The captive : the true story of the captivity of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson among the Indians and God's faithfulness to her in her time of trial

by Mary White Rowlandson, ca. 1635-1711

1988

Status

Available

Call number

E87.R895 R69 1998

Publication

Publisher Unknown

Description

Mary (White) Rowlandson was a colonial American woman who was captured during an attack by Native Americans during King Philip's War and held ransom for 11 weeks and 5 days. After being released, she wrote A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. It is considered to be one of America's first bestsellers, four editions appearing in 1682 when it was first published.

User reviews

LibraryThing member ryoung
A forgotten classic in American Literature.
LibraryThing member Chris177
Mary’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
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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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LibraryThing member K...
If I could, I would give it 1.5 stars because, although I didn't like it, it wasn't downright horrible.
LibraryThing member raselyem7
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,
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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.
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LibraryThing member librarycatnip
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,
Show More
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.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ben_a
Illuminating and horrifying.
LibraryThing member MCDyson
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member therebelprince
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.
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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?
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Original publication date

1682

Barcode

34662000789724
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