Early Explorer LiteratureEarly Explorer LiteratureUnit EQ: How does the literature of the

early explorers reveal the physical and mental challenges of the writers?

Lesson EQ 1: What were the mental, physical, and emotional challenges of the early explorers?

Lesson EQ 2: How does someone overcome a mental or physical challenge?

Lesson EQ 3: What are the pros and cons of first person narratives?

Lesson EQ 4: How does the influence of religious faith dominate the literary records as seen in the narrative examples?

Lesson EQ 5: What is a Captivity Narrative and what are its elements?

Captivity NarrativesCaptivity Narratives

A Female Ordeal

Captured by IndiansCaptured by IndiansVictim is usually a white

European womanWoman is not treated properlyWoman is exposed to violent

deaths of husband, brothers, and children

The Woman as VictimThe Woman as VictimUnable to protect

childrenUnable to be clean Forced into

unusual roles – acting violent in defense, enduring tough physical challenges

The CaptorThe CaptorSometimes

stereotyped as the dangerous native (savage)

Sometimes made human by revealing their own struggles

Often a political motive

Role of NarrativeRole of NarrativeDefines woman’s role as being

properly devoted to religionProclaims message about value

of faith during times of adversityPerpetuates the interests in

“sensational literature”Defines cultural beliefs

Purpose of NarrativePurpose of NarrativeReligious expression Justification of westward expansion Nineteenth-century: cultural symbol of

American national heritage Popular literature Reinforcement of stereotypes

a. Spanish: Indians as brutish beasts  b. French: Indians as souls needing

redemption  c. English in Virginia: innocent exotics  d. Puritans: Satanic threat to religious Utopia

ThemesThemesFears of

cannibalism Fears of scalping Hunter-predator

myth: captive as cultural mediator between savagery and civilization

Myths◦Myth of Love in the

Woods (Pocahontas and John Smith)

◦Myth of Good Companions in the Wilderness

◦Myth of White Woman with a Tomahawk (Hannah Dustan; inverts Pocahontas; kills 10 Indians and scalps them when she escapes.)

Two ExamplesTwo Examples

Mary JemisonOne spring morning in 1755 young Mary Jemison and her family were captured by a band of Shawanee Indians and Frenchmen.

Mary RowlandsonWhen Lancaster, MA, was attacked at dawn on Feb. 10, 1656, Mary Rowlandson, her six-year-old daughter and her two older children were among those captured by a party of Wampanoag warriors

Video representation of Captivity Video representation of Captivity NarrativesNarratives