Who wrote the novel The Last of the Mohicans. James Fenimore Cooper The Last of the Mohicans

Most famous and loved in the US and abroad Fenimore Cooper's novel The Last of the Mohicans(1826) is part of the so-called Leatherstocking Pentalogy, a cycle of five novels created in different time. This is "Pioneers" (1823), "Last of the Mohicans"(1826), "Prairie" (1827), "Pathfinder" (1840) and "Deerslayer" (1841). All of them are united by the image of the central character - the pioneer-pioneer Nathaniel (Natty) Bumpo, who acts under the nicknames Deerslayer, Pathfinder, Hawkeye, Long Carabiner, Leather Stocking and is shown in different years his life. He is a youth of twenty in Deerslayer (set in 1740), a mature man in The Last of the Mohicans and The Pathfinder (1750s), old man in "Pioneers" (late 18th century) and a deep old man in "Prairie" (1805).

The fate of Natty Bumpo is dramatic: a tracker-scout, who once had no equal, in his declining days observes the end of the free and wild america. He is lost among the clearings unfamiliar to him, does not understand the new laws introduced by the landowners, and feels like a stranger among the new owners of the country, although he once showed them the way and helped them settle down here.

Arranged not by the time of creation, but by the chronology of events, the novels of this cycle cover more than sixty years American history, presented as an artistic history of the development of the frontier - the gradual movement of the nation from the northeast of the mainland ("St. John's wort") to the west ("Prairie"). This is a romantic historiography. The fate of Natty Bumpo, like a drop of water, reflected the process of the development of the mainland and the formation of American civilization, which included both spiritual ups and moral losses. Admittedly, the Leatherstocking pentalogy is the best that Cooper has written; it was she who brought posthumous fame to her creator.

At the same time, one cannot fail to notice some inconsistencies in the plots of the novels, as well as their stereotypes. In each of them, Leatherstocking helps someone, helps out of trouble, saves from death, and then, when his mission is over, he goes alone into the forests, and when there are no forests left, into the prairie. However, if in "Pioneers" the narration is still somewhat abrupt and, as it were, tramples between tense action and boring moralization, then in the subsequent novels of the cycle, action determines everything. The course of events is rapidly accelerating, the intervals between the fatal shots of the Long Carbine are so short, the minutes of relative safety are so precarious, the rustle in the forest is so ominous that the reader knows no rest. The mature Cooper is an excellent storyteller, and the very fact that he talks in such an entertaining way about subjects that are very serious - explores the foundations of American society and national character does him a great honor.

The Last of the Mohicans is the second most written novel in the pentalogy. It was written by an already mature author, who was in the prime of his creative powers and talent, and at the same time even before his departure for Europe, which marked the beginning of Cooper's life drama. The plot of the novel is built on the traditional for American literature, but romantically rethought by the author, "the story of captivity and deliverance." This is a story about the insidious capture of the virtuous daughters of Colonel Munro - the beautiful and brave black-eyed Cora and the blond, fragile and feminine Alice - by the cunning and cruel Huron Magua and about the repeated attempts of Hawkeye (Natty Bumpo) with the help of his true friends - the Mohican Indians Chingachgook and his son Uncas - Rescue the captives. The vicissitudes of the novel: persecution, traps and fierce fights - noticeably complicate, but also decorate the plot, make it dynamic and allow in action to reveal the characters' characters, introduce a variety of pictures american nature, to show the exotic world of the "Redskins", to give a description of the frontier life.

In Cooper's fictional exploration of the character of the courageous trailblazer, The Last of the Mohicans is an important milestone. Natti Bumpo is shown here at the zenith of his life: his personality is already fully formed, and he is still full of strength and energy. took shape and writing skills author: the romantically isolated character of the hero appears alive and natural. He is immersed here in his true environment - the element of untouched American forests, and therefore his permanent properties are clearly manifested: simplicity, selflessness, generosity, fearlessness, self-sufficiency and spiritual power. They reflect his organic connection with nature; they determine the uncompromising rejection by the hero of a civilization that is opposite to him in spirit.

