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Title: Slave Narratives (Library of America) by William L. Andrews, Henry Louis, Jr. Gates ISBN: 1-883011-76-0 Publisher: Library of America Pub. Date: February, 2000 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.75 (4 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Voices of American Slaves
Comment: This book is a collection of ten narratives that document the nature of American slavery from colonial times to the eve of the Civil War. There are some familar narratives, particularly that of Frederick Douglass (who has a volume of his own in the Library of America series) as well as many writings that were new to me.
There are two writers from the colonial period,a short account by James Gronniosaw and a loner narrative by Olaudiah Equiano. The latter book has a first-hand description of the notorious "middle passage" -- the transatlantic journey by which Africans were transported to a life of bondage in the New World. This book also features accounts of life at sea during the mid-18th century that reminded me of Patrick O'Brian's novels of sea life during the Napoleonic era.
There are two narratives in the book by women. Sojourner Truth's narrative, as told to a woman named Olive Gilbert, appeared in 1850. It tells the story of slavery in New York State (where it was not abolished until 1827) and introduced me to a strong-willed woman who combined abolitionism with strong religous passion and a commitment to woman's rights. Harriet Jacobs's account, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" appeared in 1861. Written in a Victorian style, it still tells the story of the trials of a young woman who resisted her master's advances and hid for seven years in a narrow attic before escaping to freedom.
"The Confessions of Nat Turner" became the basis of a controversial novel by William Styron. It is an account recorded by a local attorney, Thomas Gray, of Turner's description, while in jail waiting execution, of the slave rebellion he led in Virginia in 1831. This is a spare account but to me much more impressive than what I remember of Styron's novel.
There is a lengthy account by a slave named Henry Bibb written in 1849. This book describes several escapes, and a slave prison of almost unbelievable cruelty in Louisvill, Kentucky. I found this perhaps the most riveting narrative in the collection.
Jacob Green's narrative appeared in 1864. This is a short tough-minded book by a person who was not afraid to fight back.
The narrative by William and Ellen Craft (1860) describes how a husband and wife disguised themselves to make a 1000 mile journey from Georgia to freedom. (Most escapes occured from the border states, which were themselves extraordinarily difficult.)
William Wells Brown, like Douglass, went on to a literary career after his escape from slavery. He was the author of the first published African-Novel. His narrative (1847) is short but documents convincingly his escappe from slavery in Missouri.
This collection will help the reader understand the nature of slavery in the United States from its beginning to its end. The volume is part of the Library of America's admirable attempt to produce uniform series of the best in American literature, thouught and history. The narratives of American slaves included in this book amply deserve their place in a series that documents the American experience, both for good and for ill.
Rating: 5
Summary: A fine cross-section of African-American slavery experiences
Comment: Ten original slave narratives provide important testimony to the slavery experience and the longing for freedom and provide insights into how a diverse group of writers challenged literary traditions by expressing their pain and anger. From 18th century slaves abducted in Africa to later activists, this provides a fine cross-section of experiences.
Rating: 4
Summary: Excellent selection, but limited
Comment: This volume includes ten narratives, but no general introduction, and no introductions to the narratives themselves. A better value for your money is I WAS BORN A SLAVE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF CLASSIC SLAVE NARRATIVES, two volumes of twenty narratives (including nine of the narratives in this volume), for just about the same price. The introductory material in that anthology is far more extensive, and fills in the historical and literary background that will help the reader fully contextualize these masterworks. In addition, it includes significant and astonishing narratives such as those of Josiah Henson (the best-selling slave narrative of all, and one of the main sources for UNCLE TOM'S CABIN), Solomon Northup (a free-born black man who was kidnapped and held as a slave for twelve years), William Parker (who led an 1851 rebellion that some scholars consider the first blow of the Civil War), and Moses Roper and John Brown (the most graphic and horrifying of the slave narratives).
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