received modestly favorable notice in the United States and England. By contrast, his second novel The Spy (1821) was inspired by an American tale related to him by neighbor and family friend John Jay . It became

1515-552: A portion still exists today as the historic Jay Estate . Following on a swell of popularity, Cooper published The Pioneers , the first of the Leatherstocking series in 1823. The series features the inter-racial friendship of Natty Bumppo , a resourceful American woodsman who is at home with the Delaware Indians , and their chief, Chingachgook. Bumppo was also the main character of Cooper's most famous novel The Last of

1616-952: A second printing through 1819 and 1820. Under Brevoort's influence, the books were formatted as large octavo editions printed on top-grade paper and utilizing 12-point typefaces instead of the usual 8-point type. A single-volume hardcover version, reprinting the two English volumes, was published in the United States by Van Winkle in 1824. First installment (June 23, 1819) Second installment (July 31, 1819) Third installment (September 13, 1819) Fourth installment (November 10, 1819) Fifth installment (January 1, 1820) Sixth installment (March 15, 1820) Seventh installment (September 13, 1820) Portions of The Sketch Book were almost immediately reprinted in British literary magazines – and with no real international copyright laws to protect American works from being reprinted in England, poached American writers were entitled neither to

1717-526: A seven-part serialized American version in paperback and a two-volume British version in hardback. The British edition contained three essays that were not included in the original American serialized format. Two more essays, "A Sunday in London" and "London Antiques", were added by Irving in 1848 for inclusion in the Author's Revised Edition of The Sketch Book for publisher George Putnam . At that time, Irving reordered

1818-511: A stint on a commercial voyage, Cooper served in the U.S. Navy as a midshipman , where he learned the technology of managing sailing vessels which greatly influenced many of his novels and other writings. The novel that launched his career was The Spy , a tale about espionage set during the American Revolutionary War and published in 1821. He also created American sea stories . His best-known works are five historical novels of

1919-463: A trilogy of novels called the Littlepage Manuscripts addressing the issues of the anti-rent wars . Public sentiment largely favored the anti-renters, and Cooper's reviews again were largely negative. Faced with competition from younger writers and magazine serialization, and lower prices for books resulting from new technologies, Cooper simply wrote more in his last decade than in either of

2020-595: The American Journal of Numismatics a series of illustrated papers on "Early Spanish and Portuguese Coinage in America." In the Historical Magazine he published a paper on the discovery of the remains of Columbus , and in 1874 prepared a volume, printed privately, entitled Verrazano the Navigator, or Notes on Giovanni de Verrazano, and on a Planisphere of 1529, illustrating his American Voyage in 1524 , this being

2121-1118: The American Geographical Society , the Massachusetts Historical Society , the Pennsylvania Historical Society , and numerous other scientific, literary, and artistic associations, in which he was always actively involved. He was a collector of rare books and coins. From his father, Henry Brevoort, he inherited about 6,000 volumes, mostly Americana, which were collected in Europe during the turbulent years from 1810 until 1832. To this library, Brevoort made large additions, until in 1875 it comprised about 10,000 volumes, many of them very rare and costly. He also collected medals and manuscripts. About 1875 he began to bestow many of his treasures upon various institutions. His collections also embraced entomology and ichthyology (books and specimens). Brevoort removed, in early life, to Yonkers , but returned to New York and

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2222-520: The Headless Horseman . One of the most significant influences of The Sketch Book came from its cycle of five Christmas stories, portraying an idealized and old-fashioned Yule celebration at an English country manor. Irving's stories depicted harmonious warm-hearted English Christmas customs he observed while staying in Aston Hall , Birmingham, England, that had largely been abandoned, and he used

2323-552: The Somers for attempting mutiny. The Proceedings publication was one of Cooper's print skirmishes. Maritime historian Samuel Eliot Morison called it vindictive revenge for Mackenzie's publishing a critical review of Cooper's inaccurate history of the Battle of Lake Erie , noting that Cooper "flattered himself that his tract would 'finish' Mackenzie as a naval officer, which it certainly did not." Others, however, assert that Cooper recognized