Natty Bumpo is the first and ideal original hero of national literature, and his freedom, independence, self-sufficiency and uncompromising nature, associated with the natural principle, will constantly echo in the characters of US literature - in Melville's Ishmael, Twain's Huck Finn, Faulkner's McCaslin, Hemingway's Nick Adams, Salinger's Holden Caulfield and many, many others.

Fenimore Cooper's full-fledged character is the mighty and majestic nature of America. In The Last of the Mohicans, it is the many-sided landscape of the Hudson River region. In addition to purely artistic, aesthetic, it also has another very important function, which is different from the function of the landscape in the works of European romantics, where nature is the personification of the soul of the hero. Cooper, like other American nativist romantics, gravitates not to the lyrical, but to the epic depiction of nature: the landscape becomes for him one of the means of asserting national identity, a necessary component of the epic story about a young country.

An equally, if not more effective means of revealing national specifics is the depiction of the Indians, their exotic way of life, their colorful rituals, the incomprehensible and contradictory Indian character. Fenimore Cooper displays in The Last of the Mohicans (not to mention the entire pentalogy) a whole gallery of images of Native Americans: on the one hand, this is the cunning, treacherous, "evil and ferocious" Huron Magua, on the other, the brave, steadfast and devoted best friends Natty Bumpo, ex-chief the exterminated tribe of the Mohicans, the wise and faithful Chingachguk and his son, "the last of the Mohicans", the young and ardent Uncas, who is dying, trying in vain to save Cora Munro. The novel ends with a colorful and deeply moving scene of the funeral rite over Cora and Uncas, whose death symbolizes the tragedy of the Indian people, the "disappearing race" of America.

The polarization of the characters of the Indians (condensation of their positive or negative properties) is connected in The Last of the Mohicans with the peculiarities and conventions of romantic aesthetics.

Fenimore Cooper with his conditional "good" and "evil" Indians, helping or opposing white man, initiated a new, albeit also largely mythologized, perception of the Native American in national literature and had a huge impact on US culture, developing the genre parameters of the western.

Thus, the life on the frontier and the image of the “redskin”, so impressively and artistically expressed by Cooper, appear less aesthetically perfect, but more reliable and by no means arbitrary, in Native American prose.

Read also other articles in the section "Literature of the 19th century. Romanticism. Realism":

Artistic discovery of America and other discoveries

Romantic nativism and romantic humanism

  • Features of American Romanticism. Romantic nativism
  • romantic humanism. Transcendentalism. Travel prose

National history and the history of the soul of the people

History and Modernity of America in Dialogues of Cultures

  • Cooper. Analysis of the novel "The Last of the Mohicans"

James Fenimore Cooper "The Last of the Mohicans"

Invented or real
Even if Fenimore-Cooper wrote only "The Last of the Mohicans", he would go down in the history of world culture, because this phrase itself became a household word, entered into colloquial many countries and peoples. “The last of the Mohicans” began to be called those who embody something important, but outgoing and irrevocable.
"The Last of the Mohicans, or the Narrative of 1757" is the second novel in the pentalogy, not only in meaning but also in the date of creation. He came to the reading public in 1826. In addition to Natty Bumpo, already familiar to readers, this time bearing the nickname Hawkeye, and Chingachgook the Great Snake, Chingachgook's son Uncas takes part in the adventure. Many did not like the image of the latter, critics said that there were no such Indians, that he was the product of the author’s imagination, who relied on the experience of the missionary J. Huckvelder, who was not too critical of the Indians. Meanwhile, Cooper had experience with the Indians. He often met with their leaders, who traveled from New York to Washington to negotiate with the authorities. He knew Fenimore-Cooper well, for example, the leader of the Omaha Ongpatong tribe, who was distinguished by his eloquence.
and yet, much more often, contemporaries praised the novel, many generally spoke of it with enthusiasm. And then for the Americans it was important that the novel was built on American history, characters his were true Americans.

