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LAST OF THE MOHICANS

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JFC's LOTM

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T O P I C R E V I E W
Keneta	Posted - October 05 2002 : 07:51:17 AM I've not yet finished JFC's LOTM, every now and then I pick it up,am halfway through it. What baffles me is that the novel is supposed to be part of the Natty Bumppo 'series', yet it seems like (so far) Duncan is the main character, the hero. I really like the way the LOTM screenplay was done as opposed to the novel. Does everyone else feel the same way? Keneta "Never reveal your name. Never turn your back. Never surrender your heart." -The Saint
7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
RedFraggle	Posted - February 06 2007 : 01:05:30 AM quote: Originally posted by Keneta I've not yet finished JFC's LOTM, every now and then I pick it up,am halfway through it. What baffles me is that the novel is supposed to be part of the Natty Bumppo 'series', yet it seems like (so far) Duncan is the main character, the hero. Okay, I'm answering a really old post here, but oh well. As a person who likes most all things Cooper, I guess I can take a stab at answering this. Yes, Duncan is the main romantic lead in Cooper's LOTM. He is young, idealistic, and--maybe most importantly--absolutely smitten with the young Alice. He is a foil in almost every way to the calm, collected figure of Hawkeye, who has survivied on the frontier and seen a lifetime of war, both Indian and British. Duncan is "over young" for a major and only knows life from his experiences in privileged Virginia society (Duncan in Cooper's LOTM is not British!). He routinely makes an @$$ of himself in Cooper's book, which sets a romantic storyline in the context of war-torn frontier America. Cooper's Natty is the very picture of adaptability to changing times and circumstances. No matter what happens he is always the same, Stoic Natty Bumppo, while Duncan is definitely out of place as a romantic hero, willing to do anything for his lady-love, on the rugged American frontier. Both Natty and Duncan are unrealistic figures--one too removed from human emotions, the other perhaps too affected by them--and the two serve in contrasting but also complementary roles. Hawkeye can adapt to his circumstances but never seems really affected by them (he is often no more than a detached observer in LOTM), while Duncan tries very hard to adapt to a life in the wilderness but can't quite succeed. (His mistaking of beavers on a river for "fellows" playing in the water is an example of his inability to "read" the American wilderness.) Each man is a "hero" on his own terms. Natty ensures the safety of most of the characters, while Duncan is concerned only with Alice. Maybe the one true hero is to be found in a mixture of the two--a character who can adapt to his surroundings but is also affected by them, a man who can temper his own emotions and channel them in a way that is beneficial to all parties, not merely one or two. So, yes, Duncan is the romantic hero of the novel. But he comes off looking rather silly at many points. Natty is the "main character" but is often detached and seemingly uncaring. It's anybody's guess how Cooper "intended" for us to read his heroes, but the two complement each other very well in Cooper's frontier world. That's all this literature has to say. Feel free to disagree, anyone, as this is just my opinion and I am by no means a Cooper expert!
susquesus	Posted - September 05 2003 : 12:10:49 AM I only made it halfway through LOTM on my first attempt. I found that when I regained interest in Cooper several years later that reading the books in chronological order of Nattys life was much more palatable. Deerslayer being the first, though the last actually written, is extremely engaging. Coopers style is developed, he's comfortable in his own skin as a writer. I stumbled a bit on "The Pioneers", the first written. It is more stilted and just not as eloquent. Reading the entire cycle allows you to witness firsthand Coopers development. To be read in order of Natty's life you should try: Deerslayer, LOTM, Pathfinder, Pioneers, Prairie. Personally I rank them in the following order: Deerslayer, Prairie, Pathfinder, LOTM, Pioneers.
Wilderness Woman	Posted - July 01 2003 : 08:34:48 AM quote: Originally posted by hmacdougall To read LOTM (the 1826 novel) with real pleasure in the 21st century it helps to know a bit about how novels were written in the 1820's. Thank you for the link, Mr. MacDougall! And welcome to Mohicanland! I have tried twice to read Last of the Mohicans, and have bogged down. The first time, making it only through Chapter 1; the second time going several chapters. I am, however, determined to make it through the novel at some time before I leave this earth!! I think the helpful suggestions on that page might fuel my resolve, and reinforce my patience level! I really want to become "Hooked On Cooper"! Thanks again!
hmacdougall	Posted - June 30 2003 : 11:02:54 PM Oops. That should be: http://www.oneonta.edu/external/cooper/introduction/reading.html
hmacdougall	Posted - June 30 2003 : 10:55:49 PM To read LOTM (the 1826 novel) with real pleasure in the 21st century it helps to know a bit about how novels were written in the 1820's. Have a look at http://www.oneonta.edu/external/cooper/introduction/reading/html
Ithiliana	Posted - November 22 2002 : 8:23:19 PM LOTM is excellent...but my personal favorite is Pathfinder....the scene at the end of book literally made me cry....
Ongewasgone	Posted - October 05 2002 : 3:30:32 PM Well, Keneta, on my site, I did a Special part dedicated to LOTM and, paticulary, to the differences between the novel's characters and the movie's ones. You can go on my page and give it a look if you want, the only problem it's that, obviously, all the text is in Italian... Bye, Ongewasgone

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