Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences (Version 2)


Read by John Greenman

(4.5 stars; 35 reviews)

This is Mark Twain's vicious and amusing review of Fenimore Cooper's literary art. It is still read widely in academic circles. Twain's essay, Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses (often spelled "Offences") (1895), particularly criticized The Deerslayer and The Pathfinder. Twain wrote at the beginning of the essay: 'In one place in Deerslayer, and in the restricted space of two-thirds of a page, Cooper has scored 114 offenses against literary art out of a possible 115. It breaks the record.' Twain listed 19 rules 'governing literary art in domain of romantic fiction', 18 of which Cooper violates in The Deerslayer. (Introduction by Wikipedia and John Greenman) (0 hr 33 min)

Chapters

Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences 33:24 Read by John Greenman

Reviews

Spot On


(5 stars)

I attempted the trial of F C's Pathfinder. Barely half through I abandoned the struggle. It is indeed as M T describes; too fantastic and incongruous to any logic as the tale sprawls about with little accuracy or sensible direction. Riddled with so many "near misses" of, had Pathfinder been written by anyone else, what likely would have been a good adventure tale. A most excellent description by M T.