Project Gutenberg 2000-09-01 Public domain in the USA. 173 Cooper, James Fenimore 1789 1851 Morgan, Jane Cooper, Fenimore Cooper, J. Fenimore (James Fenimore) The Lake Gun Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lake_Gun Produced by Hugh C. MacDougall. HTML version by Al Haines. "The Lake Gun" by James Fenimore Cooper is a short story written in the mid-19th century, specifically around the time of the American political landscape shift in the 1850s. The narrative combines elements of folklore and political satire to explore themes of demagoguery and the impact of unscrupulous politicians on society. Set against the backdrop of Seneca Lake in New York, the story intertwines local legends and the character of the "Wandering Jew" with a critique of American political figures, particularly focusing on the then Whig Senator, William Henry Seward. In the story, a traveler named Fuller seeks to unravel the mysteries surrounding the legendary "Wandering Jew" and the explosive sound known as the "Lake Gun." He enlists the help of an old local mariner named Peter and a young Seneca Indian who shares the lore of his people. As they journey around the lake, the young Indian recounts the tale of a demagogue named See-wise, whose pride and disobedience led to his punishment of floating on the lake for eternity. The narrative serves as a poignant allegory about the consequences of political ambition and false promises, illustrating how those who mislead the public ultimately answer to a higher moral authority. Through the story’s conclusion, Cooper emphasizes the importance of adhering to wisdom and tradition over populism and sensationalism. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 74.2 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Curiosities and wonders -- Fiction Seneca Lake (N.Y.) -- Fiction PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore Category: American Literature 57228 2025-08-01T13:01:08.804403 text/html 52260 2020-12-31T16:45:30 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 20419 2020-12-31T16:45:30 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 85701 2025-08-01T13:01:12.690394 application/epub+zip 84457 2025-08-01T13:01:10.346388 application/epub+zip 84457 2025-08-01T13:01:09.331395 application/epub+zip 160993 2025-08-01T13:01:14.412383 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 154902 2025-08-01T13:01:12.103402 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 125191 2022-09-02T03:37:27.341198 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 49881 2025-08-01T13:01:08.559463 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 49825 2020-12-31T16:45:30 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19665 2020-12-31T16:45:30 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 19209 2025-08-01T13:01:14.561361 application/rdf+xml 11355 2025-08-01T13:01:09.835400 image/jpeg 3098 2025-08-01T13:01:09.577422 image/jpeg 83079 2025-08-01T13:01:08.810402 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia