The Neo-Slave Narrative 1966 – PRESENT.

The Neo-Slave Narrative The neo-slave narrative is defined as a “contemporary narrative of slavery” Many early slave narratives were based on oral accounts of slavery passed down from generation to generation in African American families Jubilee by Margaret Walker was the first novel to be categorized as a neo-slave narrative, published in 1966 Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper is a 21st Century neo-slave narrative The neo-slave narrative developed due to social, intellectual and institutional changes in African American life from the 1960s forward

Jubilee by Margaret Walker

Neo-Slave Narrative: Developments The Civil Rights Movement; changes in historical studies of slavery As a result of the Civil Rights Movement, history provided a newer, reformed and more accurate portrayal of slavery and opened up new avenues for those to explore slavery through historical and literary means

Neo-Slave Narrative: Developments The Black Power Movement; historical and fictional explorations of slavery were encouraged by intellectuals of the movement The foundation of “Black Studies” in universities, 1968 – 1969; as a result, more black literature was being published

Three Major Forms of Neo-Slave Narratives: The historical novel: Jubilee by Margaret Walker. Its features are; third person narration, and focus on historical facts and figures The pseudo-autobiographical slave narrative: The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Gayl Jones. Its features are; first person narration, auto-biographical outline of the life of a slave The novel of remembered generations: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Its features are; allusions to ancestors who were slaves. These ancestors act as guides

Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper Published in 2006 Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award Neo-slave narrative falling under the historical novel category The story of 15 year old Amari; an African girl captured in her African village, brought to America and sold as a slave to the Derby plantation in South Carolina.

Copper Sun: Interesting Aspects Lauded as an extremely accurate portrayal Focuses on the female slave, with focus on the African female slave, and the white indentured female servant Detailed description of the slave trade, the cargo ships, the slave markets and plantation and house slavery Gender-based differences in slavery Alligator bating with Tidbit the four year old slave child Isabelle Derby’s relationship with her slave Noah, her subsequent pregnancy, and its horrific consequences Amari means “strength” Fort Mose

Amari reunites with Besa: “A thin, stooped black man limped over to them… “Besa!” she cried with urgency. But then she saw – the Besa she had known no longer existed. His right eye was missing. His face, deeply scarred on that side, looked like old leather. Half of his teeth seemed to be missing as well.”

Issues in the Neo-Slave Narrative Debates regarding appropriation echo the debates of slave narrative authenticity among abolitionists in the 19th century Tensions between the spoken word and written word. Neo-slave narratives are rooted in the oral tradition of passing on history and stories from generation to generation Appropriation of voice Contentions of fiction versus reality

Legacy of the Neo-Slave Narrative Reclamation of “blackness” Salvation of the “Uncle Tom” and “Mammy” figures Reconciling with history The neo-slave narrative as a vehicle to recovery Accurate, unreserved depictions of slavery

Examples of the Neo-Slave Narrative Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper: Neo-slave narratives in teen fiction The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd: Neo-slave narrative combined with historical fiction Beloved by Toni Morrison: The neo-slave narrative Roots by Alex Haley: The saga of an American family The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill

African-America Literature: Beyond the Slave Narrative. Harlem Renaissance: Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, W.E.B DuBois Contemporary: Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, James Baldwin Poetry: Claude McKay, Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde, Nikki Giovanni Young Adult: Jacqueline Woodson, Sharon M. Draper, Angela Johnson

Conclusion The neo-slave narrative was founded in the 1960s It developed due to social, intellectual and institutional changes in African American Life It was promoted by the Civil Rights and Black Power movements There are three major forms of neo-slave narratives; the historical novel, the pseudo- autobiographical novel and the novel of remembered generations The neo-slave narrative is an artistic medium used by African Americans to spread awareness about, and to reconcile with, their history

Sources Graham, Maryemma. The Cambridge Companion to The African American Novel. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print. Draper, Sharon M. Copper Sun. New York, N.Y.: Simon Pulse, 2008. Print. Sherryl Vint. ""Only by Experience": Embodiment and the Limitations of Realism in Neo-Slave Narratives." Science Fiction Studies 34.2 (2007): 241-61. Web. Douglass, Frederick, Deborah E McDowell, and John Charles. Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.