Early American Nature Writing: Susan Fenimore Cooper, 19th Century Lady Naturalist

Cosplayers, historical re-enactors of early women in science, and wannabe Victorian lady naturalists, harken and be comforted: "There's perhaps never been a better time to snicker a little at what's come before us; Hamilton, Kate Beaton, Horrible Histories, and Drunk History have all laid out plenty of groundwork for turning the Good Old Days into a cabinet of morbid curiosities." For example, see The Toast article on Victorian mourning hair art.

Hair art. How silly and macabre people were back then! 

However, Susan Fenimore Cooper (above), nature writer and 19th century lady naturalist, is not laughing. Maybe it's because on the web page devoted to her it says this, "We propose to gather material about her in this section of the James Fenimore Cooper Society, until such time as a Susan Fenimore Cooper Society is organized." James was her famous author father.

Though Susan Fenimore Cooper is "best known" for Rural Hours,  her nature diary of Cooperstown, NY, "one of the earliest pieces of American nature writing," I didn't know about her, or the book. The book was published anonymously in 1850 as "by a lady."

I'm so sorry, Susan. #earlywomeninsciencefail; I've been so obsessed with (St.) Henry (David Thoreau)...

Rural Hours has been called "the first major work of environmental literary nonfiction by an American woman writer, both a source and a rival of Thoreau's Walden." BLAMMO. Who knew? Lots of people, I guess, but none of them being me until today and forever after because SFC's resting serious face: it reminds me of my daughter's.

We've come a long way, baby.