James Fenimore Cooper's Influence On American Romanticism

The Romantic movement was originated in Germany and England, but easily spread throughout the world influencing on literature, art and music of the time. This multifaceted movement was a reaction against formalism and materialism and promoted its own ideology. Even though it took place during the eighteenth century, it finally appeared in American literature only around the year of 1820. It was the period after the end of American Revolution, that’s why Romanticism was known as the period of national extension and determination of a distinctive American voice.
American Romanticism was often viewed as artistic movement, nevertheless, it also had important political, social and nationalistic aspects. It was based on the idea of perfection of individuals and society itself through self-realization and improvement. Romanticism had to do with American culture, because the very creation of the United States was considered as an expression of romantic thought and seeking for individualistic realization.
Romanticists viewed art as a right way of
He was a friend of Washington Irving, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne, who were well-known figures of Romantic era. In his works he wrote about different topics from the plight of Native American to the current political events, adding his own sympathetic and romanticised vision and often expressing sharp criticism towards American present condition, democracy and wealth. Generally, European authors have held a favorable view of Cooper’s talent while Americans have been more critical. However, he had an insatiable appetite for knowledge and a strong desire to share what he knew with his readers. The first great American novelist, a man who incited and provoked his contemporaries to ponder social issues that are as relevant today as they were 150 years ago, had literally left his mark upon American culture and her literary