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The Deerslayer, or The First War-Path (1841) was James Fenimore Cooper's last novel in his Leatherstocking Tales. Its 1740–1745 time period makes it the first installment chronologically and in the lifetime of the hero of the Leatherstocking tales, Natty Bumppo.
- James Fenimore Cooper
- 1841
The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper was written in 1841. I found the story interesting. The more formal writing typical of books written in the 1800s was fun to hear, but I discovered I kept wanting to push the story along as it seemed very slow.
- (14.2K)
- Paperback
Jun 1, 2002 · "The Deerslayer" by James Fenimore Cooper is a historical novel written in the early 19th century. The book explores the frontier life in America, focusing on themes of civilization versus savagery during the colonial period.
- James Fenimore Cooper
- English
- 1841
- The Deerslayer
- Introduction
- Author Biography
- Plot Summary
- Media Adaptations
- Characters
- Themes
- Topics For Further Study
- Style
- Historical Context
- Compare & Contrast
The Deerslayer, or The First War-Path, by American novelist James Fenimore Cooper, was first published in 1841. It was the last of Cooper's series of five novels featuring the character of Nathaniel (Natty) Bumppo, also known as Deerslayer, Pathfinder, Hawkeye, Leatherstocking, and Trapper. Set in the wilderness area around Lake Otsego, New York, d...
Known as the first great American novelist, James Cooper (the middle name Fenimore was added in 1826) was born on September 15, 1789, in Burlington, New Jersey, the twelfth of the thirteen children of William Cooper (a wealthy, landowning judge) and Elizabeth Fenimore Cooper. In 1790, the family moved to Cooperstown, in central New York, a settleme...
Chapter 1
The Deerslayerbegins around noon on a sunny day in June, sometime between 1740 and 1745. It takes place around Lake Otsego, New York, then known as Glimmerglass. Two woodsmen, twenty-six- or twenty-eight-year-old Henry March, often known as Hurry Harry, and his slightly younger companion, Nathaniel (Natty) Bumppo, known as Deerslayer, emerge from a small swamp and behold the lake. As they pause to eat their lunch and talk, they reveal differences in their characters. It soon emerges that Deer...
Chapter 2
Hurry and Deerslayer recover a canoe hidden in a hollow log. They paddle towards the first of Hutter's two homes, which is facetiously known as Muskrat Castle. It stands a quarter mile offshore, a kind of fortress built on piles driven into a long, narrow shoal. It is relatively safe, since no one can attack it except by boat, and any attacker would be under merciless fire from Hutter's well-stocked armory. When they arrive at the castle, they find it empty. Deerslayer has a good look round,...
Chapter 3
The two men now paddle in search of Hutter's second home, which is a floating barge called the ark. At one point, Hurry goes ashore and shoots at and misses a deer. Deerslayer reproaches him for his lack of prudence, since the sound of the rifle may alert enemy Indians to their presence. They finally discover the ark concealed in bushes at the source of the Susquehanna River, at the southern end of the lake.
There have been several movie versions of The Deerslayer.The Deerslayer and Chingachgook(1920), starring Emil Mamelok and Herta Heden and directed by Arthur Wellin Ratin, was as of 2006 available on DVD from Alpha Video.The Deerslayer(1957), starring Lex Barker and Rita Moreno and directed by Kurt Neumann, was in 2006 unavailable.The Deerslayer, the 1978 low-budget made-fortelevision version, starring Steve Forrest as Deerslayer and Ned Romero as Chingachgook, was as of 2006 available on VHS from Anchor Bay Entertain.Briarthorn
Briarthorn is a Delaware who wanted Wah-ta!- Wah (called Hist) as his wife. He abducted her and went over to the Hurons. He tries to serve them well but is distrusted and only tolerated. When Chingachgook appears at the Huron camp in chapter 30, Briarthorn is angry and hurls his knife at the Delaware chief. The knife is deflected harmlessly by Hist, and Chingachgook throws a knife at Briarthorn, killing him instantly.