2424-659: The Sterling for 11 months, he joined the United States Navy on January 1, 1808, when he received his commission as a midshipman . Cooper had conducted himself well as a sailor, and his father, a former U.S. Congressman, easily secured a commission for him through his long-standing connections with politicians and naval officials. The warrant for Cooper's commission as midshipman was signed by President Jefferson and mailed by Naval Secretary Robert Smith , reaching Cooper on February 19. On February 24, he received orders to report to

2525-584: The École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in Paris , and was graduated with the diploma of a civil engineer. On returning to the United States, he accompanied his uncle, James Renwick , one of the commissioners on the northeastern boundary survey. In 1838 he went abroad as private secretary to Washington Irving , U.S. Minister to Spain . After serving a year in this capacity, he spent several years in European travel, and returned home in 1843. Two years later he married

2626-591: The 19th centuries brought him fame and fortune. He lived much of his boyhood and his last fifteen years in Cooperstown, New York , which was founded by his father William Cooper on property that he owned. Cooper became a member of the Episcopal Church shortly before his death and contributed generously to it. He attended Yale University for three years, where he was a member of the Linonian Society . After

2727-416: The Antarctic, 1849). He also turned from pure fiction to the combination of art and controversy in which he achieved notoriety in the novels of the previous decade. His Littlepage Manuscripts trilogy-- Satanstoe (1845), The Chainbearer (1845), and The Redskins (1846)—dramatized issues of land ownership in response to renters in the 1840s opposing the long leases common in the old Dutch settlements in

2828-533: The Atlantic, though some Americans accused Cooper of apparently abandoning American life for European—not realizing that the political subterfuges in the European novels were cautions directed at his American audiences. Thus The Bravo was roughly treated by some critics in the United States. In 1833, Cooper returned to the United States and published "A Letter to My Countrymen" in which he gave his criticism of various social and political mores. Promotional material from

2929-403: The Author's Revised Edition he was completing for publisher George Putnam , Irving added two new stories to The Sketch Book  – "London Antiques" and "A Sunday in London" – as well as a new preface and the postscript to "Rip Van Winkle". Irving also slightly changed the order of the sketches, placing a number of essays from the seventh American installment earlier in

3030-596: The British press. Irving began writing the tales that would appear in The Sketch Book shortly after moving to England for the family business, in 1815. When the family business spiraled into bankruptcy throughout 1816 and 1817 – a humiliation that Irving never forgot – Irving was left with no job and few prospects. He tried at first to serve as an intermediary between American and English publishers, scouting for English books to reprint in America and vice versa, with only marginal success. In

3131-512: The DeLanceys, Cooper in his fiction often favorably depicted clergy of the Episcopal Church , though Calvinist ministers came in for their share of both admiring and critical treatment. In the 1840s as Cooper increasingly despaired over the United States maintaining the vision and promise of the Constitution, his fiction increasingly turned to religious themes. In The Wing-And-Wing , 1842, the hero,

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3232-480: The English historian William Godwin , "a thing as you know that I was not exactly prepared to look for in an American." The English magazine Quarterly Review agreed. "[Irving] seems to have studied our language where alone it can be studied in all its strength and perfection, and in working these precious mines of literature he has refined for himself the ore which there so richly abounds." Even Irving admitted that he

3333-586: The Floss (1860): Maggie, talking about her 'gloomy fancy' to her cousin Lucy says: "Perhaps it comes from the school diet – watery rice-pudding spiced with Pinnock . Let us hope it will give way before my mother's custards and this charming Geoffrey Crayon." Maggie took up the Sketch Book , which lay by her on the table. (Book 6, Chapter 2) The Sketch Book cemented Irving's reputation, and propelled him to

3434-622: The Hudson Valley. He tried his hand with serialization with The Autobiography of a Pocket Handkerchief , first published in Graham's Magazine in 1843, a satire on contemporary nouveau riche. In The Crater; or, Vulcan's Peak (1847) he introduced supernatural machinery to show the decline of an ideal society in the South Seas when demagogues prevail. The Ways of the Hour , his last completed novel, portrayed

