Ultimately, then, to read Cooper's text in terms of its interest in gender affords some intriguing insights: Cooper clearly remains within her position as a middle- to upper-class "lady" throughout her narrative and, just as clearly, seeks confirmation of gender divisions and domestic roles from the natural world.21 These instances, though, are rare in Cooper's text. The themes and issues that arise more often in Rural Hours concern the establishment of a national identity and history, and while Cooper does not divorce her gender from the concerns that inform her larger agenda, she also does not encompass her interest in nationalism within explorations of domesticity. Certainly one aspect of Cooper's desire to explore the natural world in order to formulate a national identity concerns the place of women in society, but to read Rural Hours solely in terms of its attempt to explore the implications of gender roles as exemplified in the natural environment greatly simplifies the complexities and layers of Cooper's book.
I do not wish to suggest that traditional feminist readings of Cooper's text are unwarranted or unnecessary, nor that such readings will prove unproductive. I do believe, however, that reading Cooper's book through too narrow a focus is hazardous not only in seeking to establish her in the canon of "serious" and "teachable" writers, but also in that such a reading sidesteps many larger cultural issues that her text engages. A critical reading of Cooper's text should investigate her representations and explorations of gender roles in mid-nineteenth century America as well as her other complex and overt concerns, such as the creation of an American history, the treatment of American Indians, the problems of deforestation, and the religious connotations of the natural world, all of which fall under the rubric, in Cooper's text, of the establishment of a national identity.22
As Jones points out, the majority of Cooper's text contains descriptions of her surroundings. Her reflections are not always couched in metaphor, as Jones also suggests, but this does not detract from the value of Cooper's text, nor does it indicate that Cooper does not entertain significant issues in her writing. Cooper's descriptions of her surroundings reflect and embody her larger concern for the development of a national identity based in the land. In her view, the establishment of a national identity is linked to individual conceptions of the land, its flora and fauna, its people, and the relationship of the country's peoples to the land. Cooper depicts the landscape of Otsego Lake, relates the history of the land and its peoples, and describes the indigenous plants, animals, and waters of the area in an attempt to create an identity of place. The landscape, and the life the land supports, create the identity of this place. Cooper's "literature of place"23 serves not only to create a natural identity for the Otsego Lake region, but also to assert the need for a similarly constructed national identity. The creation of a national identity, then, is the "cultural work" of Cooper's text; she seeks to locate the "natural" identity of her new nation.
ในที่สุด แล้ว อ่านข้อความใจในความสนใจในเพศแล้วบางข้อมูลเชิงลึกน่า: ยังคงอยู่ในตำแหน่งกลาง - การชั้นสูง "สุภาพสตรี" ตลอดเล่าเรื่องของเธอของเธออย่างชัดเจน และ เพียงชัดเจน มุ่งยืนยันส่วนเพศ และบทบาทภายในประเทศจาก world.21 ธรรมชาติเหล่านี้อินสแตนซ์ แม้ว่า ไม่ค่อยพบในข้อความของคูเปอร์ รูปแบบและปัญหาที่เกิดขึ้นบ่อยในชนบทเวลากังวลก่อตั้ง ของเอกลักษณ์ประจำชาติและประวัติศาสตร์ และใน ขณะที่คูเปอร์หย่าเธอเพศจากความกังวลที่แจ้งระเบียบวาระการประชุมใหญ่ของเธอ เธอยังไม่รอบเธอสนใจในชาตินิยมภายในสำรวจ domesticity แน่นอนหนึ่งด้านของใจปรารถนาการสำรวจธรรมชาติเพื่อที่จะกำหนดความกังวลเป็นเอกลักษณ์ประจำชาติที่ผู้หญิง ในสังคม แต่อ่านชั่วโมงชนบทแต่เพียงผู้เดียวในการพยายามสำรวจผลกระทบของบทบาทเพศเป็น exemplified ในสภาพแวดล้อมธรรมชาติอย่างมากช่วยให้ง่ายซับซ้อนและชั้นหนังสือของคูเปอร์ I do not wish to suggest that traditional feminist readings of Cooper's text are unwarranted or unnecessary, nor that such readings will prove unproductive. I do believe, however, that reading Cooper's book through too narrow a focus is hazardous not only in seeking to establish her in the canon of "serious" and "teachable" writers, but also in that such a reading sidesteps many larger cultural issues that her text engages. A critical reading of Cooper's text should investigate her representations and explorations of gender roles in mid-nineteenth century America as well as her other complex and overt concerns, such as the creation of an American history, the treatment of American Indians, the problems of deforestation, and the religious connotations of the natural world, all of which fall under the rubric, in Cooper's text, of the establishment of a national identity.22 As Jones points out, the majority of Cooper's text contains descriptions of her surroundings. Her reflections are not always couched in metaphor, as Jones also suggests, but this does not detract from the value of Cooper's text, nor does it indicate that Cooper does not entertain significant issues in her writing. Cooper's descriptions of her surroundings reflect and embody her larger concern for the development of a national identity based in the land. In her view, the establishment of a national identity is linked to individual conceptions of the land, its flora and fauna, its people, and the relationship of the country's peoples to the land. Cooper depicts the landscape of Otsego Lake, relates the history of the land and its peoples, and describes the indigenous plants, animals, and waters of the area in an attempt to create an identity of place. The landscape, and the life the land supports, create the identity of this place. Cooper's "literature of place"23 serves not only to create a natural identity for the Otsego Lake region, but also to assert the need for a similarly constructed national identity. The creation of a national identity, then, is the "cultural work" of Cooper's text; she seeks to locate the "natural" identity of her new nation.
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