![]() ![]() Although neo-slave narratives have received scholarly attention for their use of slave history as a tool for engaging with current sociopolitical concerns, critics have not yet examined the importance of romantic love in this project as a healing strategy for the pathology of enslavement. Abstract-Slavery's legacy haunts present-day America, and its enduring trauma is reflected in the writing of "neo-slave narratives," or contemporary novels about slavery. ![]() The manipulation of language serves different ends in the neo-slave narrative than it does in its precursor, but by exploring the breakdown of mind/body dualism, challenging the hierarchy of oral and print cultures, and interrogating the slave’s act of refusal across both works, we make visible the ways that neo-slave narratives build upon antebellum slave narratives and ultimately position us to find generative uses for our traumatic past. This essay argues that neo-slave narratives, as part of the continuum of slave narratives, attempt to resolve or deconstruct the dualistic myths of Western epistemology and through interaction with speculative tropes, offer a vehicle for the creation of new meaning and healing for the postmodern African American subject. Accordingly, the agency of contemporary neo-slave writers serves as a foil to the problematized authority granted to our literary foremothers, and in many ways redeems the emancipatory potential of the written word. ![]() Ultimately, an analysis of Jacobs’s work through the lens of book history and its power to shape cultural formation will suggest a critical imperative for the contemporary neo-slave narrative genre. This article will examine the tension between oral culture and print culture in Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Octavia Butler’s Kindred. While literacy may have signified the humanity of male slaves in the antebellum South (at least in their own view), the English language and American print culture did not similarly empower female slaves towards positive subject-formation through discourse. ![]() Keywords: slave narrative, postmodern slave narrative, racial stereotypes, cultural appropriation, slavery, historical revisionism, master text. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915), Victor Fleming's Gone with the Wind (1939), Haile Gerima's Sankofa (1993), Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (2012), and Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013) – and classifies Gerima's and McQueen's films as representatives of a new trend of transferring slave narratives to the big screen. Finally, it reviews the cinematic representation of slavery and racial stereotypes through several representative slavery films – D.W. Highlighting the correlation between the novels' postmodern narrative strategies and their attempt to engage in historical revisionism and convey the authentic reality of the slave experience, it argues that both Williams and Butler successfully de/re-construct and re-write/right the dominant narrative of African American history by depicting a black woman's first-hand experience of the past and inscribing the physical wounds of slavery into the present. Using William Styron’s The Confessions of Nat Turner (1967) as the paradigmatic text, which initiated a critical debate over its authenticity, as well as subsequent intertextual deconstructions of its historical bigotry, the paper juxtaposes Styron's text to two postmodern neo-slave narratives – Sherley Anne Williams' Dessa Rose (1986) and Octavia E. It pays special attention to the emergence of this genre as a continuation of nineteenth-century slave narratives and a response to pro-slavery writing, which appropriated African American history to encourage prejudice, stereotyping, and cultural misrepresentation. Allow this remarkable novel to leave an indelible mark on your heart and mind as you witness the enduring strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity.This paper traces the evolution of the postmodern slave narrative. Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of history and immerse yourself in the experiences of Dana as she navigates the challenges of the past, offering profound insights into the human spirit.Įxperience the power of “Kindred” and join Dana in her quest for survival, justice, and the preservation of her identity and heritage. Butler’s poignant storytelling and exploration of human connection and resilience make “Kindred” a timeless and essential read.ĭownload the PDF version of “Kindred” and embark on a journey of self-discovery, empathy, and understanding. Through its compelling narrative, the novel bridges the gap between the past and the present, urging us to confront the complexities of history and its lasting impact on society. Butler is a literary masterpiece that continues to resonate with readers across generations. ![]()
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