3535-615: The Mohicans (1826), written in New York City where Cooper and his family lived from 1822 to 1826. The book became one of the more widely read American novels of the 19th century. At this time, Cooper had been living in New York on Beach Street in what is now downtown's Tribeca. In 1823, he became a member of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. In August of that same year, his first son died. He organized

3636-592: The Mohicans, who is portrayed as Natty Bumppo's noble, courageous, and heroic counterpart. In 1831, Cooper was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Honorary Academician. According to Tad Szulc , Cooper was a devotee of Poland's causes (uprisings to regain Polish sovereignty). He organized a club in Paris to support the rebels, and brought flags of the defeated Polish rebel regiment from Warsaw to present them to

3737-511: The Navy of the United States of America was re-published in an expanded edition. The work was an account of the U.S. Navy in the early 19th century, through the Mexican War. Among naval historians of today, the work has come to be recognized as a general and authoritative account. However, it was criticized for accuracy on some points by some contemporaries, especially those engaged in the disputes over

3838-457: The Navy of the United States of America , a work that he had long planned on writing. He publicly announced his intentions to author such a historical work while abroad before departing for Europe in May 1826, during a parting speech at a dinner given in his honor: Encouraged by your kindness ... I will take this opportunity of recording the deeds and sufferings of a class of men to which this nation owes

3939-741: The Reverend William H. DeLancey. Cooper was one of the more popular 19th-century American authors, and his work was admired greatly throughout the world. While on his death bed, the Austrian composer Franz Schubert wanted most to read more of Cooper's novels. Honoré de Balzac , the French novelist and playwright, admired him greatly. Henry David Thoreau , while attending Harvard, incorporated some of Cooper's style in his own work. D.H. Lawrence believed that Turgenev, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Maupassant, and Flaubert were all "so very obvious and coarse, besides

4040-588: The Revolutionary War, followed in 1843 and Oak Openings in 1848. The nautical works were Mercedes of Castile (in which Columbus appears, 1840), The Two Admirals (British and French fleets in battle, 1842), Wing-And-Wing (a French privateer fighting the British in 1799, 1842), Afloat and Ashore (two volumes exploring a young man growing up, 1844), Jack Tier (a vicious smuggler in the Mexican-American War, 1848), and The Sea Lions (rival sealers in

4141-455: The Sketch Book, with freshened beauty and added charms. Outside Irving's immediate circle of friends, the reviews were equally positive. As critic Gulian Verplanck wrote: It will be needless to inform any who have read the book, that it is from the pen of Mr. Irving. His rich, and sometimes extravagant humour, his gay and graceful fancy   ... betray the author in every page; even without

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4242-466: The United States in seven paperbound installments, appearing intermittently between June 23, 1819, and September 13, 1820. Irving used his brother Ebenezer and friend Henry Brevoort as his stateside emissaries, mailing packets of each installment to them for final editing and publication. Each installment was published simultaneously in New York, Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia by New York publisher C.S. Van Winkle , who would send each installment into

4343-592: The Whig establishment. Buoyed by his frequent victories in court, Cooper returned to writing with more energy and success than he had had for several years. As noted above, on May 10, 1839, he published his History of the U.S. Navy ; his return to the Leatherstocking Tales series with The Pathfinder, or The Inland Sea (1840) and The Deerslayer (1841) brought him renewed favorable reviews. But on occasion he returned to addressing public issues, most notably with

4444-528: The Whigs endorsed. Cooper himself had come to admire Thomas Jefferson, the bete-noire of the Federalists, and had supported Andrew Jackson's opposition to a National Bank. Never one to shrink from defending his personal honor and his sense of where the nation was erring, Cooper filed legal actions for libel against several Whig editors; his success with most of his lawsuits ironically led to more negative publicity from

4545-493: The age of 17, Cooper joined the crew of the merchant ship Sterling as a common sailor. At the time, the Sterling was commanded by young John Johnston from Maine. Cooper served as a common seaman before the mast. His first voyage took some 40 stormy days at sea and brought him to an English market in Cowes where they sought information on where best to unload their cargo of flour. There, Cooper saw his first glimpses of England. Britain

