The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1839-12-07


age be.ray the poet Of nature, and man
# genius. Brown was The pioneer in The
lids OF American fiction; and like all
who travel al rnbcatcn path, had many
Obstacles to encounter. The novelist Of
:!,a, pcrioI was looked upon rs little bet
ter than all ;ri:GeI; his worl; was seldom
met with in the library Of the learned, or
!ne bun.!,ir of the rich and refined; ami
4 devout adherence for works Of Ike ina.
gina.inA, was incaicatea arl considered
A goo; ,L:t Of morality. T;.is prejudice
has nc. yet entirely subsidized; and the cx-
pcrienuc vf many readers will no doubl
readily revert to instances of its exhlb!.
ton liac Tie following: ga young friend,
nut Il great while since, on entering his
study aicr his retnra from church, was
struck with lhe mcasre appearance Of his
bookcase. o. examination, he TOOK
irom il tie caccr5 Of thrccsco.c novels,
the accumulation Of years, including many
Of SCOTS and Cooper's. His pious mo.
lhcr, taking adyanlagc OF his absence,
had torn out and burned their go'iless con-
tents, and replaced the harmless sAclc-
tCus.
Y'hc next novels: OF importance was
Mrs. Foster, who, inspired by the poiu-
larily Of Wicland and lis successors,
wrote lively noYel, called 1.-The Boar
ding SCHOOL," bit only added another to
a numerous spacies Of English novels,
adapted to the taste of tic day. Its sue.
cess, however, was limited. Shortly af-
terwards, she published "ihe Coqucttc," "
a fiction Of the same class and degree Of
merit; bu: many Of its incidents having
actually happened, and several Of the
characters which were drawn with skill
and truth, being prominent living indivi.
duals, it created certain kind Of arlili.
cia excitement, and was read by every
body. This novel was instrumental in
creating a taste for fictitious compositions,
which was increased by the publicatio.
of "Charlotte Temple, captivating
fiction from the pen Of Mrs. Rawson.-
Several other works by the same grace
t'ul writer, afterwards made their apPea-
race; and were c2lensivel y read and ad-
mred Many romanccs, from anony-
nous authors, and from Others whose
names were then known, but which fame
has no. recorded, were successirc!: pub
lisned, read and forgotten.
The fame Of the Great Unknown, asd
the revolution in pablo sentiment in rcla-
ton to fiction, at lrnsth drew many COM
pelilors into the field, both in Great Bri.
tain and the United States. The genins of
Sir Walter Scott seemed to lave enkind
led hundred minds. Among the nume
rous candidates for norelislic honors IN
America, the gentleman whose name has
given title to this paper, was destined TO
stand forth the most distinguished. &!r
Cooper is native of burlington, in the
state of New Jersey. He was educated
at Yale College, ami subsequently, b"ca"e
4 midshipman in the navy, lii which sitaa-
ton he acquired that nautical knowledge
TO which lis countrymen arc indebted for
TIC "i'ilot." tic "Rcd Rover" ana the
g Water Which," At the close Of the last
war, he left the service, which after tie
peace, presented no attractions to an ac-
tive and ardent mind, and returned TO the
family mansion of his fa.lier, Judge
Cooper, then residing in New York, IN
the vicinity Of Olsego I.ake--the roman
tic scenery of which the novelist has dc.
scribcd in 'The Pioneer" with the pen
Of poet and naturalist. Retirement, to
an imaginative mind, is the parent Of in.
vcn:ioL: invention pants for expression;
the pen is at once seized as the medium,
and The hermit is converted into the au-
thor. The genius of Cooper soon caught
from the objects by which tic
was surrounded, and as the result nf his
secluson, he produced work Of fiction,
entitled "Precau,ion." Although this
novel possesses distinguished merit, and
is surpassed by but two or three Of Mr.
Cooper's later productions, it was re-
ceivcd with Indifference by the American
public; for Wavcrlcy and Guy Manncring,
at this period, had created, or rather con-
firmed the taste for English tcraturc OF
this class, and corresponding contempt
for domestic talent. "Precauion" was
not only neglected, but so severely criti.
cised, that the author, if he had looked
for fame to his countrymcn, would never
have resumed his pen. But the British
nreSs with ih,i ius,icc hirnitv and IN N.