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Der letzte Mohikaner

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There are a vast amount of differences among the cultures and societies of different races. But what of the differences among peoples of the same race? Take for example the peoples of the United States. What are the differences between a person from California and a person from Louisiana? When looked at under a microscope, there are a great many comparisons to be made about a person from the south and a person from the west-coast. James Fenimore Cooper makes a like comparison in his classic The Last of the Mohicans. Cooper looks at the differences between white Europeans (primarily British and French) and two tribes of North American Indians: the Mohicans and the Hurons. Cooper compares the two tribes of Indians as well. Cooper sets his novel in eastern North America during the French and Indian War. His characters are of two different races: white Europeans, British and French; and North American Indians, the Mohicans and the Hurons. Cooper's description of the characters, the scenery, the sounds, the ways of the Indians-this author gives such vivid descriptions of everything that the reader gets a very clear picture of it all; almost like a movie playing inside the mind. Packed with some kind of action or adventure in every chapter, The Last of the Mohicans is a classic piece of literature that is recommended to anyone. The plot begins with the two daughters of a British general attempting to travel from the military station they are at presently to the station of their father. Accompanied by attendants and an Indian guide, they set out on the journey to their father. Not long after the party commenced travelling, they are met by three people; two Mohicans and a white scout, who is friend to the Mohicans and is well-accustomed to the ways of Indians and the wilderness. The British party's Indian guide leaves them, and they turn to the scout and the Mohicans for help. The scout and his friends agree to help them get to the station. Much action and adventure begins at this point in the novel, and continues to the very last page. The Last of the Mohicans is not only interesting to read because the plot flows and moves smoothly, but it provides historical insight as well. Cooper's look at two different tribes of Indians makes comparisons the reader may not have seen before. The author may even change the reader's mind about the opinions he may have had about Indians based on what he knew about them prior to reading the novel. The Last of the Mohicans is not exactly a short book; it has thirty-three chapters. And the action does not begin on page one, but the plot does flow smoothly and logically into it. Once action appears for the first time, it does elevate and decline throughout the novel, but not in a way that seems jumpy. The increase and decrease of action flows logically, as the plot moves from event to event. And as Cooper gives a multitude of details and description, one may find a particular chapter difficult to get through; but even so, the reader always has a mental picture of everything he is reading. The parts that one may find difficult aren't too hard, and it is well worth it when one comes to the last page. Cooper tells the story eloquently and smoothly, and in a way that the reader does not lose interest. His use of description and imagery make the plot clear and easy to follow. The plot in itself is intriguing and keeps the reader interested from the first chapter all the way through chapter thirty-three.

Es ist eine Welt, wie geschaffen für opulente Romane und Filme: das junge, wilde, unerforschte Amerika. In diese urwüchsige Landschaft setzt James Fenimore Cooper den unverwüstlichen Helden seiner Abenteuerromane: Natty Bumppo, genannt Falkenauge, ein weißer Kundschafter, der mit seinem indianischen Freund Chingachgook und dessen Sohn Uncas durch die Gegend des heutigen Bundesstaates New York zieht. In "Der letzte Mohikaner", vermutlich dem berühmtesten Teil des Lederstrumpf-Zyklus, sind alle Zutaten eines typischen Wildwest-Romans vorhanden, auch wenn er eigentlich im Osten Amerikas spielt: Scharmützel zwischen französischen und britischen Truppen, Indianer auf dem Kriegspfad, Verfolgungsjagden, Massaker, Entführung weißer Mädchen, Geheimverstecke, Versammlungen im Stammeslager. Cooper verschmilzt historische Tatsachen aus dem britisch-französischen Kolonialkrieg mit einer fiktiven Abenteuerhandlung. Der Roman macht die unerforschte Landschaft und die ostamerikanischen Indianerstämme zu Hauptakteuren. Der Plot ist eher mager, dennoch kommt nie Langeweile auf. Der Nachruhm war entsprechend groß: Zahlreiche literarische Ableger und Verfilmungen machten aus Lederstrumpf einen Mythos.

