After+reading+Twain's+essay+on+Cooper,+post+your+response+to+him+here

The Norton Anthology of American Literature (shorter 7th edition) give James Fenimore Cooper credit of writing "profound dramatizations of such key American conflicts as natural rights versus legal rights, order versus change, wilderness versus established society, and--especially--the possibilities of democratic freedom and interracial friendship" (Baym et al 468). Indeed, even on a more basic level, Cooper is relevant, as most of us have already read or seen him in one form or another, as many "heroes" and plots with which we are familiar are directly or indirectly influenced by his most enduring character, Natty Bumppo--better known as Leatherstocking. Regardless, Cooper has his critics, perhaps his most notable being Mark Twain.

After reading the famed essay, "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses", decide if you agree or disagree with Twain's criticism based on (and only on) the excerpt from //The Last of the Mohicans// (469-475), which you have already read. Then, in a well-developed multi-paragraph response (not to take any longer than 20-25 minutes and not essay length), discuss your response. Be certain to use textual evidence (from both pieces) to provide support for your stance. Post your response on the discussion board.