Style Analysis Of Joseph Conrad And James Cooper

Joseph Conrad held James Fenimore Cooper in high esteem. "[Cooper's] sympathy is large, and his humor is as genuine-and as perfectly unaffected-as his art." Although Conrad rarely used humor, he copied Cooper's style to a "t" and never left out any details. Both authors never wanted to leave any doubt in the reader's mind as to who was doing what and when they perform the act. Yes, more than one event occurs at any given point in time, but two authors' usage of descriptive passages and symbolic colors distinguish Conrad and Cooper as unique writers.

Conrad appreciated Cooper's lengthy and descriptive sentences as not to forgo a scenic detail. "It would seem, that breathless suspense, while the quick evolutions and swift changes in the positions of the combatants, effectively prevented a fire, that might prove dangerous alike to friend and enemy." "But suddenly, as we struggled around the bend, there would be a glimpse of rush walls, of peaked grass-roofs, a burst of yells, a whirl of black limbs, a mass of hands clapping, of feet stamping, of bodies swaying, of eyes rolling, under the droop of heavy and motionless foliage." If the reader failed to study these two fine authors very closely, he might believe the same author wrote both of the preceding short quotations. The fluidity of Conrad and Cooper's writing can be attributed to each author's usage of diction and syntax, because the constant variation of word choice and order keeps the reader thinking ahead. If Conrad and Cooper's style fluctuates so rapidly, the reader ponders to himself, would the plot not plough along as well?

Cooper, like Conrad, utilized colors and shadings to not only give more artistic depth to the writing, but to suggest internal meanings. For example, just as Cooper described how a low basin "quickly melted into the darkness," Conrad copies the same technique except

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