Captivity Narrative: Poems

by Mary Ann Samyn

Mary Ann Samyn bases the structure of her first full-length collection on early American captivity narratives, accounts written by women such as Mary Rowlandson and Mary Jemison, who were removed from their families and held as prisoners in the wilderness before being returned to "civilization." Samyn explores the themes of captivity, removal and return, and enchantment. She invites us into a world of wonder, giving voice to characters from carnivals and fairy the Disappearing Girl, the Mesmerist, and Gretel. A series of Alice in Wonderland variations captures perfectly the mix of the mundane and the marvelous we would expect to hear from Alice.

Genres: Poetry

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999