The slave's narrative

The autobiographical narratives of black ex-slaves published in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries constitute the largest body of literature produced by slaves in human history. Black slaves in the New World created a veritable "literature of escape" depicting the overwhelming horrors of human bondage. These narratives served the abolitionist movement not only as evidence of the slaves' degradation but also of their "intellectual capacity." Accordingly, this literature has elicited a wealth of analysis- and controversy- from its initial publication right up to our day. This volume charts the response to the black slave's narrative from 1750 to the present. The book consists of three sections: selected reviews of slave narratives, dating from 1750 to 1861; essays examining how such narratives serve as historical material; and essays exploring the narratives as literary artifacts.