Captivity Narratives - Einzelansicht

Captivity narratives are regarded as one of the earliest American genres (within the settler colonial narrative tradition), proliferating between the 17th and 19th centuries. The texts we will read in this class are a vital part of American literature and were influential in subsequent literary creation and national culture. The narratives were filtered through different religious denominations, functioning as catalytic texts that reinforced institutionalized beliefs. In representing disparate cultural systems, captivity narratives were an important vehicle for community formation. In the seminar, we will trace the development and changes of these narratives from early Puritan texts to contemporary adaptations. We will examine the redefinition of this genre, which, in its broadest sense, has come to include slave narratives as well as alien abduction stories.

preliminary reading list (not complete): 

A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mary Rowlandson (1682) Hannah Dustan: A Notable Exploit wherein, Dux Faemina Facti, from Magnalia Christi Americana by Cotton Mather (1702) A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison by James Seaver (1824) Frederick Douglass Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Angela Carter “Our Lady of the Massacre” (1986) John Smith “Smith as Captive at the Court of Powhatan in 1608” Sandra Perkins Gilman „The Yellow Wallpaper“ Kate Chopin „Story of an Hour“

3 Credit Point: thesis paper and project proposal

6 Credit Point: Modularbeit