Hobomok, A Tale of Early Times as a Lieu de Memoire: Revising the Image of the Puritans and the History of Early New England

This article scrutinizes the representation of the lives of the 17th century puritans in Lydia Maria Child’s historical novel Hobomok, A Tale of Early Times (1824). Based on the persona adopted by the author, the writer’s project presented in the epigraph that opens the narrative, narrative voice, and the events focalized in the story, the author argues that Child’s re-visitation of the early history of the puritans constitutes a lieu de memoire which corrects stereotypical images traditionally attached to them and celebrates their contribution to the construction of the American nation. To demonstrate this, a definition of the concept of lieu de memoire is first provided; then, illustrations of how Lydia Maria Child shapes her narrative in such a way as to turn it into a site of revision and tribute.