4646-402: The aid of those minor peculiarities of style, taste, and local allusions, which at once identify the travelled Geoffrey Crayon with the venerable Knickerbocker. Two of the book's early admirers were Sir Walter Scott (who called it "positively beautiful") and Lord Byron (who said of the book, "I know it by heart"). Years later, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said The Sketch Book was one of

4747-480: The aristocratically tainted art of Europe. Influenced by the ideals of classical republicanism , Cooper feared that the orgy of speculation he witnessed was destructive of civic virtue and warned Americans that it was a "mistake to suppose commerce favorable to liberty"; doing so would lead to a new "moneyed aristocracy". Drawing upon philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau , Burlamaqui , and Montesquieu , Cooper's political ideas were both democratic, deriving from

4848-527: The autumn of 1818, his oldest brother William , sitting as a Congressman from New York, secured for him a political appointment as chief clerk to the Secretary of the U.S. Navy , and urged Irving to return home. Irving demurred, however, choosing to remain in England and take his chances as a writer. As he told friends and family back in the United States: I now wish to be left for a little while entirely to

4949-540: The bent of my own inclination, and not agitated by new plans for subsistence, or by entreaties to come home . . . I am determined not to return home until I have sent some writings before me that shall, if they have merit, make me return to smiles, rather than skulk back to the pity of my friends. Irving spent late 1818 and the early part of 1819 putting the final touches on the short stories and essays that he would eventually publish as The Sketch Book through 1819 and 1820. The Sketch Book initially existed in two versions:

5050-498: The biographies of William Bainbridge , Richard Somers , John Shaw , John Templar Shubrick , and Edward Preble . Cooper died in 1851. In May 1853, Cooper's Old Ironsides appeared in Putnam's Monthly. It was the history of the Navy ship USS  Constitution and, after European and American Scenery Compared , 1852, was one of several posthumous publications of his writings. In 1856, five years after Cooper's death, his History of

5151-504: The book but finding many faults. In American Writers (1824–25) he wrote: "The Sketch-Book—is a timid, beautiful work; with some childish pathos in it; some rich, pure, bold poetry; a little squeamish, puling, lady-like sentimentality: some courageous writing—some wit—and a world of humor". Apart from "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", both of which were immediately acknowledged as The Sketch Book' s finest pieces, American and English readers alike responded most strongly to

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5252-460: The building of the brig USS  Oneida for service on the lake. The vessel was intended for use in a war with Great Britain which had yet to begin. The vessel was completed, armed with sixteen guns, and launched in Lake Ontario in the spring of 1809. It was in this service that Cooper learned shipbuilding, shipyard duties and frontier life. During his leisure time, Cooper would venture through

5353-404: The classic A Christmas Carol . The U.S. Postal Service issued a Legend of Sleepy Hollow postage stamp for use with the 1974 Halloween mail. James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonial and indigenous characters from the 17th to

5454-427: The collection of tales includes "Roscoe", "The Broken Heart", "The Art of Book-making", "A Royal Poet", "The Spectre Bridegroom", "Westminster Abbey", "Little Britain", and "John Bull". Irving's stories were highly influenced by German folktales , with "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" being inspired by a folktale retold by J. K. A. Musäus . Stories range from the maudlin (such as "The Wife" and "The Widow and Her Son") to

5555-540: The collection, and moving "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" into a place of prominence as the final story in the collection ("L'Envoy" being merely a thank you to readers). The first American reviews were the result of well-placed advance publicity, performed on Irving's behalf by his friend Henry Brevoort. Three days after the book's release, Brevoort placed an anonymous review in the New-York Evening Post , lauding The Sketch Book and making it clear to readers that it

5656-481: The consent of the governed, and liberal, concerned with the rights of the individual. In the later 1830s—despite his repudiation of authorship in "A Letter to My Countrymen"—he published Gleanings in Europe , five volumes of social and political analysis of his observations and experiences in Europe. His two novels Homeward Bound and Home as Found also criticize the flamboyant financial speculation and toadyism he found on his return; some readers and critics attacked

5757-542: The daughter of Judge Leffert Lefferts, of Brooklyn , where he afterward resided, serving on the board of education, and as one of the constructing board of water commissioners. He became a regent of the University of New York in 1861, and the same year received the degree of LL.D. from Williams College . For ten years, beginning in 1863, he was president of the Long Island Historical Society. In 1868, he

