Cooper's Notions of the Americans: A Commentary on Democracy

Abstract

JAMES FENIMORE COOPER'S Notions of Americans consists of a commentary on American society and politics concealed within framework of a series of letters written by a traveling bachelor to his European compatriots on subject of his American tour. In order to assume guise of a foreigner, Cooper published this work anonymously.' The ostensible purpose of such a guise was to present a more favorable interpretation of American institutions and habits than previous accounts of visiting Europeans, and especially visiting Englishmen, had rendered. By assuming guise of a European, rather than disclosing his real connection, Cooper's presentation might appear more convincing, or at least it would secure a wider audience Europe than if it were known to be written by an American. Still, a certain sense, Cooper did consider himself a foreigner when he composed this work, for he had written Notions Europe and was out of country for some time after that.2 When he did return to United States, he remarked that his long absence from home had some degree put him in situation of a foreigner his own country.3 The meaning of Cooper's foreignness becomes more apparent when we consider other leading character Notions, John Cadwallader of Cadwallader, a fictional resident of New York state and bachelor's almost constant companion on his American tour. In general, we may say that most ardent espousals of democratic creed are made by Cadwallader who is continually prodded with questions about ways of his country and countrymen. Cadwallader's arguments most instances are acceded to by bachelor, who, as a European aristocrat, could not himself state democratic argument and still appear convincing to a European audience. As bachelor confesses: [Caldwalladerl, who has a silent, significant manner of conveying truths, has undeceived me more than once when I have been on very threshold of an error. . . . It is astonishing how accurate his eye is making [distinctions]. I do not know that he has been deceived a solitary instance (I, 142-43). But although one quickly accedes to other's arguments, speech which Cooper utters through character of bachelor and that which he utters through character of Cadwallader are not identical. This difference emphasis is evident, for example, their respective attitudes towards degree of liberty which a regime can digest or assimilate. The bachelor insists that the United States have carried freedom of their institutions too far (I, 273), while Cadwallader feels that it is very difficult to make an Englishman comprehend possibility of a people prospering under a still greater degree of liberty than that which he enjoys (I, 278). Be that as it may, person of Cadwallader enables our author, who is first and foremost traveling bachelor, to maintain a certain detachment from democratic institutions and practices, a detachment fully revealed American Democrat published ten years later. In that work Cooper declares that the peculiar sins of democracy must be sought for democratical character of institutions.4 At one of occasions on which Cadwallader had an opportunity to respond to bachelor's queries, or rather to react to