Natty Bumppo
SeeDeerslayer
Chingachgook
Chingachgook, whose name means Great Serpent, is a close friend of Deerslayer. He is by blood a Mohican, but he grew up among the Delawares. His father was Uncas, a great Mohican warrior. Chingachgook is named for his "wisdom and prudence, and cunning," even though he is still a young man and is on his first warpath. He is steady, dignified, and loyal; he always comes to Deerslayer's aid, as when he pledges to try to rescue him from the Hurons even though the odds against him seem insurmounta...
Initiation and Testing
The main theme of the novel is the initiation of the young man Deerslayer, his rite of passage into true manhood. At the beginning he is untried and untested, but he develops into an authentic hero who successfully faces all the challenges presented to him. Deerslayer has been given a civilized upbringing by the Moravian missionaries and the Delawares, and he has proved himself as a hunter, but he is not yet complete. He admits to Hurry March that there is no great valor in killing a deer. No...
Research and make a class presentation on the history of the Lenape tribe (referred to in the novel as the Delawares). What happened to the Lenape during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries? Wh...Working with a partner, investigate the issue of Native American-themed mascots in high school and college sports teams. Why do Native Americansobject to these? Make a class presentation in which y...As you read the novel, who did you find more sympathetic, Hetty or Judith? Why? Which character would make a better role model for young women today? Is Judith badly treated by Deerslayer? Is she s...Write an essay in which you explore the following question: Is Deerslayer too good to be true? Cooper wrote that he had wanted to show some of Deerslayer's weaknesses so as to present "a reasonable...Setting
The most prominent aspect of the setting is the lake, which has a symbolic as well as literal function in the novel. Together with the surrounding woods, Glimmerglass (Lake Otsego) represents the purity of nature, before the hand of man has touched it: The above is the description given when Deerslayer sees Glimmerglass for the first time. He is transfixed with wonder by the scene, which is as fresh and untouched as the day it was first created by God. It therefore represents origins, the pri...
Historical Romance
The novel belongs to the genre of romance. It has been variously described as an epic romance, a forest romance, an historical romance, and a pastoral romance. In romantic rather than realistic fiction, the characters and situations are more idealized and less true to real life. Medieval romance, for example, featured knights who went through a series of adventures—slaying monsters, for example— in which they proved their valor and their chivalry. In this respect Deerslayer, who has to prove...
The historical background of The Deerslayer is the periodic conflict between English and French forces for control of the North American colonies. The War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748), was fought mostly in Europe, but for England the chief interest lay in its overseas conflict with France and Spain over trading and colonial ambitions. In North America this period is known as King George's War (1744-1748), the most notable feature of which was the capture by the English colonists of the...
Indians and Cooper
For information about Indians in colonial America a hundred years earlier, Cooper turned to the work of a historian, John Heckewelder, whose book, Account of the History, Manners, and Customs of the Indian Nations, Who Once Inhabited Pennsylvania and the Neighboring States, was published in 1819. Heckewelder was a Moravian missionary to the Delawares (also known as Lenape), and he developed great sympathy for and understanding of Delaware life and culture. Moravian missionaries from Germany h...
1740s: Lake Otsego and its environs are visited only by a few hunters. Indians also visit the area, but no one Indian tribe lays claim to it. The first white pioneers of what will become Otsego Cou...1740s: War between England and France includes skirmishes in the North American colonies. In 1745, the French attack and burn Saratoga, New York. Indian tribes maneuver for advantage by allying the...1740s: The United States of America does not exist. The American colonists of New England (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire), the Middle Colonies (Delaware, New Jersey, New Y...Jul 1, 2005 · Introduction This is a study guide for the book The Deerslayer written by James Fenimore Cooper.The Deerslayer, or The First Warpath (1841) was the last of James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking tales to be written.
Jan 26, 2009 · Deerslayer had some theoretical knowledge of frontier warfare, though he had never yet been called on to raise his hand in anger against a fellow-creature.
Feb 5, 2024 · First published in 1841, The Deerslayer was the last of the Leatherstocking tales to be written. However, since the story took place between 1740 and 1745, it is the first of the series as determined by story line.
