Overview

Algonquian and Iroquois natives of the American Northeast were described in great detail by colonial explorers who ventured into the region in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Beginning with the writings of John Smith and Samuel de Champlain, Gordon Sayre analyzes French and English accounts of Native Americans to reveal the rhetorical codes by which their cultures were represented and the influence that these images of Indians had on colonial and modern American society. By emphasizing the work of Pierre Franaois-Xavier Charlevoix, Joseph-Franaois Lafitau, and Baron de Lahontan, among others, Sayre highlights the important contribution that French explorers and ethnographers made to colonial literature. Sayre's interdisciplinary approach draws on anthropology, cultural studies, and literary methodologies. He cautions against dismissing these colonial texts as purveyors of ethnocentric stereotypes, asserting that they offer insights into Native American cultures. Furthermore, early accounts of American Indians reveal Europeans' serious examination of their own customs and values: Sayre demonstrates how encounters with natives' wampum belts, tattoos, and pelt garments, for example, forced colonists to question the nature of money, writing, and clothing; and how the Indians' techniques of warfare and practice of adopting prisoners led to new concepts of cultural identity and inspired key themes in the European enlightenment and American individualism. |""""Gilmore sets out . . . to reinterpret turn-of-the-century southern politics from the perspective of middle-class black women activists. She succeeds brilliantly. The book not only reclaims the long-buried stories of a group of richly compelling characters; it also redefines what should count as 'politics' in southern history."""" American Historical Review

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A thought-provoking analysis of some previously little-considered aspects of early European-Amerindian relations. Olive Patricia Dickason, William and Mary Quarterly

A thought-provoking analysis of some previously little-considered aspects of early European-Amerindian relations. <p>Olive Patricia Dickason, William and Mary Quarterly

A thought-provoking analysis of some previously little-considered aspects of early European-Amerindian relations. Olive Patricia Dickason, William and Mary Quarterly [A] significant contribution to American literary history, one that asks us to rethink some of our most basic assumptions. Christianity and Literature Importantly enriches our understanding of colonial texts and the manner in which such documents record cultural information. American Literature Makes a profound contribution to our understanding of New World natural history. Reviews in American History YA significant contribution to American literary history, one that asks us to rethink some of our most basic assumptions. Christianity and Literature A thought-provoking analysis of some previously little-considered aspects of early European-Amerindian relations. Olive Patricia Dickason, William and Mary Quarterly [A] significant contribution to American literary history, one that asks us to rethink some of our most basic assumptions. Christianity and Literature An important addition to any library. Religious Studies Review

A thought-provoking analysis of some previously little-considered aspects of early European-Amerindian relations. Olive Patricia Dickason, William and Mary Quarterly Importantly enriches our understanding of colonial texts and the manner in which such documents record cultural information. American Literature [A] significant contribution to American literary history, one that asks us to rethink some of our most basic assumptions. Christianity and Literature Makes a profound contribution to our understanding of New World natural history. Reviews in American History YA significant contribution to American literary history, one that asks us to rethink some of our most basic assumptions. Christianity and Literature [A] significant contribution to American literary history, one that asks us to rethink some of our most basic assumptions. Christianity and Literature A thought-provoking analysis of some previously little-considered aspects of early European-Amerindian relations. Olive Patricia Dickason, William and Mary Quarterly An important addition to any library. Religious Studies Review

Author Information

GORDON M. SAYRE is associate professor and director of graduate studies in English at the University of Oregon. He is author of Les Sauvages Americains: Representations of Native Americans in French and English Colonial Literature and editor of American Captivity Narratives.

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