Comparing Franklin, Jefferson, And James Fenimore Cooper

Rather than seeing one common theme that linked all of these readings together, I saw a shift from one literary period to another through the changing writing styles and ideas of these authors. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine seem to exemplify the Enlightenment period of American literature whereas Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper exemplify a shift towards the Romantic period in American literature. While themes of Enlightenment connect Franklin, Jefferson, and Paine, those themes differ from the themes that will connect Irving and Cooper.
Each of these Enlightenment authors has a theme in their writing that exemplifies the themes of the Enlightenment period. The first is Benjamin Franklin whose writing shows an interest in human nature. Throughout Franklin’s lifetime he was constantly focusing on himself and how he conducted himself in everyday life. This can be seen through some of his 13 virtues such as 1) Silence: speak not what may benefit
Romanticism deals with more imaginative writing, such as fictional stories that have a dramatic plot. Washington Irving’s fictional story “Rip Van Winkle” is the perfect example. It is the story of a man who has a strange encounter with a group of old Dutchmen, falls asleep after drinking a funny drink, and wakes up to find that 20 years had gone by while he was sleeping. This story, with its fictional plot, exemplifies the new type of literature that emerged during this time of Romanticism. On the other hand, James Fenimore Cooper’s writing exemplifies the “natural” aspects of Romanticism which is one of the most dominate themes of this literary era. An example of this is shown in the beginning paragraph of “The Last of the Mohicans” when the scene between Natty and Chingachgook is being