Captured in the Middle

Tradition and Experience in Contemporary Native American Writing

By: Sidner Larson

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Paperback | 1 April 2001

At a Glance

Paperback
192 Pages

Age
22+

Grade
17+

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 1.12

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Sidner Larson’s Captured in the Middle embodies the very nature of Indian storytelling, which is circular, drawing upon the personal experiences of the narrator at every turn. Larson teaches about contemporary American Indian literature by describing his own experiences as a child on the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana and as a professor at the University of Oregon.

Larson argues that contemporary Native American literary criticism is stalled. On one hand are the scholars who portray Indians stereotypically, assuming that the experiences of all tribal groups have largely been the same. On the other hand are those scholars who focus on the “authenticity” of the writer. In contrast, Larson considers the scholarship of Vine Deloria, Jr., who has a genuine understanding of the balance required in dealing with these issues. Two writers who have successfully redescribed many of the contemporary romantic stereotypes are James Welch and Louise Erdrich, both northern Plains Indians whose works are markedly different, their writing highlighting the disparate ways tribal groups have responded to colonization.

Larson describes Indians today as postapocalyptic peoples who have already lived through the worst imaginable suffering. By confronting the issues of fear, suppression, and lost identity through literature, Indians may finally move forward to imagine and create for themselves a better future, serving as models for the similarly fractured cultures found throughout the world today.

Industry Reviews

In the cross-disciplinary tradition of the American Indian intellectuals analyzed in this book, Larson ranges through literature, philosophy, autobiography, law and American Indian literary tradition. . . . Larson offers pieces of his unique autobiography, combined with rigorous, imaginative scholarship.

--Choice

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Society & Culture Social Groups Ethnic Studies Indigenous Peoples Literature, Poetry & Plays History & Criticism of Literature Literary Theory General Literary Studies Literary Studies from 1900 to Current Black & Asian Studies Ethnic Minorities & Multicultural Studies

Introduction	p. 3
House Made of Cards: The Construction of American Indians	p. 21
American Indians, Authenticity, and the Future	p. 39
Vine Deloria Jr.: Reconstructing the Logic of Belief	p. 58
Constituting and Preserving Self through Writing	p. 70
Louise Erdrich: Protecting and Celebrating Culture	p. 78
James Welch's Indian Lawyer	p. 104
Pragmatism and American Indian Thought	p. 129
Conclusion	p. 144
Notes	p. 157
Bibliography	p. 167
Index	p. 175
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Captured in the Middle

Tradition and Experience in Contemporary Native American Writing

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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