Women's Indian Captivity Narratives

Enthralling generations of readers, the narrative of capture by Native Americans is arguably the first American literary form dominated by women's experiences. Many such captivity narratives were fact-based but often transformed by authors or editors into spellbinding adventure stories, sentimental tales, spiritual autobiographies, or anti-Indian propaganda. For this pioneering collection of 10 extraordinary tales for this most intriguing and enduring literary genre, Kathryn Zabelle Derounian-Stodola has selected narratives that span 200 years (1682-1892) and display literary as well as geographical diversity. Her fascinating introduction to the history and influence of the genre shows it to be a foundation text of American culture with enduring popular appeal.