New York

Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 79K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.New York by James Fenimore CooperAuthor: Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 1, 2001

Editor's review

This is James Fenimore Cooper's work on the subject of New York, included in Project Gutenberg's public-domain eBook library. Cooper is usually known for frontier adventure and historical romance, while this book turns its attention to the city of New York, contrasting with the wilderness narratives common in his fiction and offering some reference value for understanding the diversity of the author's work. The text's language bears the typical features of nineteenth-century American prose: long sentences and detailed description, requiring some patience to read. For researchers, the book can serve as material for examining Cooper's urban writing and the ideas of his time; for general readers, it is better suited as a primary text for understanding early American literature and the historical imagination of New York than as a light city guide. Read with both a historical and a literary perspective, and note how the author observes urban space and social life.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying Cooper's work and early American literature
Those interested in New York City history and early urban writing
Advanced English readers patient with nineteenth-century English prose
History and literature enthusiasts needing public-domain texts for research

Not a good fit for

Readers wanting a practical New York travel guide or a contemporary city introduction
Readers who prefer light, fast reading and are unused to long sentences and old-fashioned style
Beginning English learners, for whom the reading threshold may be too high
Readers expecting a Cooper-style frontier adventure story

Reading tips

Learn about Cooper's life and writing background first, then enter the text for smoother understanding.
Proceed chapter by chapter and briefly summarize each after finishing to avoid fatigue from long sentences.
Read alongside historical maps of New York or urban history materials to strengthen the sense of space.
Read in parallel with Cooper's frontier novels and compare his urban writing with his wilderness narratives.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a city introduction?

This is Cooper's literary work on the subject of New York, part of his urban writing, not a travel guide or city chronicle. It is closer to a literary text that must be understood from the author's perspective and historical background rather than read as practical information.

Wasn't Cooper known for frontier adventure? How is this book different?

Cooper is known for frontier and historical adventure novels, while this book turns its interest to the city of New York, contrasting with his usual wilderness narratives. It helps readers see another side of the author's subjects and concerns and is suitable as supplementary reading for understanding the diversity of his work.

What background is needed to read this book?

The text is nineteenth-century English prose with long sentences and detailed description. Readers should have good English reading ability and a basic understanding of early American literature and New York history to better grasp the author's angle of observation and writing intent.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851 Author

James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851) was an American novelist, with 47 works held in this collection. He is best known for the Leatherstocking Tales, among which The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 is the most widely read; the series also includes The Pioneers, The Pathfinder, and The Deerslayer, all centered on frontier and wilderness life. Cooper's fiction often draws on the North American frontier, the sea, and historical events, with intricate plots and vivid characters, and it has had a lasting influence on later American adventure and frontier novels. Some of his works are classified here under inspirational growth. Because public information is limited, biographical details are omitted, and this introduction focuses on his subjects, style, and influence.