| James Fenimore Cooper, considered the first major American novelist, authored over thirty novels including Last of the Mohicans, and yet he considered The Deerslayer (1840) and The Pathfinder (1841) his best works. The Deerslayer introduces Natty Bumppo, the hero of the Leatherstocking series, as he becomes a warrior for the first time (an alternate title for the work is The First Warpath). Only the American Christian philosophy of government could bring forth a free man like Deerslayer, whose integrity of character reflected our Christian base and whose liberty was balanced by his desire to be obedient to God’s law. The Deerslayer is a never-to-be forgotten tale of faithfulness, courage, friendship and love. (Used in eleventh grade American Literature)
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