Seven Years' War
The subtitle of The Last of the Mohicans, "narrative of 1757," explains the essence of the conflict that became the basis storyline. 1757 - the height of the Seven Years' War, which was marching on the fields of Europe and in the European colonies of the New World. All the great powers and most of the medium and small states of Europe took part in the war. Indian tribes were also involved. Winston Churchill even called this war the "First World War" in history. And what is important, hostilities began just in the places described by Cooper. In 1754-1755, the rivalry between England and France for land and influence on the North American continent led to numerous bloody skirmishes between the settlers. Both of them gladly attracted the Indians to their side as allies. In 1756 England officially declared war on France. The result of the war was the Paris Peace Treaty, according to which France, which lost on September 13, 1759 near Quebec, the decisive battle of the war in the North American colonies, ceded Canada and East Louisiana to England.

Excerpt from The Last of the Mohicans
“... Although the Indian stood like a stone and seemed not to pay the slightest attention to the noise and animation that reigned around, the features of his calm face at the same time expressed a gloomy ferocity that would certainly have attracted the attention of a more experienced observer than that who looked at him now with undisguised surprise. The Indian was armed with a tomahawk and a knife, but meanwhile he did not look like a real warrior. On the contrary, there was a carelessness in his whole appearance, possibly due to some great recent tension from which he had not yet had time to recover. On the stern face of the native, the military coloration was blurred, and this made his dark features involuntarily look even more wild and repulsive than in the skillful patterns induced to intimidate enemies. Only his eyes, sparkling, as if bright stars between the clouds, burning with wild malice. Only for a single moment did the fast, gloomy look of the runner catch the astonished expression of the observer's eyes, and immediately, partly out of cunning, partly out of disdain, turned in the other direction, somewhere far, far away into space.
Suddenly the servants began to fuss, gentle female voices, and all this announced the approach of those who were expected, so that the whole cavalcade set off ....
A young man in an officer's uniform led two girls to the horses, who, judging by their costumes, were preparing to set off on an exhausting journey through the forests.
.

In 1826 Fenimore Cooper wrote his novel The Last of the Mohicans. A summary of it is presented in this article. In his book, the author was one of the first to describe the originality of the customs and the spiritual world of the American Indians. The genre of historical novel is The Last of the Mohicans. Its summary, like the work itself, unfolds in the middle of the 18th century. So let's get down to the story of this book.

Author of "The Last of the Mohicans" summary which we are describing, tells that in the wars that unfolded between the French and the British for the possession of the lands of America (1755-1763), the warring parties more than once used the civil strife of local Indian tribes for their own purposes. It was a very cruel and difficult time. It is not surprising that the girls, traveling to their father, the commander of the besieged fort, accompanied by Duncan Hayward, a major, were worried. The Indian Magua, nicknamed the Sly Fox, was especially worried about Cora and Alice (that was the name of the sisters). This man volunteered to guide them along a safe forest path. Hayward reassured his companions, although he began to worry: maybe they got lost? By continuing to read the summary of the novel "The Last of the Mohicans", you will find out if this is so.

Meeting with Hawkeye, exposure and escape of Magua

In the evening, fortunately, the travelers met Hawkeye (a nickname firmly attached to St. John's wort). Besides, he was not alone, but with Uncas and Chingachgook. An Indian who got lost in the woods during the day?! Far more alarmed than Duncan was Hawkeye. He suggested that he grab the guide, but he managed to escape. No one else doubts that the Magua Indian is a traitor. With the help of Chingachgook, as well as Uncas, his son, Hawkeye ferries the arrivals to a small rocky island.

Chingachgook and Hawkeye go for help

Further, the summary of the book "The Last of the Mohicans" describes a modest dinner, during which Uncas provides Alice and Kora with all kinds of services. It is noticeable that he pays more attention to the latter than to her sister. The Indians, attracted by the wheezing of the horses, frightened by the wolves, find their refuge. A shootout followed, followed by hand-to-hand combat. The first onslaught of the Hurons is repulsed, but the besieged have no more ammunition left. It remains only to run, which, alas, is unbearable for girls. It is necessary to sail at night along the cold and rapids mountain river. Cora suggests that Hawkeye go with Chingachgook to bring help. She has to convince Uncas longer than other hunters: the sisters and the major end up in the hands of Magua, the villain created by Fenimore Cooper ("The Last of the Mohicans").

