Considered the first American "bestseller," this early captivity narrative follows Mary Rowlandson's three month holding by the American Algonquian Indians. The first by an Anglo-American woman, Mrs. Rowlandson's "Narrative" remains a classic. Captivating to readers since its initial publication in 1682, this account presents a unique perspective on transcultural interaction between early American settlers and their Native American counterparts. Following King Phillip's War, Mary and her three children were seized by Algonquian Indians in her town of Lancaster, Massachusetts. What ensued is a harrowing journey of tremendous hardship up to her release per ransom. Rowlandson integrates Puritan ideologies and Biblical verses; attributing much of her survival upon her Lord. The book's popularity inspired a generation of settlement novelists to incorporate the authenticity of Rowlandson's "Narrative" into their works. Influence can be seen in the novels of Charles Brockden Brown and James Fenimore Cooper. This text is of great value to both the scholar and the general reader for its social and historical insight into the adolescent years of America.
