My nature book of choice was The Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper. Published in 1823, the story revolves around Nathaniel "Natty" Bumppo, a more elderly and seemingly heroic type of character than anyone else in the novel. At the beginning of the story, he is hunting a particular buck that happens to be same one that another man is also after, Judge Marmaduke. The two men have a conversation over who fired off the killing shot, due to the spread of Natty's buckshot, and who earns the right to the animal. The setting of the novel is in the frontier of New York, and it seems that Cooper was trying to display a lot of the conflict happening between human civilization and nature, and it is evident in his descriptions of the landscapes compared to the small towns that dot it. Particularly in the beginning chapter, Cooper describes the peaceful nature of the woods at great length, and by the time he introduces the human influence, it feels as though the humans have interrupted a little.
Apparently, this novel is the first in a series called the Leatherstocking Tales. The Pioneers is about 450 pages long, so I still have some more reading to do, but the basic messages of the book are already becoming clear to me. It becomes apparent that Cooper is speaking on the conflicts going on between humans and nature, though it is in a different way than how we might typically view the conflict nowadays. Most of the state of New York was snow ridden frontier land, but at this point in history, America was beginning its movement westward as part of Manifest Destiny; not all of it was glorious, and it depends on perspective. The Native Americans were certainly ones who seemed to embrace nature more than the approaching immigrants, who would seek to expand their influence on their newly discovered land. While the migration was great for America, it meant that much of the untapped wilderness had to pay a price.From what I have read, the book has moved along at a fairly slow pace, and it mostly begins with the backstories of a few characters. Natty certainly receives the best treatment in terms of his development and dialogue. However, I have enjoyed it thus far, and I've always liked reading literature from long ago, even if the writing may not be all that familiar to me.
Hi Ryan! I am interested to know what "side" the characters in your book take. Are they advocating that there is a definitive change in climate, and stating that it is a real issue, or are they merely claiming to see changes in patterns? In my documentary last week, many of the speakers talked about individuals in the 18th century who were sort of the backbone of our country, and who wrote some legislation, famous novels, etc. who had not yet written about global warming and climate change. I am interested to see how your book concludes!
ReplyDeleteI find this book very interesting and would like to read it. I do believe that us humans are interacting with nature in a negative way, as shown by climate change. Personally, I believe that nature deserves respect, which a lot of us humans lack on giving it.
ReplyDeleteAre you able to relate this book to the present? It sounds like it is far in the past. However, the lack of respect for the land is prevalent among many. It sounds like you have a lot of reading ahead of you! I am glad I picked a 200 page book, as I am already finished.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting to see the thought processes of people that lived in the 1800s and their views on nature. Since it was published in 1823 that means it was before the Industrial Revolution. I wonder how the Author's views changed after that.
ReplyDeleteCould you suggest a chapter or a couple of chapters that high school students could read and use as a jumping off point for teaching about humans and nature, and climate change?
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