Set in upstate New York in colonial times, Cooper here tells the story of the stolid colonial scout Hawkeye, nee Natty Bumppo (don't ask), who, with his two Indian companions Chingachgook (the Big Snake) and his son Uncas (apparently newly come to manhood), stumble on a party of British soldiers conducting two fair maidens to their father, the commander of British Fort William Henry during the French and Indian War. Under the watchful eyes of the young British officer who has the girls in his charge and led by a Huron scout, Magua, the party appears, to the indomitable Hawkeye, to be at greater risk than they realize as they trek through the wilderness toward the safety of the girls' father's garrison. And, indeed, Hawkeye's judgement is soon proved right as the scout Magua treacherously betrays the hapless girls in repayment, it seems, for a stint of corporal punishment inflicted on him previously by their absent parent. Since the Hurons, Magua's native tribe, are culturally akin to the Iroquois who are the herditary enemies of the Algonquin Delawares, from whom Chingachgook and his son hail and among whom Hawkeye has made his home and friendships, a natural antagonism has arisen almost at once between Hawkeye's party and the Huron and this proves salutary, when danger finally strikes. The tale quickly becomes a matter of flight and pursuit through thickly overgrown primeval forests, over rough mountains and across broad open lakes as the beleagured travelers first elude and then flee the dreaded Iroquois (allies of the French) who have joined the renegade Huron in an effort to seize the two girls. After a brief respite within the safety of William Henry however, the tables are once again turned as Magua's perfidy puts the girls once more at risk. And now the story shifts to a manic pursuit of the fleeing Magua who means to carry off his human prey in order to finally have his revenge on the girls' father, on the British and on the Europeans, generally, whose presence in his native country he blames (not altogether unjustifiably) for his myriad travails. Written in the fine tradition of the 19th century romance (which, of course, is what this book is), Cooper picked up where Sir Walter Scott (the venerable founder of this particular novelistic tradition) left off, creating a rich historical tale of adventure, nobility and marvelously sketched characters set against a brilliantly detailed natural landscape. If his characters are less keenly drawn than Scott's they are no less memorable for, in the quiet nobility of the scout Hawkeye lies the strong, silent hero of the wilderness which was to become the archetypical protagonist of the American western. And the Indians, Chingachgook and Uncas, are the very prototypes of the noble savage, so much used and over-used today. This is a tale of action first and foremost without much plot but so well told that you barely notice, as our heroes flee and pursue their enemies in turn until the very quickness of the prose seems to mirror and embody the speed of the action. Nor is this book only to be read for its rapid-fire rendition of flight and pursuit, for it touches the reader on another level as well, as the bold young Uncas moves out ahead of his comrades to place himself at risk for the others and the woman he loves. Although we never see Uncas at anything but a distance and never get to know the man he is supposed to be, he is yet a symbol of that people of whom he is the last chiefly descendant, the Delaware Mohicans. Nobly born into the finest of Mohican bloodlines, Uncas faces his final trial with heroic energy and resolve in order to defeat the nefarious and twisted Magua. Yet this struggle is also the final footnote in the story of a people, marking the closing chapter for all those Indians who, with the Mohicans, have seen, in Cooper's words, the morning of their nation and the inevitable nightfall which must follow. The book is a bit short on characterization and plotting and the prose is heavy for modern tastes, but the action is richly visualized in the flow of the narrative and the images are compelling. In the end, despite its flaws, this book of Cooper's is, in fact, the classic we have been told it is. -- S. W. Mirsky

I read this right after Cooper's "The Deerslayer," and was struck by the difference of style between the "early" and the "late" Cooper. His writing was much more economical in "The Last of the Mohicans" than it was in "The Deerslayer." Where Cooper only expended half a page describing an incident in "Mohicans" he would have written three pages about the same incident in "Deerslayer." So I liked "The Last of the Mohicans" better than I did "The Deerslayer."

