New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-08-05
German Criticism. en- Feninsors Cooper.


Coorer has issued one romance after another,
even Up to the last year, but the number OF his
readers has fallen OF. The later noyel-wTi!ers
have made then piquant sketches OF character
taken from real life more attractive than ms sen
,inen,al descriptions, and at the same tame have
teat nm N ms own line. StIll, for his time.
he sustained d position IN the popular literature
OF the world which may be compared with that
OF Walter Scott.
The construction of The " Spy" j.. sngularly
barren Of features Of moral and psychological
interest The hero, Harvey Birch, Is the fruit
Of one of those refined moral problems whSA
do not admit ol practical and individual soG-
ton 4 man who, II order TO act IN secret for
the benefit Of his country, not only exposes hin
sell during MS whole life to the greatest dangers
and sacrifices, but also passes among his coun-
trymen as traitor and kna7e, with no consola-
ton but that OF having IN his pocket a certificate
from General Washington that he J. good pa
triot. without making any use of II, is such an
lnlrinscally improbable conception, that no arts
TIC management can give Il the appearance OF
reality But these resigned, devoted characters
are great fayorites with Cooper, and are constant
" REPRODUCED IN MS plots. The Bravo" plays
the same part. only i /. not the tatherlsnd but
the father. for whom the sacrifice is made / MS
is still greater psychological lnprobabllity, for
the love Of parents can never he transformed IN
10 fanatIca sentiment. It's the same with the
Pilot and similar characters. They all have
something Of the Indian about them the highest
exaltation OF their heroism IS resignation they
know how 20 suffer silently and TO die. A per
tectly hfeless character IN this romance IS Cen
era Washington. who enacts the part OF tate or OF
Providence. He perpetually floats IN the clouds ;
we learn nothing OF his human traits. and, accord
lnelv. feel no ln,eres, IN hin. The other persons
are unimpcrtant, and only occasionally possess
the interest of local colOring. II we cannot ind
the value OF tins work IN its moral and physical
character and If Cooper who as an American.
is more ngidly yirtuous than Walter Scott con
sclen,lously refrans from the sensual allure
ments which are the favorite staple Of the
French romancers. he certainly knows how to
act on the Imagination IN another direction. tie
IS the first writer who has exercised his SSlll IN
the description OF dangerous roads. OF ieverisn
marches, accelerated 10y flight and constant
danger. who IN short has made use OF those ma
terial excltements which previous artists have
been content TO pass over In the most general
manner. The leading sentiment ia very simple,
but It is mInutcly detailed, and connected with
vivid Local dolmeatlons. This talent has GER
tainly been employed with more refinement
within later period. Compare the flight OF
Dick Turpin IN Ainsworth's lockwood, or the
numerous penis OF Jack Sheppard, with the adj
ventures of Harvey Birch. the latter certainly
appear like chdS play, though, on the other
hand, Cooper Is more conscientious and true to
nature IN his descriptions. He relates the fever
ish excitement with philosophical moderation
He never loses his presence OF mind. nor permits
his readers 10 become bewildered II we com
pare Cooper with Sealsted whose pnncpal
strength. aside from the more poetcal character
of his heroes. lies IN the same talent. the differ
encc Is still more obvious Sealsfeld, when de-
scribing wild. perplexed and fantastic scenes,
falls himself into kind OF intoxlcaton; he
takes oar Imagination 10y storm with his fever
lSh pictures. wlthou; giving himself the trouble to
be ineligible. We cannot follow him, unless
We place ourselves III the same state oi lntoXl-
cation There is a certain charm IN this high
strung excitement, OF which Cooper Is destitute,
but which cannot be regarded a. entirely sound
1t is the same with the descrl ptlons OF Nature
properly so called Cooper pays great attention
to local circumstances, II IS true and the more
they differ from the usual scenes of the civil
lied world, he seeks to give Us distinct
image of them; but he makes his own poetcal
uses OF them like SealSheld, whose descriptions
of Nature with his eilerescng imagination
are quite as apt to be grandlose as carca'ured
CooperS Imagination always travels IN the regu-
lar highway, even If his subjects are OF an an
common character Add to this the clrcum
stance, that his descriptions are usually 81
scenes in the Northern States, where the aspect
OF Nature is far more like that OF Germany
while Sealsfeld loves to daily with the South
under tropical climate, which certainly is
adapted 10 fire the Imagination, and we shall md
the difference to consist partly IN the tact 'hat
Cooper looks on Nature with the eyes OF
native-born American, 10 whom It presents no
strange features, taken as whole, though Il
often has something novel IN It's details, while
Sealsfeld, on the contrary, regards II with ise
eyes OF poet. who has discovered new
world.
This difference, If the expression may be per
mitted OF a rationallstlc and supernatural mole
OF considering nature, gives the younger artist
great advantage IN MS dellneation OF the Indians
as well as of the halfsayage settlers. We must
look at these peculiarly American pictures IT.
tie more closely because they are at the iounda-
ton Of Cooper's fame.
IN this romance there Is great uniformity IL
the descriptions OF character The same mo
uves are constantly reproduced. Leaving on, OF
view the young lovers, the republican and royal
III heuienants, who here look the same as else