W cieniu Pocahontas. Miłość między białymi i Indianami na przełomie XVIII i XIX wieku
In the Shadow of Pocahontas: Love Between White People and Indians at the Turn of the 18th Century

Author(s): Elżbieta Wilczyńska
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: Pocahontas; John Smith; colonization; interracial marriages; Indians
Summary/Abstract: Presented in Hollywood films of the nineties in the 20th century, the story of the historical figure of Pocahontas has long captivated the imagination of modern people. Following the account of this heroine’s life, one could have the impression that love knows no boundaries, that religion, skin colour or origin are of no importance and the enamoured lovers will always end up on the wedding carpet. The truth, as is usually the case, turns out to be much more nuanced and far from the ideal conceived in Hollywood. The present article aims to outline the Pocahontas legend and the heroine’s relationships with John Smith and John Rolfe as well as the impact this story had on the relationship between white people and Indians in nineteenth‑century American novels by such writers as James Fenimore Cooper, Lydia Maria Child, and Catherine Maria Sedgwick. An analysis of these novels proves that their authors copied a certain pattern established in narratives about Pocahontas. It thus reinforces, in the conceptual sphere, the conviction that concluding long‑term mixed marriages was impossible, although the reality was not so unequivocal.

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