"In fiction, too, after the death of Cooper the main tendency for nearly a generation was away from the conquest of new borders to the closer cultivation, east of the Mississippi, of ground already marked"

This quote by Carl Clinton Van Doren goes over the shift in focus within the category of fiction after the death of James Fenimore Cooper. Cooper was understood for his stories of experience and exploration in the American frontier, but after his death, there was a visible modification in the themes and settings of popular fiction. Instead of tales of conquering brand-new areas, there was a shift towards stories set in the eastern United States, specifically the location east of the Mississippi River. This modification can be viewed as a reflection of the changing attitudes and priorities of American society during this time period, as the nation moved far from growth and towards advancement and cultivation of existing land.