Those of you expecting a story like the one in the 1992 film starring Daniel Day-Lewis are going to be disappointed. The film rearranged many scenes, and there is no steamy love story here. As D. H. Lawrence has said, Natty Bumppo (aka Hawkeye) probably died a virgin. Instead Cooper writes a compelling drama set in the French and Indian War. A party of 5 - Major Duncan Heyward, an American officer serving in the British army; Cora and Alice Munro; a music teacher named David Gamut; and their treacherous guide Magua - are traveling to Fort William Henry. They are saved from Magua's schemes by the arrival of Hawkeye, Chingachgook, and Uncas. The three agree to escort them all to William Henry, and things kind of snowball from there. It's a pretty exciting story, but I would recommend that you not try to read it unless you are willing to work your brain.

Some of you readers of "Last of the Mohicans" might be interestested in knowing a juicy little tidbit. I just happened to be browsing through books in the library and came across a book by Sara Donati entitled "Into the Wilderness". What caught my attention was a review by my absolutely all time favorite author, Diana Gabaldon. She has a review on the cover of this book that states "One of those rare stories that let you breathe the air of another time, and leave your footprints on the snow of a wild, strange place". So I checked it out figuring if Diana Gabaldon endorses this book I have to read it. And as I begin this book, imagine my surprise as I'm introduced to the stories characters... a much older Hawkeye and his very elderly adoptive father...Chingachgook! This story, "Into the wilderness" is the sequel to last of the Mohicans and is the story of Hawkeye's and Cora's son Nathaniel. I'm only a quarter of the way through it and enjoying it very much. I can not compare to the book "last of the Mohicans" because I only saw the movie but in my opinion, Sara is a good writer and I am enjoying the continuation of a great story and interesting characters. I understand Nathaniel's and Elizabeth's story continues in a third book entitled "Dawn on a distant shore" coming out in March of 2000. Just thought some of you might be interested. Also if any of you are interested in the best series of books of all time...read Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager and The Drums of Autumn. I can promise one and all, You WILL NOT be dissappointed. I couldn't put them down and eagerly await the 5th book in the series.

This book greatly renewed my interest in colonial history. Within two days of reading it I got into my car and drove to the Fort William Henry historical site (which is now bordered by an amusement park and hotel, but that is another story). Standing there at the Fort, it was a wonderful feeling trying to picture some of the scenes from the book. Or, of Fenimore Cooper being there in the early 1820's, looking for inspiration for the text. Forget the movie, it doesn't do the story justice!

When I first started reading this book, I thought it was a very boring book. Then, I figured if I was going to be reading this book for at least another two weeks or so, I should go ahead and pay attention to the book. I like it when they start fighting to get Cora back from Magua. It gets pretty grotesque and detailed once they start fighting. I also think this book gives you a good idea of the French and Indian War. But, I don't really like the plot to it. I think it has a little too much detail to get to the main part of some chapters. This book did not have a lot of dialogue, but it still had a little too much unnecessary detail in some parts if the book. If I read a book, I like reading biographies and mystery type books.

This is a masterpiece that not only narrates action but explores minds and motives. If you have never read and enjoyed Dickens and Melville; don't bother with this one; it requires a reader with a brain. I was shocked by the first reviews here, and thought: "Are these readers so egotistical as to think that people prior to the baby boom and going back 200 years didn't really talk like that, reason fluently in a crisis, or have deep thoughts about the meaning of life?" People facing death do actually THINK (a lot) during the calm moments. This book is not always politically correct, but it is honest to a fault. It is not designed to be a romance novel; rather a novel in which romance (not sex) occurs. I HATED the movie because it tried to do a lot of anti-war, anti-imperialist moralizing.(Hollywood has no sense of history.) Did you ever read a story and think:"This story is not believable. Like--when did these characters ever go to the toilet?" This story is not like that. Yes it does slow down sometimes but so does life!

I really enjoyed this book because it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It really captures how dangerous life really was in the late seventeen hundreds. Also, how indian tribes didn't like each other. The title "The Last of the Mohicans" is really what the story is about.

The definitive tale of the American frontier in 1757, Cooper's masterwork captures the essence of this corner of American history. A vivid tale of honour, courage and love set against the backdrop of the French-British war, this book will be read and re-read for as long as people still print books