American Puritanism: Religion, Grief, and Ethnology in Mary White Rowlandson's Captivity Narrative [Paperback]

Mitchell Robert Breitwieser (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0299126544 | ISBN-13: 978-0299126544 | Publication Date: November 15, 1990

Mary White Rowlandwon, a New England Congregationalist minister's wife, was held captive by the Algonquin Indians during King Philip's War in 1676. Several years after she was ransomed and living among the British again she wrote a narrative of the captivity chronicling her experience in grief, love, resentment, and ethnic trauma. Breitwieser argues that this narrative undercuts the Puritan values Rowlandson attempted to uphold. He reveals where and how Rowlandson breaks with Puritan conventions. He points out that in American Puritan religious practice, real experiences were seen as siogns or emblems of moral abstractions. American Puritanism and the Defense of Mourning will be essential reading for all who study early American literature and culture.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press (November 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299126544
• ISBN-13: 978-0299126544
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #714,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely insightful, December 8, 2002

By 

L. Cerda "indy-abbott" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Puritanism: Religion, Grief, and Ethnology in Mary White Rowlandson's Captivity Narrative (Paperback)

This book raises some interesting questions about the roles of religion (specifically Puritanism), mourning and grief in early American literature, specifically Rowlandson's Captivity Narrative. I recommend this book to anyone who does serious research into early American literature, history, and cultural context. This is *not* an easy or light read.