<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> The article employs critical concepts from sociology and anthropology to examine the stereotype of the Vanishing Indian and disclose its contradictory character. The article argues that in James Fenimore Cooper’s late novels from the 1840s a type of American Indian appears who can be regarded as a Vanishing Indian in many respects as he displays some slight degree of assimilation but at the same time he can be found to reveal a surprising amount of resistance to the process of vanishing and marginalization. His peculiar mode of survival and his mode of living demonstrate a certain degree of acculturation, which comes close to Gerald Vizenor’s survivance and for which I propose a term critical integration. I base my study on Susquesus (alias Trackless), Cooper’s less well-known character from The Littlepage Manuscripts, a three-book family saga. </p></abstract>

The article employs critical concepts from sociology and anthropology to examine the stereotype of the Vanishing Indian and disclose its contradictory character. The article argues that in James Fenimore Cooper’s late novels from the 1840s a type of American Indian appears who can be regarded as a Vanishing Indian in many respects as he displays some slight degree of assimilation but at the same time he can be found to reveal a surprising amount of resistance to the process of vanishing and marginalization. His peculiar mode of survival and his mode of living demonstrate a certain degree of acculturation, which comes close to Gerald Vizenor’s survivance and for which I propose a term critical integration. I base my study on Susquesus (alias Trackless), Cooper’s less well-known character from The Littlepage Manuscripts, a three-book family saga.

Assimilating American Indians in James Fenimore Cooper’s Novels?

Department of English and American Studies at Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic

Prague Journal of English Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

{"article-title":"Assimilating American Indians in James Fenimore Cooper\u2019s Novels?"}

The article employs critical concepts from sociology and anthropology to examine the stereotype of the Vanishing Indian and disclose its contradictory...

Assimilating American Indians in James Fenimore Cooper’s Novels?

Published Online: Sep 17, 2016

Page range: 103 - 117

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/pjes-2016-0006

Keywords
James Fenimore Cooper, assimilation, survivance, acculturation, Vanishing Indian, The Littlepage Manuscripts, American Indian

© Faculty of Education, Charles University

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Assimilating American Indians in James Fenimore Cooper’s Novels?

Published Online: Sep 17, 2016

Page range: 103 - 117

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/pjes-2016-0006

KeywordsJames Fenimore Cooper, assimilation, survivance, acculturation, Vanishing Indian, The Littlepage Manuscripts, American Indian

© Faculty of Education, Charles University

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
James Fenimore Cooper, assimilation, survivance, acculturation, Vanishing Indian, The Littlepage Manuscripts, American Indian