The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper - links to romanticism.

Essay by YisiHigh School, 11th gradeA+, December 2004

download word file, 7 pages 4.5

James Fenimore Cooper, the author of the Leather stocking Tales that included five historical novels (The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie, The Pathfinder, and The Deerslayer) was one of America's first successful novelists. He was born on 1789 in Cooperstown, New York. Novels by Cooper often reflected his life in the frontier settlement and depicted a violent journey. His adventure series were very popular in Europe and in the United States because they didn't only introduced the first American hero as well as the "noble" savage, but also, enclosed adventure and quests. One of his most important works, The Last of the Mohicans, is a novel about national, cultural, social, gender and racial equality.

The Last of the Mohicans is set on the American frontier during the French and Indian War. The daughters of Colonel Monro, Alice and Cora, are going to visit him at Ft. William Henry, a fort being attacked by the French, with the "help" of a Huron tribe member Magua and Major Duncan Heyward. Magua betrays them and leads them into the battle with the Hurons, they survive only because Chingachgook, Uncas, and Hawkeye are passing by and rescue Cora, Alice, and Heyward. This rescues go on as the novel progresses and finally the Hurons capture Alice, Cora, and Heyward, only Cora survives. Magua kills Uncas, and Colonel Monro but than later is killed by Chingachgook, the last of the Mohicans. Alice throws herself of the cliff because she saw that Uncas died defending her.

The Last of the Mohicans is extremely linked to romanticism. There is a lot of scenery at the beginning of the novel, many mountains, trees, rivers, and animals, are examples of nature being strange and mysterious but also beautiful. It is also a novel based on a...