From Goodreads
The Last of the Mohicans
James Fenimore Cooper
I really loved Cooper when I was a kid. The Last of the Mohicans is full of stuff young boys are supposed to like. It has adventure, danger, nature, a love story that is there without any kissing and a lot of adjectives. As a grownup with a few more books under my belt I can say that I am glad I read it again and I'm glad I'm finished. The romanticism of nature that is such a part of this book no longer grabs my attention like it did when I was younger. But that's a personal flaw and has nothing to do with the book. The adventure and story are fantastic. The romance in the book is definitely a product of its age, and while I'm not rushing out to grab romance novels with Fabio on the cover, I'm not as against kissing books as I was when I was a kid. The Princess Bride showed Fred and I both that stories can be cool even if there's some girly kissing stuff. Lastly, I could've done with a little less adjective play. I'm an adult now and don't have as much leisure time as I did and The Last of the Mohicans could have been as good and as enjoyable with a few less descriptions. But, it's still worth the time to read if you haven't yet.
Showing posts with label Fenimore Cooper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fenimore Cooper. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Twain - Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences
Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences (1895). By Mark Twain.
This little essay has to be the least favorite of mine in this collection. While there was substantial humor in some of the outlandish attacks on the writings of James Fenimore Cooper. "It seems to me that it was far from right for the Professor of English Literature in Yale, the Professor of English Literature in Columbia, and Wilkie Collins, to deliver opinions on Cooper's literature without having read some of it" (Twain, 59). That's very funny. It's smart, witty and quick. "Cooper's art has some defects. In one place in Deerslayer, and in the restricted space of two-thirds of a page, Cooper has scored 114 offences against literary art out of a possible 115. It breaks the record" (Twain, 59). That's outrageous. That's what makes it funny. I read this and settled in for what I thought would be a funny essay. What I got was seemingly mean-spirited and overly judgmental.
I'll admit I like Cooper. I liked The Last of the Mohicans; I loved The Spy. But, I like Twain substantially more than I like Cooper. But, the more I read him criticizing and criticizing Cooper, I got to wondering if Twain didn't write that essay after one of his works was bashed in a newspaper. It got me thinking about chefs who spout off about critics after one gives them an unfavorable review. All in all, I thought the work was slightly unfair and unduly harsh. It didn't stop it from being funny. But I felt as if I was forced to laugh at a pretty descent storyteller to enjoy the essay.
This little essay has to be the least favorite of mine in this collection. While there was substantial humor in some of the outlandish attacks on the writings of James Fenimore Cooper. "It seems to me that it was far from right for the Professor of English Literature in Yale, the Professor of English Literature in Columbia, and Wilkie Collins, to deliver opinions on Cooper's literature without having read some of it" (Twain, 59). That's very funny. It's smart, witty and quick. "Cooper's art has some defects. In one place in Deerslayer, and in the restricted space of two-thirds of a page, Cooper has scored 114 offences against literary art out of a possible 115. It breaks the record" (Twain, 59). That's outrageous. That's what makes it funny. I read this and settled in for what I thought would be a funny essay. What I got was seemingly mean-spirited and overly judgmental.
I'll admit I like Cooper. I liked The Last of the Mohicans; I loved The Spy. But, I like Twain substantially more than I like Cooper. But, the more I read him criticizing and criticizing Cooper, I got to wondering if Twain didn't write that essay after one of his works was bashed in a newspaper. It got me thinking about chefs who spout off about critics after one gives them an unfavorable review. All in all, I thought the work was slightly unfair and unduly harsh. It didn't stop it from being funny. But I felt as if I was forced to laugh at a pretty descent storyteller to enjoy the essay.
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