Mary Rowlandson

An item at American Writers Museum

Mary Rowlandson was born in England and emigrated to America as a young girl. When she was in her mid-30s, she and her children were captured by Native American raiders. She remained in captivity for 11 weeks, until she was ransomed and freed. Her surviving two children were returned later.

Rowlandson wrote about her experiences, expressing mixed feelings for her captors. She both criticized them and described acts of kindness. In so doing, Rowlandson launched a new genre, the "Indian captivity narrative." Subsequent narratives stoked national myths and fed anti-Native American sentiment among immigrant settlers and their descendants.

AMERICAN VOICES

An exhibit at American Writers Museum

American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.

This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.

American Writers Museum