Captivity, Past and Present

Book excerpt: Captivity, Past and Present is a compilation of historical, literary, and sociological analyses of tales of human bondage from the early modern era to more recent times. Beginning with a study of 16th-century Spanish captivity sagas that emanated from America, the essays go on to examine the 17th-century Puritan narrative of Mary Rowlandson, the slave narrative of Olaudah Equiano, and concludes with a study of incarcerated African-American mothers in the United States. Also included is an original captivity narrative that relates the 19th-century ordeal of Manuel Ramirez Martinez, who was captured by Comanche Indians in Texas. The studies originated in a conference hosted by the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Association in 2010. Contributors are Franklin Hillson, Jacquelynn Kleist, Jacob Massine, Dahia Messara, Julia Metzger-Traber, Alfonso Uribe and Joel Uribe.