The captives and kidnappers stop to rest on a hill. The sly Fox tells Kora why they were kidnapped. Colonel Munro, her father, as it turned out, once insulted him very much, ordering him to be whipped for drunkenness. In retaliation, he is going to take his daughter as his wife. Cora resolutely refuses. Magua decides to brutally deal with his prisoners. The major and the sisters are tied to trees, near which brushwood is laid out to light a fire. The Indian advises Kora to agree, if only for the sake of her young sister, still practically a child. However, having learned about what Magua demands from Cora in return for their lives, the brave heroine of The Last of the Mohicans prefers to die painfully. The chapter summary does not describe in detail all the misadventures of the girls. Let's move on to the story of their salvation.

Save the girls

The Indian throws the tomohawk. An ax plunges into the tree, pinning Cora's blond hair. The major breaks free of his bonds and pounces on the Indian. Duncan is almost defeated, but a shot is heard, the Indian falls. It was Hawkeye who arrived with his friends. The enemies are defeated after a short battle. Playing dead, Magua seizes the moment to run again.

Travelers arrive at the fort

Dangerous wanderings end happily - the travelers finally reach the fort. Despite the French besieging it, they manage to get inside under the cover of fog. Finally, the father sees his daughters. The defenders of the fort are forced to accept defeat, however, on conditions that are honorable for the British: the defeated retain their weapons and banners and can retreat unhindered to their own.

New Kidnapping of Cora and Alice

However, the misadventures of the main characters of the work "The Last of the Mohicans" do not end there. A summary of the further misfortunes that befell them is as follows. Burdened with wounded women and children, the garrison leaves the fort at dawn. In a close wooded gorge, located nearby, the Indians attack the wagon train. Once again, Magua kidnaps Cora and Alice.

Colonel Munro, Major Duncan, Uncas, Chingachgook and Hawkeye on the 3rd day after the tragedy inspect the battle site. Uncas concludes from barely noticeable traces that the girls are alive and that they are in captivity. Continuing to inspect this place, the Mohican even establishes that they were kidnapped by Magua! Friends, after consulting, go to a very dangerous path. They decide to make their way to the homeland of the Sly Fox, to the lands inhabited mainly by the Hurons. Losing and finding traces again, experiencing many adventures, the pursuers finally find themselves near the village.

Saving Uncas, cunning reincarnation

Here they meet David, the psalmist, who, using his reputation as an imbecile, voluntarily followed the girls. From him, the colonel learns about what happened to his daughters: Magua left Alice with him, and sent Cora to the Delawares living on the lands of the Hurons in the neighborhood. Duncan, in love with Alice, wants to get into the village by all means. He decides to pretend to be a fool by changing his appearance with the help of Chingachgook and Hawkeye. In this form, Duncan goes on reconnaissance.

You are probably curious to know how the work "The Last of the Mohicans" continues? Reading the summary, of course, is not as interesting as the novel itself. Nevertheless, its plot, you see, is exciting.

Having reached the Huron camp, Duncan pretends to be a doctor from France. Just like David, he is allowed to go everywhere by the Hurons. To Duncan's dismay, the captive Uncas is brought to the village. At first he is mistaken for a simple prisoner, but Magua recognizes him as the Swift Deer. This name, hated by the Hurons, causes such anger that if the Sly Fox had not stood up for him, Uncas would have been immediately torn to pieces. However, Magua convinces his fellow tribesmen to postpone the execution until morning. Uncas is taken to a hut.

As a doctor, Duncan is approached by the father of an Indian woman who is ill with a request for help. He comes to the cave in which the patient lies, accompanied by a tame bear and the girl's father. Duncan asks to be left alone with the patient. The Indians obey this demand and leave, leaving the bear in the cave. He is transformed - it turns out that Hawkeye is hiding under an animal skin! Duncan, with the help of a hunter, discovers Alice hidden in a cave, but Magua appears. The Sly Fox triumphs. However, not for long. What then tells the reader Cooper ("The Last of the Mohicans")? The summary describes in general terms further fate heroes.

