The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: with Related Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) [Paperback]

Mary Rowlandson (Author), Neal Salisbury (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312111517 | ISBN-13: 978-0312111519 | Publication Date: February 15, 1997 | Edition: First Edition

Mary Rowlandson's The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, first published in 1682, is an English Puritan woman's account of her captivity among Native Americans during Metacom's War (1675-76) in southeastern New England. In this volume, 17 related documents support Rowlandson's text, which is reprinted from the earliest surviving edition of the narrative.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This edition of The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, with documents provided and the editor’s very fine introduction, will at long last give scholars and teachers a version of the text equal to its historical and literary importance."

— Barry O’Connell, Amherst College

About the Author

Neal Salisbury (Ph. D., University of California, Los Angeles) is a professor of history at Smith College and specializes in the history of American Indians and colonial New England. He is author of Manitou and Providence: Indians, Europeans, and the Making of New England, 1500-1643 (1982) and The Indians of New England: A Critical Bibliography (1982) and is coauthor of The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People (1990). His most recent article, "The Indians' Old World: Native Americans and the Coming of Europeans," appeared in the July 1996 issue of the William and Mary Quarterly.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; First Edition edition (February 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312111517
• ISBN-13: 978-0312111519
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > History > Americas > United States > Colonial Period

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating historic document, September 29, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: with Related Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

"The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, Together with the Faithfulness of His Promises Displayed," by Mary Rowlandson, is a compelling piece of colonial American literature. First published in 1682, this autobiographical text represents a genre of literature known as the "captivity narrative": a first-person account of a white settler who was held as a hostage or prisoner by Native Americans. In Rowlandson's case, she was taken captive during Metacom's War (also known as King Philip's War), which took place in 1675-1676.

The edition of Rowlandson's book edited by Neal Salisbury is excellent. This edition contains Rowlandson's text, together with a wealth of other materials: a thorough introduction, many maps, a chronology, a bibliography, and other historic documents from Rowlandson's era. The many illustrations include photographs of the title pages of earlier editions.

Rowlandson's captivity narrative is a significant milestone in American literature; the introduction to the Salisbury edition notes that the text "has been almost continually in print since 1770." Since the text itself is relatively short, it has appeared in anthologies (see, for example, "The Harper Single Volume American Literature," third edition). But the many "extras" in the Salisbury edition definitely make it a book worth buying, even if you have an anthology already containing the Rowlandson text.

Rowlandson's memoir itself is not great literature stylistically. But it is a fascinating text with some really striking passages. Rowlandson's extreme evangelical Puritanism will likely alienate or bewilder some modern readers, but her religious attitude should be read in historic and cultural context. Similarly, her extremely racist descriptions of Indians ("merciless Heathen," "ravenous Beasts," etc.) should to be read in context (but should not be trivialized, especially in multiethnic classrooms where this text might be taught).

This book is a significant document of contact between cultures in times of extreme crisis. It is an especially intriguing text for those careful readers who really try to read "between the lines." Recommended as companion texts: William Apess' "A Son of the Forest and Other Writings" (Apess was a pioneer Native American writer) and James Fenimore Cooper's novel "The Last of the Mohicans."

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great history and great literature, too, February 11, 2002

By 

Yalensian - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: with Related Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

Interestingly enough, I read this for a course on early American literature. But as a history major, I can say that it would have served equally well in a course on, say, Colonial New England or Social Life in Colonial America. It provides fascinating insights into Puritan life--especially into its religious beliefs and practices and the huge role they played in the life of a Puritan. Moreover, it chronicles the contact of two societies at odds: Puritans and Native Americans. Rowlandson's descriptions of her captors are exceedingly interesting and give depth to any consideration of life in early America. Salisbury's notes and introduction are also quite helpful. Read as a piece of literature, moreover, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God proves to be a fruitful topic for study, as well as a great complement to its function as an historical document. Considering my English course included some rather unsavory texts, this one was much appreciated and quite refreshing, too.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I put this book in the context of the time, June 12, 2009

By 

lanoitan (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: with Related Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

I decided to read this book after having read "Mayflower". It was apparently the first American bestseller and was popular in Britain also at the time. I was curious about how she was treated by the Indians. It certainly showed these Indians as ordinary people - which I should have expected. It did say something about these aborigines that they didn't rape her as so many other peoples would have done - spoils of war and all that. On the overall I found that the Indians treated her civilly. Of course the Indians had trouble finding food just as she did have obtaining food and they were trying to brave the attacks of her people all the time. The King Philip War was a tragedy. The Indians had been treated badly by the English (so what's new?)and in my estimation from what I read King Philip was not a jingoist like Moseley. Indeed I felt he was by nature a peaceful person like his father. I was shocked that the Mohawks sided against him. Well, war is hell and friends often turn into enemies for who knows what reason. At any rate, in conclusion, I felt that this is an important document and her religiosity was normal for the time, a time when John Hoar (a good guy) was thrown in jail for not attending church! I don't think you can appreciate this book using today's morals and behavior as the criterion.