James Fenimore Cooper

Van Wyck House...…Joanna Maehr & Kirsten Strand

Major Literary Works……...Kristin King
Lesson Plan………………..Kelly Logan & Alexis Malaszuk
Guidebook………………...Joanna Maehr & Kirsten Strand
Web Site Design…………..Brian Carroccio & Kristin King

novelists because he helped to create a sense of American

history through his writings. Cooper was influenced greatly by nature and wrote about it frequently in his novels. Cooper was also influenced by and wrote about places in the Hudson River Valley, such as the Van Wyck House.

to a wealthy, landowning judge (William Cooper)
Attended Yale University at

age 13 but was expelled in his third year
Sent to sea as a merchant marine
Served three years in the US Navy as a midshipman

Married Susan DeLancey in 1811 and settled down as a gentleman farmer
The couple moved abroad, but he energetically defended American democracy while overseas

unpopular as a social commentator
His works were more popular overseas

than in America
His novels are said to “engage historical themes”
Helped to form the popular view of American history
Cooper died in 1851, and is buried in the cemetery of Cooperstown, NY

the 19th Century, when Americans were occupying, clearing, and farming

more land than ever before.
After the American Revolution, “Americans experienced unprecedented and accelerating social and environmental changes”

strong, and Indian raids were common.
“The wilderness was his earliest

and most potent teacher”
He made a good income selling his works, but was greatly impacted by the Depression.

Cooperstown, NY

fiction, but were wildly unrealistic.
Cooper did not have much

interaction with Indians, and those which he described were unlike any that could be found.

hills surrounding Lake Otsego
Settled by Judge William Cooper

Cooper spent a

great deal of time exploring the frontier, which had a significant impact on his writings.

shores of Otsego Lake
Roamed through the forests and developed a

love of nature
Nature was evident in many of his writings:
The Deerslayer, The Last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder, and The Prairie

this period
Industrialization changed the economy
Transportation flourished (building of roads, railroads,

the Erie Canal, steamboats)
Farming was not as big of an industry as it had been
The changing of the economy and government right after the Revolution inspired many political writings from Cooper
Ex. - A Letter to His Countrymen (1834)

Army as officers’ headquarters.
Military trials were held here
Orders for

the army were issued from the house.
Visited by many notables including: Washington, Lafayette, Van Steuben, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.
Used by the Quartermaster Department for outfitting Continental troops with clothing.

Spy.
The real life spy was Enoch Crosby, whose trial was

held in the house
After the war ended, the house was given back to its original owners, and it stayed in the Van Wyck family for 150 years.
The old barracks and huts were torn down
Area’s history has been forgotten by most people.

– 1821
The Red Rover – 1827
Notions of the Americans –

1828
The Water Witch – 1830
A Letter to His Countrymen - 1834
The American Democrat – 1838
The Chainbearer - 1845
The Redskins - 1846

“Leatherstocking Tales”
Included: The Pioneers (1823), The Last of the Mohicans

(1826), The Prairie (1827), The Pathfinder (1840), and The Deerslayer (1841)
Series is about an 18th Century frontiersman – Natty Bumppo – who lives free and “close to nature, while the settlers bring ‘civilization’ that destroys the wilderness” [3]
The novels tell of the clash that occurred “between the frontier wilderness and the encroaching civilization” [4]

his natural surroundings. This environment impacted his writings, which continue

to influence us today. Cooper’s novels help to give us a sense of American history.

Forest of Central New York.” New York History 76 (July

1995): 265-290. The Hudson Valley Regional Review 12 (March 1995): 1-48.
-Article provides historical context of the period in which Cooper lived.

[2] “James Fenimore Cooper.” 2000. Retrieved on 3/3/2005 from
http://www.jamesfenimorecooper.com
-This site provides biographical information as well as information about Cooper’s role in American history.

[3] “James Fenimore Cooper.” 2003. Retrieved on 3/4/2005 from
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/jfcooper.htm
-This Web site provides information on Cooper’s collection, the Leatherstocking Tales.

[4] “James Fenimore Cooper.” 2002. Retrieved on 3/3/2005 from
http://www.nagasaki-gaigo.ac.jp/ishikawa/amlit/c/cooper19ro.htm
-Site provides information on Cooper’s literary works.

from http://www.uncp.edu/home/Canada/work/allam/17841865/lit/cooper
-This site offers information on Cooper’s major literary works.

“Bibliomania:

James Fenimore Cooper.” Retrieved on 3/6/2005 from
http://www.bibliomania.com
-Site offers biographical information about Cooper.

“Biography.” Retrieved on 3/6/2005 from
http://www2.bc.edu/~wallacej/jfc/jfcbio.html
-This site offers biographical information on James Fenimore Cooper.

“Clipart.” Retrieved 3/8/2005 from
http://www.webpages.com/html/sounds
-This website supplied the sound clips used in the presentation.

Origins and Revolutionary Writers, 1776-1820: James Fenimore Cooper.” 2003. Retrieved

on 3/5/2005 from
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/LIT/cooper.htm
-Web site contains information about Cooper’s novels and how they portrayed frontier settlement.


“James Fenimore Cooper.” Mohican Press. 1997. Retrieved on 3/5/2005 from
http://www.mohicanpress.com/mo08002.html
-This website offers information on Cooper’s upbringing in Cooperstown, NY.


“James Fenimore Cooper.” 2003. Retrieved on 3/4/2005 from
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/jfcooper.htm
-This Web site provides information on Cooper’s collection, the Leatherstocking Tales.

“Romancing the Indian.” Retrieved on 3/6/2005 from
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/HNS/Indians/main.html
-This site talks about Cooper and how he helped to shape people’s views of American Indians, even if his takes were fictitious.

site provides historical and geographical information on Cooperstown, where Cooper

was born.


“Van Wyck Homestead Museum.” Retrieved on 3/5/2005 from
http://cityguide.pojonews.com/fe/Heritage/stories/he_vanwyck_homestead.asp
-This site provides information about the Van Wyck House.

The following websites provided the pictures used in this presentation:

http://www.hudsonrivervalley.net/images/julynewsletter/image020.jpg
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/HNS/Indians/main.html
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/LIT/cooper.htm
http://external.oneonta.edu/cooper
http://www.artcom.com/Museums/nv/sz/12524-01.htm
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Inn/1819/spy.gif
http://www.geocities.com/charlesjthomas5/cooperstown.jpg
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/visitor_info/images/cooperstown_welcome_sign.jpg
http://www.mightymiramichi.com/gallery/images/Historic/images/The-Alexandra-steamboat-(Mi_jpg.jpg
http://www.cadytech.com/dumas/images/mid/mid_james_fenimore_cooper.jpg