In colonial America, tales about the capture of English settlers by Native American war parties and the captives' subsequent suffering and privations were wildly popular among readers. In these captivity narratives, writers such as Mary Rowlandson, Jonathan Dickinson, and John Williams told autobiographical stories that combined images of brutal violence with examples of spiritual fortitude.

In their accounts, as well as in similar and equally popular tales of witchcraft, exploration, and shipwreck, lie the roots of a uniquely American literature, providing distinct patterns for later writers, from James Fenimore Cooper to Herman Melville. In Providence Tales and the Birth of American Literature, James D. Hartman uncovers the genesis of the captivity narrative in the English providence tale and its transformation in the seventeenth century.

Exploring the cultural context in which both English providence tales and their American counterparts emerged - focusing in particular on the influence of religious, scientific, and literary developments during this critical period - Hartman offers a provocative reassessment of the origins of American literature.