Escape from captivity

The "bear" pounces on the Indian and squeezes him in his arms, and the major ties the hands of the villain. Alice from the experienced stress cannot take a single step. The girl is wrapped in Indian clothes and Duncan carries her out, accompanied by a "bear". The self-styled "healer" orders the patient's father to stay in order to guard the exit from the cave, referring to the power of the Evil Spirit. This trick succeeds - the fugitives reach the forest safely. Hawkeye at the edge of the forest shows the path to Duncan, which leads to the Delawares. He then returns to free Uncas. With the help of David, he deceives the warriors guarding the Swift Deer, and then hides in the forest with the Mohican. Magua is furious. He is discovered in a cave and released, he calls on his fellow tribesmen to take revenge.

Necessary sacrifice

At the head of a military detachment, Sly Fox decides to go to the Delawares. Magua, having hidden a detachment in the forest, enters the village and turns to the leaders with a demand to hand over the captives to him. The leaders, deceived by Magua's eloquence, at first agree, but Cora intervenes, who says that in reality only she is the captive of the Cunning Fox - the others have freed themselves. Colonel Munro promises a rich ransom for Cora, but the Indian refuses. Suddenly, Uncas, who has become the supreme leader, must release the Cunning Fox along with his captive. At parting, Magua is warned that after the time necessary for flight, the Delawares will go on the warpath.

dramatic ending

We turn to the description of the finale of the novel, the author of which is Cooper ("The Last of the Mohicans"). The summary does not convey, unfortunately, all of its drama. The hostilities soon bring a decisive victory for the tribe, thanks to Uncas' leadership. The Hurons are broken. After capturing Cora, Magua flees. The enemy is being chased by the Swift Deer. Realizing that it will not be possible to leave, the last of Magua's companions, who survived, raises a knife over the girl. Seeing that he might be late, Uncas throws himself off a cliff between an Indian and a girl, but falls and loses consciousness. Cora is killed. Swift Deer, however, manages to strike down her killer. Having seized the moment, Magua plunges a knife into the young man's back, after which he takes off running. A shot is heard - this is Hawkeye is dealt with the villain.

Thus the fathers were orphaned, the whole nation was orphaned. The Delawares had just lost their newfound leader, who was the last of the Mohicans. However, one leader can be replaced by another. Youngest daughter stayed with the colonel. And Chingachgook lost everything. Only Hawkeye finds words of comfort. He turns to the Great Serpent and says that the sagamore is not alone. They may have different skin colors, but they are destined to follow the same path.

So ends his work F. Cooper ("The Last of the Mohicans"). We have described its summary only in general terms, since the work itself is quite large in volume, like all novels. The plot, as you can see, is very interesting. Readers are never bored by F. Cooper. "The Last of the Mohicans", a summary of which we have just described, is just one of the many works of this author. Familiarity with the work of Fenimore Cooper is a pleasure to many readers.

Perhaps along the entire vast stretch of the border that separated the possessions of the French from the territory of the English colonies North America, there are no more eloquent monuments of the cruel and ferocious wars of 1755-1763 than in the area lying at the head of the Hudson and near the neighboring lakes. This area provided such conveniences for the movement of troops that they could not be neglected.

The waters of Champlain stretched from Canada and deep into the New York colony; consequently, Lake Champlain served as the most convenient way of communication, along which the French could sail up to half the distance separating them from the enemy.

Near the southern edge of Lake Champlain, the crystal clear waters of Horiken, the Holy Lake, merge with it.

The holy lake meanders between countless islets, and is crowded by low coastal mountains. In bends it stretches far to the south, where it rests on a plateau. From this point began the many miles of portage, which brought the traveler to the banks of the Hudson; here navigation along the river became convenient, since the current was free from rapids.

In carrying out their military plans, the French tried to penetrate into the most remote and inaccessible gorges of the Allegheny Mountains and turned their attention to the natural advantages of the region we have just described. Indeed, it soon turned into a bloody arena of numerous battles, with which the warring parties hoped to solve the issue of possession of colonies.

Here, in the most important places towering over the surrounding paths, fortresses grew; they were seized first by one, then the other hostile side; they were either torn down or rebuilt again, depending on whose banner was flying over the fortress.

While peaceful farmers tried to stay away from dangerous mountain gorges, hiding in ancient settlements, numerous military forces went deep into virgin forests. Few returned from there, exhausted by hardships and hardships, discouraged by failures.

