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The Account of Mary Rowlandson and Other Indian Captivity Narratives
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The wife of a minister in a small frontier town west of Boston, Mary Rowlandson was forced to leave her house in the late winter of 1676 after marauding Indians set the building on fire. "I had often before this said," she later wrote, "that if the Indians should come, I should chuse rather to be killed by them than taken alive but when it came to the tryal my mind changed; their glittering weapons so daunted my spirit, that I chose rather to go along . . . than to end my days."
Thus began Mary Rowlandson's account of her arduous journey as a servant to her captors, the Narragansett Indians. The most celebrated such document in American history, her record of the three months she spent in captivity tells of hardship and suffering, but also includes invaluable observations on Native American life and customs. The text is notable, as well, for conveying an understanding of her captors as individuals who not only suffered and faced difficult decisions but were also, at times, sympathetic humans (one of her abductors gave her a Bible taken during an earlier raid).
An immediate bestseller when first published in 1682, Rowlandson's narrative is widely regarded today as a classic--the first in a series of "captivity narratives" in which women, seized by Indians, survived against overwhelming odds. Of special interest to historians and students of Native American culture, Rowlandson's astounding account — accompanied by three other famous narratives of captivity — will also thrill the most avid of adventure enthusiasts.
Thus began Mary Rowlandson's account of her arduous journey as a servant to her captors, the Narragansett Indians. The most celebrated such document in American history, her record of the three months she spent in captivity tells of hardship and suffering, but also includes invaluable observations on Native American life and customs. The text is notable, as well, for conveying an understanding of her captors as individuals who not only suffered and faced difficult decisions but were also, at times, sympathetic humans (one of her abductors gave her a Bible taken during an earlier raid).
An immediate bestseller when first published in 1682, Rowlandson's narrative is widely regarded today as a classic--the first in a series of "captivity narratives" in which women, seized by Indians, survived against overwhelming odds. Of special interest to historians and students of Native American culture, Rowlandson's astounding account — accompanied by three other famous narratives of captivity — will also thrill the most avid of adventure enthusiasts.
Author
Mary Rowlandson
Mary Rowlandson (1637–1711) was an author of the American colonial period. Born in England, she immigrated to Massachusetts, and was living in Lancaster at the beginning of King Phillip’s War. Captured during a raid by hostile Indians, she and her children were held captive for nearly three months. Published in 1682, Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson is considered by many to be the first North American bestseller.
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Reviews for The Account of Mary Rowlandson and Other Indian Captivity Narratives
Rating: 3.111114074074074 out of 5 stars
3/5
54 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Look, I appreciate no-one likes the puritans, and Mary would've been better off leaving these out if she was working to create an enduring work of literature. But she wasn't aiming to be Cervantes. This book is as much interesting for its historical context as for its narrative style. What Mrs. Rowlandson's narrative tells us is aided by her point of view, even if it is at times disagreeable, because we gain valuable insight into the views of the Puritans as well as telling insights into life amongst the natives. It makes the work more complex, as we view history through a certain tint, don't it?
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Yeah......this was not an exciting read. It is very detailed, and relatively dispassionate. She discusses food a LOT (I'm sure it was a very salient concern in her captivity). Lots of scripture, though I'm intrigued by Jason's idea of her carrying her culture with her through these various removes, and using the bible and Christianity as a light in the darkness she was experiencing at the time having been captured and held in a strange culture as a slave against her will.
And it is perfectly within the purview of my approach to "literature" to study this, which might more often be labeled as a "captivity narrative," or a primary historical source. But decisions get made when composing these kinds of texts that we tend to think about as non-fiction, or history. There are many choices in here about how to represent and present her experience and the people she discusses. Doesn't make it thrilling, though it might improve if I actually do work on it. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Yeah......this was not an exciting read. It is very detailed, and relatively dispassionate. She discusses food a LOT (I'm sure it was a very salient concern in her captivity). Lots of scripture, though I'm intrigued by Jason's idea of her carrying her culture with her through these various removes, and using the bible and Christianity as a light in the darkness she was experiencing at the time having been captured and held in a strange culture as a slave against her will.
And it is perfectly within the purview of my approach to "literature" to study this, which might more often be labeled as a "captivity narrative," or a primary historical source. But decisions get made when composing these kinds of texts that we tend to think about as non-fiction, or history. There are many choices in here about how to represent and present her experience and the people she discusses. Doesn't make it thrilling, though it might improve if I actually do work on it. - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5If I could, I would give it 1.5 stars because, although I didn't like it, it wasn't downright horrible.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book contains various primary sources from events that occurred during Metacom's War of 1675-1676. The featured source is an account by Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan woman from New England who was captured and held prisoner for nearly three months by local Indians. Mary tells not only of the actual capture, but also of her life among the Indians. She had to suffer through the death of one child and being separated from two other children. She was often close to starving and describes some of the food that both she and the Indians ate in order to survive. It definitely makes one thankful for the abundance that most of us enjoy today. One of the main purposes for which Mary wrote her account was to point out that because she kept faith in God, he did not abandon her. She also relates her strong disapproval of those Indians who she describes as 'praying Indians.' These were the Indians who had studied the English language and Christianity in the colonists schools. She seem to feel that they were almost worse that the 'savages,' because seemed to do nothing to help her. However, this may have been a little harsh because these Indians were torn between their loyalty to both the Indians and the colonists. In addition to Mary's account of her capture, other primary sources included in the book gave an insight into the causes of the war between the Indians and colonists. Two of the documents included information as to what happened to the Indians who were captured by the colonists. It seems that most of the children were forced into indentured servitude and many of the adults were sold into slavery as far away as the West Indies. I found most of the information in this book intriguing. However, I found some of documents difficult to understand because they were printed in the original language that they were written in and much of the spelling at the time was not formalized as it is now. However, I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the relations between the colonists and Indians in New England.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A forgotten classic in American Literature.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mary’s story is one misery yet hope. Mary was captured by Native Americans in an attack on a small Massachusetts town during want we call King Philip’s War.” The more I read about this “unremembered” war the more interesting it becomes. I recommend first reading one of the many books on the history of this time period and then read Mary’s account. It will help you to better understand what some of her references refer to.
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The Account of Mary Rowlandson and Other Indian Captivity Narratives - Mary Rowlandson
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