Introduction: Observing More Things and More Curiously

Léry described the practice like a true ethnographer: he was not pleased by what he saw, but he recognized that the practice served the ritualistic function of intimidating one's enemies rather than providing nourishment for the feaster; in fact, it was only elderly women, who tended to the coo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Huntington Library quarterly 2007-03, Vol.70 (1), p.1-10
Main Author: Mancall, Peter C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age of Discovery
Essays
Ethnography
Gender Issues
Indian literature
Literary criticism
Narrative modes
Narratives
Older people
Politics
Romance Languages
Sixteenth century literature
Social Class
Travel
Travel literature
Travelers
Wills
Writing
Written narratives
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Summary:Léry described the practice like a true ethnographer: he was not pleased by what he saw, but he recognized that the practice served the ritualistic function of intimidating one's enemies rather than providing nourishment for the feaster; in fact, it was only elderly women, who tended to the cooking-"the way our cooks over here do when they prepare a sucking pig for roasting," as he put it-who seemed to derive any great enjoyment from the act.1 Stade, on the other hand, wrote an entirely sensationalistic account, but with good reason: he lived day to day with the fear that he would soon become a meal. Thanks to HLQ, the vital contributions made in these pages to our collective understanding of the early modern world can reach readers without any of the political pressures facing those whose words about long-ago journeys have survived into the twenty-first century.
ISSN:0018-7895
1544-399X
DOI:10.1525/hlq.2007.70.1.1