1. The Neo-Slave Narrative
1966 – PRESENT.

2. 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

3. Jubilee by Margaret Walker

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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.”

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

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