How fair was Twain’s critique of Cooper’s literary style? Mark Twain wrote a critique on James Fenimore Cooper’s writing technique. Twain’s critiques were usually known as a legendary attack. This one was different. It was slightly comical. Twain listed eighteen rules of romantic fiction that Cooper violate. His strong point was rule eighteen, “Employ a simple and straightforward style”. Twain ridiculed Coopers writing style and technique. Twain was fair in his critique. The books were that bad. Here’s a quick overview of one called Deerslayer.

The book begins with two lost men walking through the woods, Deerslayer and Hurry Harry. Deerslayer is a great hunter and Hurry Harry is not. Harry is very hard to understand, because he speaks in two different dialects at the same time. Soon Deerslayer finds the place that they’re hiking to, but Harry doesn’t recognize it even though he picked that spot out. After a while, they talk about a man named Tom Hutter who lives on the land they’re hunting in, but doesn’t own it. Why is he living there?! Later there is a long discussion about Indians that can shoot a target of a fly from five hundred yards away. That’s not possible. No one’s eye can see something like that from such a distance, much less shoot it. Tom lives on a floating house called the Ark. The Ark is huge, basically a fortress. It was even bullet proof! Deerslayer doesn’t recognize the lake that the boats on. Tom says that no pale-face has named it yet, but Deerslayer’s tribe calls the lake Glimmerglass. If he didn’t know the name, then why did he call it Glimmerglass? Later in the book, Deerslayer and Harry are looking for Tom downstream in their canoe. there are many places in the river that the canoe could barely get through. Soon they find tom on the shore without his Ark. He says it is hidden in the brush. It is. How did the Ark get there if the canoe could barely fit in parts of the river? How was such a big boat hidden in the brush? there is more to the book, but I have said enough for you to agree with me the Twain’s critique was fair.