James Fenimore Cooper's "bad" Indians : a study of Magua, Mahtoree and Wyandotte´
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Owen D. Williams (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Donald Darnell
Abstract: Whereas James Fenimore Cooper's Natty Bumppo and many of his "good" Indians have long received critical attention, comparatively little interest has been shown his so-called "bad" Indians. To date no critical essay or chapter of a book has been devoted to them, in spite of their prominent roles in his Indian novels. This study focuses on three of these characters: Magua of The Last of the Mohicans, Mahtoree of The Prairie, and Wyandotté, a leading character in the novel of that title. Generally critics have lumped Magua, Mahtoree and Wyandotté together as if they were all of a kind. Careful study shows, however, that they are three quite different Indians. Their creation reflects both Cooper's continuing effort to come to terms with what he thought about the moral worth of the Indian and his effort to decide upon the right solution to the problem of Indian-white relations. With the creation of Magua, Cooper condemns the intrusion of the white man and suggests that the wilderness should be left to the Indian. With the creation of Mahtoree, he insists that the Indian share in the responsibility for a workable relationship and accept some responsibility for his own evil.
James Fenimore Cooper's "bad" Indians : a study of Magua, Mahtoree and Wyandotte´
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Created on 1/1/1969
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 1969
- Subjects
- Cooper, James Fenimore, $d 1789-1851 $x Criticism and interpretation
- Cooper, James Fenimore, $d 1789-1851 $x Characters $x Indians