First published in 1826, James Fenimore Cooper’s most famous novel, ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ features a main character who recurs in five of his novels, Natty Bumppo, who is also known as Hawkeye. The five novels about Hawkeye’s adventures in the wilderness of New York are collectively known as the
Leatherstocking Tales .
In ‘The Last of the Mohicans’, Hawkeye is now in middle life and at the height of his powers. The story tells of brutal battles with the Iroquois and their French allies, cruel captures, narrow escapes, and revenge. The beauty of the unspoiled wilderness and sorrow at its disappearance, symbolized in Hawkeye’s Mohican friends, the last of their tribe, are important themes of the novel.
James Fenimore Cooper was one of the most popular early American novelists. He was known for writing adventure novels. He was born in New Jersey in 1789 and raised on the New York frontier, where he set most of his stories.
One day, Cooper was reading a popular novel out loud to his wife when he became angry at what he saw as its bad storytelling. He tossed the book aside and said to her, ‘I could write you a better novel!’ Thus began one of the most successful careers of that era. In fact, throughout most of his career, he was one of the most popular writers in the English language.