5858-404: The earliest works to excite his interest in literature. As he said, "Every reader has his first book; I mean to say, one book among all others which in early youth first fascinates his imagination, and at once excites and satisfies the desires of his mind   .... To me, this first book was The Sketch Book of Washington Irving". Writer and critic John Neal offered qualified criticism, praising

5959-469: The essays. Consequently, modern editions – based on Irving's own changes for the Author's Revised Edition – do not reflect the order in which the sketches originally appeared. Modern editions of The Sketch Book contain all 34 stories, in the order directed by Irving in his Author's Revised Edition, as follows: The first American edition of The Sketch Book initially comprised twenty-nine short stories and essays, published in

6060-545: The exiled leaders in Paris. With his friend the Marquis de La Fayette, he supported liberals during the regime changes in France and elsewhere in the 1830s. Though some scholars have hesitated to classify Cooper as a strict Romantic, Victor Hugo pronounced him greatest novelist of the century outside France. Honoré de Balzac, while mocking a few of Cooper's novels ( "rhapsodies" ) and expressing reservations about his portrayal of characters, enthusiastically called The Pathfinder

6161-528: The first novel written by an American to become a bestseller at home and abroad, requiring several re-printings to satisfy demand. Set in the "Neutral Ground" between British and American forces and their guerrilla allies in Westchester County, New York, the action centers on spying and skirmishing taking place in and around what is widely believed to be John Jay's family home "The Locusts" in Rye, New York of which

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6262-461: The five Natty Bumppo-Chingachgook novels, Cooper's "collected works are monumental in their cumulative dullness." More recent criticism views all thirty-two novels in the context of Cooper's responding to changing political, social, and economic realities in his time period. Cooper was honored on a U.S. commemorative stamp, the Famous American series, issued in 1940. Cooper appears briefly as

6363-462: The fledgling United States Navy , conferred upon him by an officer's warrant signed by Thomas Jefferson . William Cooper had died more than a year before, in 1809, when James was 20. All five of his sons inherited a supposed-large fortune in money, securities, and land titles, which soon proved to be a wealth of endless litigation. James married Susan Augusta de Lancey at Mamaroneck , Westchester County, New York on January 1, 1811, at age 21. She

6464-554: The forests of New York state and explore the shores of Lake Ontario. He occasionally ventured into the Thousand Islands . His experiences in the Oswego area later inspired some of his work, including his novel The Pathfinder . After completion of the Oneida in 1809, Cooper accompanied Woolsey to Niagara Falls , who then was ordered to Lake Champlain to serve aboard a gunboat until

6565-511: The former mother country. Their next voyage took them to the Mediterranean along the coast of Spain, including Águilas and Cabo de Gata , where they picked up cargo to be taken to London and unloaded. Their stay in Spain lasted several weeks and impressed the young sailor, the accounts of which Cooper later referred to in his Mercedes of Castile , a novel about Columbus . After serving aboard

6666-647: The frontier period, written between 1823 and 1841, known as the Leatherstocking Tales , which introduced the iconic American frontier scout, Natty Bumppo . Cooper's works on the U.S. Navy have been well received among naval historians, but they were sometimes criticized by his contemporaries. Among his more famous works is the Romantic novel The Last of the Mohicans , often regarded as his masterpiece . Throughout his career, he published numerous social, political, and historical works of fiction and non-fiction with

6767-438: The ill feeling between the author and some of the public. Criticism in print of his naval histories and the two Home novels came largely from newspapers supporting The Whig party, reflecting the antagonism between the Whigs and their opposition, the Democrats, whose policies Cooper often favored. Cooper's father William had been a staunch Federalist, a party now defunct but some of whose policies supporting large-scale capitalism

6868-707: The influential Bread and Cheese Club that brought together American writers, editors, artists, scholars, educators, art patrons, merchants, lawyers, politicians, and others. In 1824, General Lafayette arrived from France aboard the Cadmus at Castle Garden in New York City as the nation's guest. Cooper witnessed his arrival and was one of the active committee of welcome and entertainment. In 1826, Cooper moved his family to Europe, where he sought to gain more income from his books, provide better education for his children, improve his health, and observe European manners and politics firsthand. While overseas, he continued to write. His books published in Paris include The Prairie,

