The Last of the Mohicans as an American Romance Essay

The Last of the Mohicans as an American Romance In the 1820s, the Romantic Movement emerged in the United States as an embodiment of the American spirit after a second war with Britain. Although the Romantic Movement, or the American Renaissance, began to emerge decades after its European counterpart, elements of Romanticism can be traced to the chronicles of the first explorers who wrote about the beauty and mystery of the New World. Thematically, Romanticism is characterized by its longing for the past, and its idealization of nature. Romanticism has a tradition deeply rooted in the experience of the early settlers of the New England colonies. Forged by the conflicts faced early in its history, the American brand of†¦show more content†¦The image of Columbuss voyage epitomizes the romance as an individual who sets out on an adventure to a far away land and braves the unknown to arrive in paradise. He encounters an environment unspoiled by human development and a culture that coexists with nature. The langua ge of Columbus letter to Luis de Sanangel conveys romantic sentiments in its description of the majestic qualities of the Caribbean. This island and all the others are very fertile to a limitless degree, and this island is extremely so. In it there are many harbors on the coast of the sea, beyond comparison with others which I know in Christendom, and many rivers, good and large, which is marvelous. Its lands are high, and there are in it very many sierras and very lofty mountains, beyond comparison with the island of Tenerife. All are most beautiful, of a thousand shapes, and all are accessible and filled with trees of a thousand kinds and tall, and they seem to touch the sky. (Columbus 12) Although Columbus demonstrates in his writing the romantic appreciation for the natural aesthetic of the Caribbean landscape, he vaingloriously renames the islands and enslaves the natives. Essentially, his attitude toward nature is in direct opposition with Romanticism. Columbus dominates nature and appropriates the land for hisShow MoreRelated The Last Of The Mohicans Essay1136 Words   |  5 Pages In The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, historical romance is apparent through settings, characters and plots. Cooper is considered by many critics to be the father of the American historical romance. 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