James Fenimore Cooper is justly famous for his novels of the American frontier and the
iconic characters of his most popular novel, The Last of the Mohicans. Less well known
today are Cooper's many sea novels, which were very popular in his time and which made a significant contribution to the development of maritime literature. Arguably,
without Cooper's sea novels, Melville would have never written Moby-Dick.
Keynote Speaker: Nathaniel Philbrick
Founding Director of the Egan Maritime Institute.
Nathaniel Philbrick is the author of Why Read Moby-Dick, In the Heart of the Sea, and Sea of Glory.
Call for Papers:
For the 2013 conference we are seeking papers that consider
Cooper's contribution to maritime literature, naval history, and his
in!uence on subsequent authors of sea adventure and sea travel.
Paper and presentation topics may include but are not limited to:
Cooper's naval career
Cooper's History of the Navy
The American Revolution at Sea
Cooper's seascapes and landscapes
Cooper's smugglers and buccaneers
The sea novel before Cooper
Cooper's infuence on Dana, Melville, and Conrad