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| Plot Summary of The Prairie |
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"The last, and by far the most boring, of the Leatherstocking Tales, the Praire finds Natty Bumppo (Leatherstocking/Deerslayer/Pathfinder/Trapper/Hawkeye) in his old age on the Prairies where he has gone to escape encroaching civilization with his dogs and spends his time and energy trapping because he can't hunt effectively any more. He becomes involved in a conflict between a family of lawless settlers, a pair of Indian tribes (who are at war with one another) and a soldier who his hunting for his kidnapped wife (the settlers had stolen her). Interesting, but it lacks the power (such as they have) of the previous four. It does, however, bring Natty Bumppo's life to a close and it is interesting to see how Cooper developed his character over the five novels."
Kelly Whiting, Resident Scholar
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"The hero, unnamed but assumed to be Natty Bummpo, the protagonist of J.F. Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, is now an aging outdoorsman who has escaped to the open plains to escape the encroachments of civilization in the colonies. The time is just after the Louisiana Purchase (early 1800's), and our hero encounters a wagon train of pioneers heading west with a secret cargo in one of the wagons.
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Rich M, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Prairie |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 30%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- 19th century
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Western
Yes
Story primarily about
- attacked on ride through the West
- fighting Injuns
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- explorer
- champion of justice
Age:
- 60's-90's
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- mind reading
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- thief/con artist
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- wild
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
- throughout most of the book.
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Southeast
- West
Prairie?
Yes
Misc setting
- moving train
- fort/military installation
- fancy mansion
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 5-7
- 8 or more
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Unusual forms of death
- poisoning
- stampeded
- perforation--bullets
- perforation--swords/knives
- blunt clubbing (like seals)
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
James Fenimore Cooper Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Rich M
SCHOLARS: nathan geer
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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