6969-436: The late 1830s. His close association with the U.S. Navy and various officers, and his familiarity with naval life at sea provided him the background and connections to research and write this work. Cooper's work is said to have stood the test of time and is considered an authoritative account of the U.S. Navy during that time. In 1844, Cooper's Proceedings of the naval court martial in the case of Alexander Slidell Mackenzie ,

7070-427: The lists as a political writer in a series of letters to Le National , a Parisian journal. He defended the United States against a string of charges brought by the Revue Britannique . For the rest of his life, he continued skirmishing in print, sometimes for the national interest, sometimes for that of the individual, and frequently for both at once. This opportunity to make a political confession of faith reflected

7171-439: The lovely, mature and sensitive art of Fennimore Cooper." Lawrence called The Deerslayer "one of the most beautiful and perfect books in the world: flawless as a jewel and of gem-like concentration." Cooper's work, particularly The Pioneers and The Pilot , demonstrate an early 19th-century American preoccupation with alternating prudence and negligence in a country where property rights were often still in dispute. Cooper

7272-428: The more sentimental tales, especially "The Broken Heart", – which Byron claimed had made him weep – and "The Widow and Her Son". In Britain, the book did much to promote Americans as legitimate writers, and their work as legitimate literature – a concept that surprised English critics. "Everywhere I find in it the marks of a mind of the utmost elegance and refinement," wrote

7373-531: The naval commander at New York City. Joining the United States Navy fulfilled an aspiration he had had since his youth. Cooper's first naval assignment came on March 21, 1808, aboard the USS ; Vesuvius , an 82-foot bomb ketch that carried twelve guns and a thirteen-inch mortar . For his next assignment, he served under Lieutenant Melancthon Taylor Woolsey near Oswego on Lake Ontario , overseeing

7474-570: The need for absolute discipline in a warship at sea, and felt sympathetic to Mackenzie over his pending court martial. In 1843, an old shipmate, Ned Myers , re-entered Cooper's life. To assist him—and hopefully to cash in on the popularity of maritime biographies—Cooper wrote Myers's story which he published in 1843 as Ned Myers; or, A Life Before the Mast , an account of a common seaman still of interest to naval historians. In 1846, Cooper published Lives of Distinguished American Naval Officers covering

7575-456: The objective of countering European prejudices and nurturing an original American art and culture. Cooper was born in Burlington, New Jersey , in 1789 to William Cooper and Elizabeth (Fenimore) Cooper, the eleventh of 12 children, half of whom died during infancy or childhood. Shortly after James' first birthday, his family moved to Cooperstown, New York , a community founded by his father on

7676-405: The patrician liberalism of Lafayette, who sought to recruit him to his causes, and eulogized him as a man who "dedicated youth, person, and fortune, to the principles of liberty." Cooper's distaste for the corruption of the European aristocracy, especially in England and France, grew as he observed them manipulate the legislature and judiciary to the exclusion of other classes. In 1832, he entered

7777-420: The picaresque ("Little Britain") and the comical ("The Mutability of Literature"), but the common thread running through The Sketch Book  – and a key part of its attraction to readers – is the personality of Irving's pseudonymous narrator, Geoffrey Crayon. Erudite, charming, and never one to make himself more interesting than his tales, Crayon holds The Sketch Book together through

7878-646: The pieces from the final three American installments, plus three additional essays: the American Indian sketches "Philip of Pokanoket" and "Traits of Indian Character", which Irving had originally written for the Analectic Magazine in 1814, and a short original piece, "L'Envoy", in which Irving thanked his British readers for their indulgence. Given Irving's additions, the English version of The Sketch Book contained thirty-two pieces, while its American counterpart contained only twenty-nine. In 1848, as part of

7979-515: The political turn that he already had taken in his fiction, having attacked European anti-republicanism in The Bravo (1831). Cooper continued this political course in The Heidenmauer (1832) and The Headsman: The Abbaye des Vignerons (1833). The Bravo depicted Venice as a place where a ruthless oligarchy lurks behind the mask of the "serene republic". All were widely read on both sides of

