The Jesuit "Relations" : A Biography
The Jesuit "Relations" : A Biography
Click to enlarge
Author(s): True, Micah
ISBN No.: 9780228024637
Pages: 318
Year: 202507
Format: Trade Cloth (Hard Cover)
Price: $ 165.68
Dispatch delay: Dispatched between 7 to 15 days
Status: Available (Forthcoming)

The Jesuit Relations, a series of annual reports produced between 1632 and 1673 detailing the experiences of Society of Jesus missionaries in what is now Eastern Canada, have long been an influential source on the history of New France and encounters between European settlers and Indigenous Peoples. The question of what exactly the Relations are, and who had a hand in composing the versions that circulated, has been given far less attention. The Jesuit "Relations" challenges conventional descriptions of these annual reports as narratives crafted solely by Jesuit missionaries. Micah True demonstrates that they were in fact shaped by a diverse array of contributors, including Indigenous people, lay settlers, nuns, editors in Paris, and readers in France. The Relations were also the product of contextual factors, he explains, such as the longstanding Jesuit epistolary tradition, the annual rhythms of the shipping schedule, and the Parisian book trade, and he details the connections between the published Relations and other texts written at the time. Tracing the history of readers' encounters with the Relations, True analyzes the three major editions that have appeared since the mid-nineteenth century, showing how each of them presents the reports differently, and how these differences have influenced scholars' understanding of the texts. Shining a new light on the Jesuit Relations, True reveals a richer and more complex picture of a primary source that has played a major role in public understanding of the colonial history of North America.


To be able to view the table of contents for this publication then please subscribe by clicking the button below...
To be able to view the full description for this publication then please subscribe by clicking the button below...