Susan Fenimore Cooper (1813-1894), though often overshadowed by her
celebrity father, James Fenimore Cooper, has recently become
recognized as both a pioneer of American nature writing and an
early advocate for ecological sustainability. Editors Rochelle
Johnson and Daniel Patterson have assembled here a collection of
ten pieces by Cooper that represent her most accomplished nature
writing and the fullest articulation of her environmental
principles. With one exception, these essays have not been
available in print since their original appearance in Cooper's
lifetime.
A portrait of her thoughts on nature and how we should live and
think in relation to it, this collection both contextualizes
Cooper's magnum opus, "Rural Hours" (1850), and demonstrates how
she perceived her work as a nature writer. Frequently her essays
are models of how to catch and keep the interest of a reader when
writing about plants, animals, and our relationship to the physical
environment. By lamenting the decline of bird populations, original
forests, and overall biodiversity, she champions preservation and
invokes a collective environmental conscience that would not begin
to awaken until the end of her life and century.
The selections include independent essays, miscellaneous
introductions and prefaces, and the first three installments from
Cooper's work of literary ornithology, "Otsego Leaves," arguably
her most mature and fully realized contribution to American
environmental writing. In addition to a foreword by John Elder, one
of the nation's leading environmental educators, an introduction
analyzes each essay in various cultural contexts. Brief but handy
textual notes supplement the essays. Perfect for nature-writing
aficionados, environmental historians, and environmental activists,
this collection will radically expand Cooper's importance to the
history of American environmental thought.
General
Imprint: |
University of Georgia Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
July 2002 |
First published: |
July 2002 |
Authors: |
Susan Fenimore Cooper
|
Volume editors: |
Rochelle Johnson
• Daniel Patterson
|
Foreword by: |
John Elder
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 13mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
168 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8203-2422-7 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-8203-2422-1 |
Barcode: |
9780820324227 |
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