Sign-In
Cart
The Wept of Wish-Ton-Wish
Hardcover
Classic FictionHistorical Fiction
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
Publisher: Indoeuropeanpublishing.com
Pages: 300
Weight: 1.17
Height: 0.88 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The Wept of Wish-Ton-Wish (1829) by James Fenimore Cooper is a historical novel set in seventeenth-century New England during a time of conflict between English settlers and Native American tribes. The story centers on the Heathcote family, particularly their young daughter Ruth, who mysteriously disappears during an attack on their settlement. The novel portrays the fear, uncertainty, and cultural tensions that existed on the colonial frontier, where communities struggled to survive amid warfare and shifting alliances. Cooper uses the remote settlement of Wish-Ton-Wish as a symbol of both hope and vulnerability in the New World.
A major theme of the novel is the clash and misunderstanding between different cultures. After Ruth is taken by Native Americans, she grows up among them and adopts many of their customs. Years later, when she returns to her original family, she faces a painful identity conflict because she feels connected to both cultures but fully accepted by neither. Through Ruth's experience, Cooper explores ideas of belonging, loyalty, and the emotional consequences of cultural displacement. The novel also reflects the Puritan values of the settlers, highlighting their strict religious beliefs and the ways those beliefs shape their interpretation of events.
Cooper combines historical events with romance and tragedy to illustrate the hardships of early colonial life. The narrative includes elements of mystery, suspense, and dramatic reunions as the Heathcote family struggles with loss and hope over many years. While the novel reflects the perspectives and biases of its time, it also attempts to show the complexity of frontier relationships and the human cost of conflict. Overall, The Wept of Wish-Ton-Wish contributes to Cooper's broader body of historical fiction by depicting early American history through personal stories of family, faith, and cultural encounter.
About the author
James Fenimore Cooper was an American novelist best known as one of the earliest and most influential writers of historical fiction in the United States. He was born on September 15, 1789, in Burlington, New Jersey, and grew up in Cooperstown, New York, a frontier town founded by his father. This early exposure to wilderness life and encounters between settlers and Native Americans would later shape many of his most famous stories. Cooper lived during a period when the young nation was still defining its identity, and his work helped give American literature a distinct voice.
Before becoming a writer, Cooper pursued a varied education and career path. He briefly attended Yale College but was expelled due to disciplinary issues. Afterward, he joined the U.S. Navy, where he gained firsthand experience with maritime life. These naval experiences strongly influenced several of his novels, especially those focused on the sea. Cooper did not initially plan to be an author; legend has it that he began writing after claiming he could write a better novel than one he had just read.
Cooper achieved lasting fame with The Leatherstocking Tales, a series of five novels that includes The Last of the Mohicans, The Deerslayer, and The Pioneers. These books feature the iconic frontiersman Natty Bumppo and explore themes of nature, civilization, and cultural conflict. Cooper's portrayal of Native Americans was more sympathetic and complex than that of many writers of his time, though modern readers still debate aspects of his representation. His vivid descriptions of the American wilderness helped establish the frontier as a central myth in American culture. ...
Also from
Cooper, James Fenimore
The Last of the Mohicans (Royal Collector's Edition) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
The Leatherstocking Tales (Complete and Unabridged): The Pioneers, the Last of the Mohicans, the Prairie, the Pathfinder and the Deerslayer
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
The Leatherstocking Tales (Complete and Unabridged): The Pioneers, the Last of the Mohicans, the Prairie, the Pathfinder and the Deerslayer
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Pilot by James Fenimore Cooper, Fiction, Historical, Classics, Action & Adventure
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The headsman; or, The Abbaye des Vignerons. A tale. By J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
The Wing-and-wing; or, Le Feu-follet. A tale. By J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
The Last of the Mohicans: A Frontier Novel of the French and Indian War
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
Precaution: first novel written by American author James Fenimore Cooper.: James Fenimore Cooper
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Chainbearer; or The Littlepage Manuscripts, By J. Fenimore Cooper A NOVEL: ( complete in one volume ) New edition
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper, Fiction, Classics, Historical, Action & Adventure
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
Wynadotté (Historical Novel): The Hutted Knoll - Historical Novel Set During the American Revolution
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Heidenmauer; or, the Benedictines. A Legend of the Rhine. by J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Spy - A Tale of the Neutral Ground (Espionage Thriller Classic): Historical Espionage Novel Set in the Time of the American Revolutionary War
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Headsman; or, the Abbaye Des Vignerons. A Tale, by J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Water-Witch; or, the Skimmer of the Seas. A Tale. by J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Deerslayer; or, the First War-Path. A Tale. by J. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
Le Dernier des Mohicans: Un roman d'aventures de James Fenimore Cooper
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The Bravo: A Tale. by J. Fenimore Cooper ... Illustrated from Drawings by F. O. C. Darley.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
The History of the Navy of the United States of America: Abridged in One Volume
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
The American Democrat: Or, Hints on the Social and Civic Relations of the United States of America
Cooper, James Fenimore
Paperback
Cooper's the Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757
Dunbar, John Brown
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
Cooper's the Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757
Cooper, James Fenimore
Dunbar, John Brown
Paperback
El Último De Los Mohicanos
Parkhurst, Helen M.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Wight, John Green 1842-
Hardcover
Elinor Wyllys; Or, The Young Folk of Longbridge: Volume 1 - in large print
Cooper, James Fenimore
Cooper, Susan Fenimore
Paperback
Elinor Wyllys; Or, The Young Folk of Longbridge: Volume 1 - in large print
Cooper, Susan Fenimore
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
Elinor Wyllys; Or, The Young Folk of Longbridge: Volume 2 - in large print
Cooper, James Fenimore
Cooper, Susan Fenimore
Paperback
Elinor Wyllys; Or, The Young Folk of Longbridge: Volume 2 - in large print
Cooper, James Fenimore
Cooper, Susan Fenimore
Hardcover
El Último De Los Mohicanos
Parkhurst, Helen M.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Wight, John Green 1842-
Paperback
James Fenimore Cooper's the Last of the Mohicans
Cooper, James Fenimore
Richardson, Charles Francis
Paperback
A Guide in the Wilderness or the History of the First Settlement in the Western Counties of New York
Cooper, James Fenimore
Cooper, William
Paperback
Cooper's Novels: Precaution ... With a Discourse On the Life, Genius, and Writing of the Author, by William Cullen Bryant
Cooper, James Fenimore
Darley, Felix Octavius Carr
Bryant, William Cullen
Paperback
Also in
Classic Fiction
James Fenimore Cooper: The Leatherstocking Tales Vol. 1 (Loa #26): The Pioneers / The Last of the Mohicans / The Prairie
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
Four Comedies: The Taming of the Shrew, a Midsummer Night's Dream, the Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night
Shakespeare, William
Paperback
Before Gatsby: The First Twenty-Six Stories
Fitzgerald, F. Scott
Bruccoli, Matthew J.
Baughman, Judith
Paperback
The Princess Bride Deluxe Limited Edition: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
Goldman, William
Paperback
The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings
Tolkien, J. R. R.
Paperback
The Lord of the Rings Illustrated by the Author: Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien, J. R. R.
Hardcover
The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
Goldman, William
Hardcover
The Pilgrim's Progress: A Readable Modern-Day Version of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (Revised and easy-to-read)
Bunyan, John
Vermilye, Alan
Paperback
Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Shelley, Mary
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Stoker, Bram
Paperback
The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
Goldman, William
Paperback