Answer: The essays in this collection examine the connections between the forces of empire and women's lives in the early Americas, particularly how their records contributed to empire formation. Focusing on the female body as a site of contestation, the essays describe acts of bravery, subversion, and survival expressed in various genres, including the saga, letter, diary, captivity narrative, travel narrative, verse, sentimental novel, and autobiography. The volume also speaks to a range of female experiences, across the Americas and across time, from the Viking quest to the early nineteenth-century United States, contesting scholars to reflect on the importance of early American literature even to the current daylight.
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