Sunday, June 01, 2008

RAFBN-Week 3


An original. Nuff said. The beginnings of American fiction, from literature to genre fiction. Crime stories...war...history...interracial sex. Yep. You heard me. Interracial sex. Look, don't let the movies, from 1939 to Daniel Day-Lewis take your mind away from the seminal nature of this novel by James Fennimore Cooper. It was the first American adventure story. Magua, the Huron war captain, was the model for all American serial killers, murderous criminals, etc. And yes, a cheezy love story set against the backdrop of the cruel French & Indian War. Gone With The Wind was bullsh*t compared to this.
It was also the beginnings of American sensationalism and market to sell books. The first entertainment stereotypical inklings of the bad Indian as savage...and "good" Indian as stoic and kind, bursts forth in the plot and in Cooper's publisher's advertisements. Cooper was literally the first American author to go on book tour.
By the way, the last of the Mohicans was Uncas. "Hawkeye" was Natty Bumpo, the white dude. Too often in the movies his character's the star, he gets the girl. Nope, it was Uncas. Please, read this classic. In it you will see the beginnings of everything from Hemingway to Zane. No lie...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you seriously believe that Zane read The Last of the Mohicans?

Anonymous said...

Yuckyuckyuck.
Zane probably did--in high school english class. He is right in that there are elements of the plot and the characters that seem to be the seeds for many kinds of novels and different types of authors including Zane!

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

loved that book and the movie

Lola Gets said...

Look, dammit, Im doing the best I can in trying to post about my crazy ass life, so cut me some slack! DAMMIT!
:)

I updated today, albeit only briefly. But I should do some more tonight and tomorrow. So come on back!

L

Anonymous said...

Why do high school English teachers kill our desire to read these classics?

Anonymous said...

As a reader of the ghetto life and everything else above it, I tuly enjoyed this book. I am awaiting you next selection. I read the Last of the Mohicans in elementary school along with A Tale of Two cities, Oliver Twist and Black Boy. Unfortunately most public schools today only read for the state exams.