Introduction to "The Last of the Mohicans" Appreciation of "The Last of the Mohicans"

I believe many friends who like reading have read the novel "The Last of the Mohicans". This is considered to be the best one among the "Leatherstocking Tales" written by Cooper. . This book was written in 1826, which was also the third year of the Seven Years' War between Britain and France in the North American colonies. They used force to expel the Indians and carried out a brutal genocide policy against the original Indians, so this work highlights the theme of the extermination of the Indian tribes.

Content introduction

"The Last of the Mohicans" is considered to be the most outstanding of Cooper's masterpieces "Leggings Stories". The story takes place in the late 1850s, the third year of the "Seven Years' War" between Britain and France fighting for the North American colonies. The location is at the source of the Hudson River and the Lake George area. At that time, it was a bloody battlefield.

The novel takes as its main line the experience of Cora and Alice, the two daughters of Colonel Munroe, the commander of Fort Lee, who were kidnapped on their way to the fort to visit their father. It unfolds in the primeval forest. Description of a series of thrilling plots such as tracking, ambush, and battle.

The protagonist Natty Bombo has become a scout for the British army at this time and has been nicknamed "Eagle Eye". He and his old friend the Mohican Chief "Big Python" "Chinga Brother, and Chinga Brother's son "Fast-Legged Deer" Uncas stepped forward.

In order to rescue the two sisters, they launched a thrilling struggle with the hijackers, interspersed with the love stories of sisters Uncas, Hayward and Cora, and faithfully reproduced the Indians in the colonial period through dialogue and other descriptions. history of blood and tears.

The climax of the novel is also the end, which is a fierce battle. Sister Cora was killed by Huron warriors, Uncas died at the hands of Magua to save Cora, Magua was shot by Hawkeye, Hayward sent Alice safely back to the British colony, and the final The Mohicans, Chingago, live alone in the American jungle, accompanied by eagle eyes.

About the author

Author: Cooper, J.F (James Fenimore Cooperl789-1851), novelist. Born on September 15, 1789 in Burlington, New Jersey. When he was 2 years old, his family moved to Cooperstown, New York. He was deeply attracted by the nearby lakes, forests and legends about the Indians.

In 1806, he learned sailing on a merchant ship, and later participated in shipbuilding work at a naval base on Lake Ontario, and was once appointed as a naval captain. In 1811, he resigned from the Navy, married the daughter of a landowner, and settled in Cooperstown.

Started writing novels at the age of 31. The first novel "Alert" was published at his own expense in 1820 and was very unsuccessful. Encouraged by his wife, he changed direction and wrote a book that he believed "should be a purely American, patriotic book", The Spy.

The novel became popular after its publication in 1821. Later, he wrote "The Pioneers" (1823), which reflects frontier life, and "The Helmsman" (1824), which reflects sailing life. He created three different types of novels in the history of American literature, namely the revolutionary historical novel "The Spy" and "Frontier Adventure". The novel "The Pioneers" and the sea adventure novel "The Helmsman".

Appreciation of "The Last of the Mohicans"

The Last of the Mohicans was written in 1826, during the "Seven Years' War" fought by Britain and France to compete for the North American colonies. "The third year. Britain and France used force to expel the Indians and implemented brutal genocide policies against them. The title of the work "The Last" has strong practical significance and highlights the theme of the extinction of Indian tribes.

Cooper declares to readers the tragic fate of the native Indians. As native immigrants to North America, the Indians who once created the glorious American civilization were left homeless due to the invasion of a large number of Europeans. They were forced to move westward. Their culture is being diluted due to the impact of the outside world and is likely to gradually die out.

In rewriting that period of history, Cooper expressed his sympathy for the plight of the Indians, and at the same time gave the Indians and the world a warning to Indians and others who were being invaded by foreign cultures, languages ??and A tribe or country with assimilated customs.

How to absorb foreign culture while protecting our own national culture?