Although this restless region did not know peaceful crafts, its forests were often enlivened by the presence of man.

Under the canopy of branches and in the valleys, the sounds of marches were heard, and the echo in the mountains repeated the laughter, then the screams of many, many carefree young brave men who, in the prime of life, hastened here to sink into the deep sleep of a long night of oblivion.

It was in this arena of bloody wars that the events that we will try to tell about unfolded. Our narrative dates back to the third year of the war between France and England, fighting for power over a country that was not destined to be held in their hands by either side.

The stupidity of military leaders abroad and the pernicious inactivity of advisers at court have robbed Great Britain of that proud prestige that had been won for her by the talent and courage of her former warriors and statesmen. The British troops were defeated by a handful of French and Indians; this unexpected defeat deprived the guard most borders. And now, after real disasters, many imaginary, imaginary dangers have grown. In every gust of wind that wafted from the boundless forests, the frightened settlers seemed to have wild cries and the ominous howl of the Indians.

Under the influence of fear, the danger assumed unprecedented proportions; common sense could not fight his disturbed imagination. Even the most daring, self-confident and energetic began to doubt the favorable outcome of the struggle. The number of cowardly and cowardly increased incredibly; it seemed to them that in the near future all the American possessions of England would become the property of the French or be devastated by the Indian tribes - the allies of France.

Therefore, when news came to the English fortress, which towered in the southern part of the plateau between the Hudson and the lakes, about the appearance of the Marquis of Montcalm near Champlain, and idle chatterers added that this general was moving with a detachment “in which the soldier is like leaves in the forest,” terrible the message was received with cowardly resignation rather than with the stern satisfaction that a warrior should feel when he finds an enemy near him. The news of Montcalm's advance came at the height of summer; it was brought by an Indian at the hour when the day was already drawing to a close. Together with the terrible news, the messenger conveyed to the camp commander the request of Munro, the commandant of one of the forts on the shores of the Holy Lake, to immediately send him strong reinforcements. The distance between the fort and the fortress, which the inhabitant of the forests covered for two hours, a military detachment, with its wagon train, could cover between sunrise and sunset. Loyal supporters of the English crown named one of these fortifications Fort William Henry, and the other Fort Edward, after the princes of the royal family. Munro, a veteran Scot, commanded Fort William Henry. It contained one of the regular regiments and a small detachment of volunteer colonists; it was a garrison too small to deal with the advancing forces of Montcalm.

The post of commandant in the second fortress was held by General Webb; under his command was a royal army numbering over five thousand people. If Webb connected all his scattered various places detachments, he could bring forward twice as many soldiers against the enemy as the enterprising Frenchman who ventured so far from his replacements with an army not much larger than the English.

However, frightened by failures, the English generals and their subordinates preferred to wait in their fortress for the approach of a formidable enemy, not risking going out to meet Montcalm in order to surpass the successful performance of the French at Fort Duquesne, give the enemy a battle and stop him.

When the first excitement caused by the terrible news subsided, in the camp, protected by trenches and located on the banks of the Hudson in the form of a chain of fortifications that covered the fort itself, a rumor went around that a hundred and fifty hundred selected detachment should move at dawn from the fortress to Fort William Henry. This rumor was soon confirmed; learned that several detachments received orders to hastily prepare for the campaign. All doubts about Webb's intentions dissipated, and for two or three hours hurried running was heard in the camp, anxious faces flickered. The recruit anxiously scurried back and forth, fussed and with his excessive zeal only slowed down the preparations for the performance; the experienced veteran armed himself quite calmly, unhurriedly, although his stern features and worried look clearly showed that the terrible struggle in the forests did not particularly please his heart.

At last the sun disappeared in a stream of radiance in the west behind the mountains, and when the night enveloped this secluded place with its cover, the noise and bustle of the preparations for the campaign ceased; the last light went out in the log cabins of the officers; the dense shadows of the trees lay on the earthen ramparts and the babbling stream, and in a few minutes the whole camp was plunged into the same silence that reigned in the neighboring dense forests.

