The Generall Historie of Virginia ... also known as The General History of John Smith the Arrogant

Upon reading “The Generall Historie of Virginia” by John Smith, I was struck by two major things: first, the entire passage reads more like a cheap novel than a “general history,” and second, John Smith apparently seems to have some serious ego issues. Somehow, I do not think these were the responses John Smith intended.

The title gives a certain sense that this will be a boring account of the tediously dry details of when Virginia was founded, who founded it, and why it was founded. But instead, the passage is full of in-depth descriptions of the “devils” that captured John Smith, and how he amazingly was set free, narrowly escaping death.

Smith describes his captors is such a way as to make them sound less than human:
“… presently came skipping in a great grim fellow, all painted over with coale, mingled with oyle; and many Snakes and Wesels skins stuffed with mosse, and all their tayles tyed together, so as they met on the crowne of his head in a tassel; and round about the tassel was as a Coronet of feathers, the skins hanging round about his head, backe, and shoulders, and in a manner covered his face; with a hellish voyce and a rattle in his hand. With most strange gestures and passions he began his invocation …” (18).

The passage continues on to describe them as “devils,” “ugly,” and “barbarous.” These are by no means historical terms, but rather, dramatic descriptions of characters to be feared and despised in a novel.

Not only does Smith belittle his captors in such descriptions, making them seem as wild animals, but he also elevates himself to a level of such superiority, that he cannot even write the story in first person. No; instead, Smith writes of himself in the third person. It seems as though Smith found himself to be so heroic, that he had to write a tale to tell of all of his remarkable feats.

Overall, this passage left me seriously questioning the “heroic” notion of John Smith that I had gained from my history lessons supplied by the Disney version of Pocohontus and the more recent “The New World.” No where in this account did I find a loveable character. No where did I find a man in need of sympathy. No where did I find a man who I desired to turn a listening ear to, in order to gain an understanding of the history of Virginia. Rather, I found an arrogant man; a man in need of a good ego check. And who wants a history lesson from someone like that?