8080-418: The previous two. Half of his thirty-two novels were written in the 1840s. They may be grouped into three categories: Indian romances, maritime fiction, and political and social controversy—though the categories often overlap. The 1840s began with the last two novels featuring Natty Bumppo, both critical and reader successes: The Pathfinder (1840) and The Deerslayer (1841). Wyandotte , his last novel set in

8181-504: The profits for their work, nor to legal recourse. Irving was concerned about such literary piracy – "I am fearful some [British] Bookseller in the American trade may get hold of [ The Sketch Book ]," he told his brother in law, "and so run out an edition of it without my adapting it for the London public – or participating in the profits." Determined to protect The Sketch Book from further poaching, Irving arranged to secure his British copyright by self-publishing

8282-454: The remainder of the book consists of vignettes of English life and landscape, written with the author's characteristic charm while he lived in England. Irving wrote in a preface for a later edition: It was not my intention to publish [the chapters] in England, being conscious that much of their contents could be interesting only to American readers, and, in truth, being deterred by the severity with which American productions had been treated by

8383-408: The rest of the stock and continue publication. (In gratitude, Irving dedicated the English editions of The Sketch Book to Walter Scott.) Heartened by the enthusiastic response to The Sketch Book , Murray encouraged Irving to publish the remaining three American installments as a second volume as quickly as possible. In July 1820, Murray published the second volume of The Sketch Book , including all

8484-535: The roles of their relatives in Cooper's separate history of the Battle of Lake Erie . Whig editors of the period regularly attacked anything Cooper wrote, leading him to numerous suits for libel, for example against Park Benjamin, Sr. , a poet and editor of the Evening Signal of New York. Cooper's writings of the 1830s related to current politics and social issues, coupled with his perceived self-promotion, increased

8585-509: The roles of warden and vestryman . As the vestryman, he donated generously to this church and later supervised and redesigned its interior with oak furnishings at his own expense. He was also energetic as a representative from Cooperstown to various regional conventions of the Episcopal church. But only several months before his death, in July 1851, was he confirmed in this church by his brother-in-law,

8686-510: The sheer power of his personality – and Irving would, for the rest of his life, seamlessly enmesh Crayon's persona with his own public reputation. Little more than five of the 33 chapters deal with American subjects: the essays "English Writers on America", "The Traits of Indian Character", "Philip of Pokanoket: An Indian Memoir", and parts of "The Author's Account of Himself" and "The Angler"; and Knickerbocker's short stories "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Most of

8787-577: The third Leather-Stocking Tale in which Natty Bumppo dies in the western land newly acquired by Jefferson as the Louisiana Purchase. There he also published The Red Rover and The Water Witch , two of his many sea stories. During his time in Paris, the Cooper family became active in the small American expatriate community. He became friends with painter (and later inventor) Samuel Morse and with French general and American Revolutionary War hero Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette . Cooper admired

8888-465: The time. Cooper later dedicated The Pilot , The Red Rover and other writings to Shubrick. Assigned to humdrum recruiting tasks rather than exciting voyages, Cooper resigned his commission from the navy in spring 1810; in the same time period he met, wooed, and became engaged to Susan Augusta de Lancey, whom he married on January 1, 1811. In 1820, when reading a contemporary novel to his wife Susan, he decided to try his hand at fiction, resulting in

8989-407: The tract Vindication of Christmas (London 1652) of Old English Christmas traditions, that he had transcribed into his journal as a format for his stories. Except Pennsylvania German Settlers, who were enthusiastic celebrators of Christmas, Irving contributed to a revival of customs in the United States. Charles Dickens later credited Irving as an influence on his own Christmas writings, including

9090-425: The war part of the tract was sold at public auction to William Cooper and his business partner Andrew Craig. By 1788, William Cooper had selected and surveyed the site where Cooperstown would be established. He erected a home on the shore of Otsego Lake and moved his family there in the autumn of 1790. Several years later he began construction of the mansion that became known as Otsego Hall, completed in 1799 when James