According to the order given the evening before, the deep sleep of the soldiers was disturbed by the deafening roar of drums, and a resounding echo carried far in the damp morning air, echoing in every corner of the forest; day was breaking, the cloudless sky was brightening in the east, and the outlines of tall, shaggy pines stood out more distinctly and sharper in it. A minute later life began to boil in the camp; even the most negligent soldier rose to his feet to see the detachment march and, together with his comrades, to experience the excitement of this moment. The simple gathering of the acting detachment soon ended. The soldiers lined up in battle groups. Royal mercenaries flaunted on the right flank; the more modest volunteers, from among the settlers, dutifully took their places on the left.



Last of the Mohicans

The Last of the Mohicans; A narrative of 1757

1937 French edition
Genre:
Original language:
Year of writing:
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"Last of the Mohicans"(English) The Last of the Mohicans listen)) is a historical novel by American writer James Fenimore Cooper, first published in 1826. It is the second book in the Leatherstocking pentalogy (both by date of publication and by the chronology of the epic), in which Cooper tells about life on the American frontier and one of the first depicts the originality of the spiritual world and the customs of the American Indians. A Russian translation of the novel was made in 1833.

Plot

The novel is set in the British colony of New York in August 1757, at the height of the French and Indian War. Part of the novel focuses on the events after the attack on Fort William Henry, when, with the tacit consent of the French, their Indian allies massacred several hundred surrendered Anglo-American soldiers and settlers. The hunter and tracker Natty Bumpo, presented to the reader in the first (in the order of development of the action) novel St. John's Wort, together with his Mohican Indian friends - Chingachguk and his son Uncas - participate in the rescue of two sisters, daughters of a British commander. At the end of the book, Uncas dies in an unsuccessful attempt to save Cora, the eldest of the daughters, leaving his father Chingachgook the last of the Mohicans.

In popular culture

The novel has been filmed numerous times, including the most famous 1992 version directed by Michael Mann.

Allegorically, the title of the novel is used to describe the last representative of some dying social phenomenon or a group, a supporter of any ideas that have outlived their time, etc.

Also, this work was presented in the animated series of the same name, comprising 26 episodes. (The Last of the Mohicans / The Last Of The Mohicans). Created in 2004 - 2007.

Notes

Categories:

  • literary works alphabetically
  • Works by James Fenimore Cooper
  • Novels of 1826
  • French and Indian War
  • Historical novels
  • Idioms
  • Adventure novels

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See what "Last of the Mohicans" is in other dictionaries:

    From English: The Last of the Mohicans. The title of a novel (1826) by the American writer Jace Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851). His main character the last representative of an extinct tribe of North American Indians. Allegorically: the last ... ... Dictionary of winged words and expressions

    Adj., number of synonyms: 4 hero (80) Mohican (2) last (52) ... Synonym dictionary

    Last of the Mohicans- wing. sl. The last representative of a social group, a generation, a dying social phenomenon. The source of this expression is the novel by Fenimore Cooper (1789 1851) "The Last of the Mohicans" (1826) (the Mohicans are an extinct tribe of North Indians ... ... Universal optional practical dictionary I. Mostitsky

    - (inosk.) the last of known kind people figures, heroes Cf. (This) was depicted in such an erratic Burmic style (style perlé) that only the Mohicans of the forties can write. Saltykov. Collection. The funeral. Wed Our time is not the time ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary

    Razg. The last or oldest representative of what l. group, generation, a dying social phenomenon. /i> Based on the title of a novel by J.F. Cooper; The Mohicans are an extinct tribe of North American Indians. BMS 1998, 382 ... Big Dictionary Russian sayings

    last of the mohicans- cm. last mohicanDictionary of many expressions

    The last of the Mohicans (inosk.) The last of the known kind of people of figures, heroes. Wed (This) was depicted in such an erratic Burmic style (style perlé) that only the Mohicans of the forties can write. Saltykov. Collection. ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

    The Last of the Mohicans novel (1826) by James Fenimore Cooper A film adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans is a 1920 American film. The Last of the Mohicans (Der Letzte der Mohikaner) German film ... ... Wikipedia

    The Last of the Mohicans Genre adventure film ... Wikipedia