The Female American; Or, The Adventures of Unca Eliza WinkfieldWhen it first appeared in 1767, The Female American was called a "sort of second Robinson Crusoe; full of wonders." Indeed, The Female American is an adventure novel about an English protagonist shipwrecked on a deserted isle, where survival requires both individual ingenuity and careful negotiations with visiting local Indians. But what most distinguishes Winkfield's novel is her protagonist, a woman who is of mixed race. Though the era's popular novels typically featured women in the confining contexts of the home and the bourgeois marriage market, Winkfield's novel portrays an autonomous and mobile heroine living alone in the wilds of the New World, independently interacting with both Native Americans and visiting Europeans. Moreover, The Female American is one of the earliest novelistic efforts to articulate an American identity, and more specifically to investigate what that identity might promise for women. Along with discussion of authorship issues, the Broadview edition contains excerpts from English and American source texts. This is the only edition available. |
Contents
Acknowledgements | 7 |
A Note on the Text | 29 |
English Sources | 157 |
Copyright | |
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The Female American; or, The Adventures of Unca Eliza Winkfield Unca Eliza Winkfield Limited preview - 2000 |
The Female American; or, The Adventures of Unca Eliza Winkfield Unca Eliza Winkfield Limited preview - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
adventure Algonquian Answer appeared Appendix arrived brought cabin captain Shore cell CHAP chest christian colony continued cousin crew cried Crusoe's dear Unca death Defoe Defoe's desire devil Discourse discovered edition Edward Maria Wingfield England English extraordinary father favour fear Female American gave goats gold hand happy hath hear heard hermit heroine high-priest Historie of Virginia hurt idol Indians instruct island John Rolfe kind king knew land leave live manner Mary Jemison Mary Rowlandson merchant captain mind morning narrative native Native American never night novel occasion Oroonoko pleased Pocahontas Powhatan priests princess Reflections religion Robinson Crusoe Robinsonades sailors ship slaves soon speak statue stood story strange Sunne suppose surprize teach things Thomas Hariot thought tion told took Unca Eliza Winkfield uncle Virginia voice walked whilst women words