The Last of the Mohicans

The Last of the Mohicans is the second and most popular of James Fenimore Cooper's five Leatherstocking Tales. Set in 1757 during the fierce French and Indian wars, Cooper's classic novel of adventure follows an adroit scout and his companion as they weave through the lush and spectacular wilderness of upstate New York, fighting to save the beautiful daughters of a fort commander from a treacherous Huron renegade. With its death-defying chases and teeth-clenching suspenes, this historical romance established many archetypes of American frontier fiction: the brave, skillful loner (Hawkeye), who rejects "white" civilization while aiding the settlers who spread it; the "noble savage" (Chingachgook) who becomes his deepest friend: a plot involving chases, epic battles and lovely heroines (Cora and Alice Munro) menaced by an Indian renegade (Magua), and the central role played by the most important "character" of all, the magnificent but dangerous wilderness.