The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-01-21

tnnt COOp0r8 pfOiOnR6u E0SluVuCo III EuhOpo
had the double effect Of making him detest the
English for their instrumentation and abuse
Of American political institutions. and rebuke
his own countrymen for their lack OF refine
ment and other social shortcomings. Almost
all the troubles OF Coopers life and especially
the virulent antagonism which he excited at
once In Great Britain and in the United States.
were owing TO the fact that he was democrat
by conviction and an aristo0tat by feeling.
II was after his return from Europe that
Cooper became engaged In tho long and bitter
war with the press OF his native State. whose
consequences. though no won nominal VIC
tory. were we'll nigh fatal to his reputation
among his American contemporaries. This
exciting but painful chapter in the life OF the
novelist is recounted by the biographer In a
singularly Just and discriminating spirit
Coopers battle with public opinion, OF which
his libel suits were merely acute phases. pre-
sents the most extraordinary spectacle In
American literary history; but the uppermost
feeling In tho mind OF those who look back
upon 1t Is one OF profound regret that a man
capable OF brilliant and lasting work in the
congcnal field of letters should have wasted
so many years and so much intellectual energy
in futile controversy provoked by his habit OF
oflicious and superclious criticism on every
thing he saw around him.
We pass over that part OF Coopors life during
which he was his own lawyer. and. although
he won most of his causes. fully verified the
proverb which predicates consummate folly
of tho cient under such conditions When
he was once more ablo to give his undivided
attention to literary labor. lie showed an inci-
nation to direct his activity to other fields than
that Of fiction. Prof. Lounsbury thinks that up
to "A few months before his death he showed no
signs Of literary decay. 1t is certain however.
A.
lus. ten years Of his life reached the level Of
cccnce attained by his best stories of the forest
and the ocean. OF Tho Redskins" which
came out in 1876. the biographer admits that 1t
Is one Of three or four books which give II
high idea Of Coopers power only by reason OF
the fact that his reputation was able to survive
them. Elsewhere Prof Louhsbury acknowl-
edges that Cooper's fame would not have been
whit lcsscned il every line he wrote after
The Chainbearer" had never seen tho light.
1t seems impossible to ascertain the profits
derived by Cooper from his writings. He was
careless about preserving any record OF facts
bearing on this point. and he kcenly resented
any public reference to the price paid him for
his books. Unuuestionably. his returns from
the sale of his novels in this country must
have been very large II his subsequent tales
were published at his own expense. rs WAS tho
case with The Spy" But. oven as regards
this question. Prof. Lounsbury has been UNI
able to procure information Neither can we
say what was the pecuniary result of Coopers
success in Europe. though it Is evident tina;
England must have brought him n large sum.
There is u tradition that he received $4,000
from his English publishers for each OF his
novels that appeared before the change of
the Copyright law in 1888: II is certain that
after that evont bentley paid IL 800 for each
thp Cont not he ia m
immense circulation Of his books. his gains
were next to nothing. We may affirm. how
ever. that next to Walter Scott and possibly
we ought TO add Dickens and George Eliot
Cooper earned more money by his pen than
any other of the novelists who have used the
English language.
In the last chapter OF this volume. which con-
tans. as We have said. the first adequate BIZ
ography OF the most widely known American
writer. We find discussed some OF the questions
that have been raised regarding the scope and
quality Of Cooper's literary merits. No attempt
is.made by Prof. Lounsbury to disgu Use his sub
Ject's shortcomings from an artistic point Of
view Unauestionably the adverse opinion of
many critics has had large foundation OF JUS
tire. The immense quantity of matter pub
lished by Coopcr-his novels alone number
more than thrty-and the inevitable haste and
carelessncss that wait upon great production
could not fail to entail many faults. lncongru-
tiles and positive contradictions in the con-
ccption Of his tales rs we'll as in their execu-
ton. make their appearance. The same expe-
dents and even the same scenes are employed
over and over again. In the matter OF Ian
guage rapidity and heedlessness frequently
degenerated into downright slovcnliness. Ger
tain words and phrases were worked to death.
On the other hand. OF Cooper's many blunders
In Syntay and itiOm some can only le utt rib
uted to unadulterated ignorance. These mis-
takes are forced upon the readers attention
by tho fact that Cooper imagined himself to be
an arbiter OF correct dicton and was exceeding
ly critical upon faults of speech in other men.
lmperioctions more serious than any thus far
noticed ara acknowledged by the biographer.
Cooper rarely attained to beauty of style and
he sometimes missed the essential quality
Of clearness. Plot In any genuine sense OF the
word is found in very few of his stories. His
introductions were prolix in an unprecedented
degree. and his morazing was cheap and COM
monpace. There is gross unikelihood in the
details of many OF his tales. and some times the
improbability attaches to the central idoa. That
his characters are faint and conventional is OBJ
vious enough. and perhaps deficiency in this
direction was to be looked for in novels OF ad-
venture. At all events. the same criticism may
be made on many Of Scott's novels. Coopcr's
failure in characterization was most marked in
the women he drew. OF the heroine in "Mer-
codes OF CASTLE" we are told that her very
nature is made UP Of religion and female de-
corum" and it is plain that the author fancics
he is exhausting praise. AS the novelist ad-
vanced in years he improved somewhat upon
this feeble conception. but at best the height
reached by his female characters is little lotier
than that OF the pattern woman in the typical
religious novel.
These are grave imputations. and Prof
Lounsbury is right in esteeming 1t proof OF
positive greatness that Cooper should have
triumphed over defects which would destroy
the reputation OF writer of inferior talents
Whatever its dement's. Coopers best work
never sins against the fundamental law of
fiction that the story shall be full Of sustained
interest. 1t has power. and power fascinates.
even though accompanied by much that would
naturally excite repusion. 1t can never be sa id