James Fenimore Cooper | |
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Born | Burlington, New Jersey | September 15, 1789
Died | September 14, 1851 Cooperstown, New York | (aged 61)
Occupation | Writer |
Genre | Historical fiction |
Literary movement | Colonial Realism |
Notable works | The Last of the Mohicans |
James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 - September 14, 1851) was an American writer. He created the character of Natty Bumpo, the archetypal American frontiersman.
Cooper was born on September 15, 1789 in Burlington, New Jersey. His father was a United States Congressman. James Fenimore was one year old when his family moved to Cooperstown, New York. The community was started by his father.
Cooper was 13 when he began attending Yale University. He was kicked out for playing pranks. He blew up another student's door. He also taught a donkey to sit in a professor's chair.
Precaution was Cooper's first book. It was published anonymously in 1820. In 1823, he published The Pioneers. This book was the first of the Leatherstocking novels. These stories became famous for the fictional character of an American woodsman called Natty Bumppo. Cooper's most famous novel Last of the Mohicans was published in 1826. It became one of the most widely read American novels of the 19th century.
In 1826, Cooper moved his family to Europe. He wanted to make more money as an author. He also wanted to give his children a better education. He continued to write. His books published in Paris include The Red Rover and The Water Witch. These were novels about the sea. His books began taking a political angle. These books are forgotten today. He returned to the United States in 1833.
Cooper moved back to his ancestral home Otsego Hall in Cooperstown. His writing continued in a political vein. His readers did not like this. He returned to fiction books with The Pathfinder and The Deerslayer. These books continued the story of Natty Bumppo. Cooper spent his last years in Cooperstown. He died on September 14, 1851.