9191-464: The winter months when the lake froze over. Cooper himself returned from Oswego to Cooperstown and then New York City. On November 13 of the same year, he was assigned to the USS  Wasp under the command of Captain James Lawrence , who was from Burlington and became a personal friend of Cooper's. Aboard this ship, he met his lifelong friend William Branford Shubrick , who was also a midshipman at

9292-527: The work in London. The first four American installments were collected into a single volume and self-published by Irving in London, under John Miller's Burlington Arcade imprint, on February 16, 1820. In early April, however, Miller went bankrupt, leaving the bulk of The Sketch Book unsold in his warehouse. Searching for another publisher, Irving appealed to his friend and mentor, Sir Walter Scott , for assistance. Scott approached his own publisher, London powerhouse John Murray , and convinced him to purchase

9393-505: The works for presenting a highly idealized self-portrait, which he vigorously denied. In June 1834, Cooper decided to reopen his ancestral mansion Otsego Hall at Cooperstown. It had long been closed and falling into decay; he had been absent from the mansion nearly 16 years. Repairs were begun, and the house was put in order. At first, he wintered in New York City and summered in Cooperstown, but eventually he made Otsego Hall his permanent home. On May 10, 1839, Cooper published History of

9494-421: Was Irving's work: The graces of style; the rich, warm tone of benevolent feeling; the freely-flowing vein of hearty and happy humour, and the fine-eyed spirit of observation, sustained by an enlightened understanding and regulated by a perception of fitness – a tact – wonderfully quick and sure, for which Mr. Irving has been heretofore so much distinguished, are all exhibited anew in

9595-529: Was a member of the Common Council for many years. Brevoort married Elizabeth Dorothea Lefferts in 1845, and they had one child, Henry L. Brevoort (1849-1895). In 1852, he moved to Rye. He died at his home in Brooklyn on December 7, 1887. His friend, the ichthyologist Theodore Nicholas Gill , honored Brevoort in the specific name of a fish, the hairfin lookdown ( Selene brevoortii ). He contributed to

9696-755: Was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society . For two years, March 1876 to February 1878, he was superintendent of the Astor Library in New York City, of which he had been a trustee since 1852. He oversaw the beginning of a card catalog for the Astor collection. He resigned as a trustee in September 1878. He was a member of the New York Historical Society , the Academy of Natural Sciences ,

9797-425: Was from a wealthy family who remained loyal to Great Britain during the Revolution. The Coopers had seven children, five of whom lived to adulthood. Their daughter Susan Fenimore Cooper was a writer on nature, female suffrage, and other topics. Her father edited her works and secured publishers for them. One son, Paul Fenimore Cooper, became a lawyer and perpetuated the author's lineage to the present. In 1806, at

9898-529: Was in the midst of war with Napoleon's France at the time, so their ship was immediately approached by a British man-of-war and was boarded by some of its crew. They seized one of the Sterling's best crewmen and impressed him into the British Royal Navy . Cooper thus first encountered the power of his country's former colonial master, which led to a lifelong commitment to helping create an American art independent culturally as well as politically from

9999-504: Was one of the early major American novelists to include African, African-American and Native American characters in his works. In particular, Native Americans play central roles in his Leatherstocking Tales . However, his treatment of this group is complex and highlights the relationship between frontier settlers and American Indians as exemplified in The Wept of Wish-ton-Wish , depicting a captured white girl who marries an Indian chief and has

10100-515: Was pleased to have stunned the skeptical English critics. When one English admirer asked Irving to confirm that he was really an American, Irving responded enthusiastically: "The doubts which her ladyship has heard on the subject seem to have arisen from the old notion that it is impossible for an American to write decent English. " The book is compared favourably with William Pinnock 's English educational texts in George Eliot 's novel The Mill on

10201-415: Was ten. Cooper was enrolled at Yale University at age 13, but he incited a dangerous prank which involved blowing up another student's door—after having already locked a donkey in a recitation room. He was expelled in his third year without completing his degree, so he obtained work in 1806 as a sailor and joined the crew of a merchant vessel at age 17. By 1811, he obtained the rank of midshipman in

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