Look, 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? ( )

Illuminating and horrifying.

In 1675 Mary Rowlandson, wife of a minister, was taken by Indians during King Philip's War. This is written by Mary and reads like a witness to the glory of God. (which is ok but not what I expected) Although I liked it because of its historical value, I would rather have had more detail of what her life was like while she was held. There is some but she survived I think by prayer and her beliefs and she wanted to emphasize this. ( )

Yeah......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. ( )

Yeah......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. ( )