Description
Book SynopsisThe historical and literary importance that slave narratives—the autobiographical accounts written by formerly enslaved people in the United States and throughout the Atlantic world in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries—wielded in their own time and continue to wield in ours is difficult to overstate. Popular and widely read on both sides of the Atlantic, slave narratives played an indispensable role in the campaigns against slavery in Britain and the United States and in the development of a black literary tradition, and they continue to be widely read and to shape popular understandings and memories of slavery today.
"Only By Experience": An Anthology of Slave Narratives collects, in whole or in part, sixteen of the most significant and influential slave narratives. Based on material from the acclaimed
Broadview Anthology of British Literature and
Broadview Anthology of American Literature, the anthology includes works from the British empire as well as the United States and puts classic examples of the slave narrative genre in conversation with works that raise questions about how the genre is defined. The anthology also features thorough headnotes and annotations for each work, as well as detailed contextual materials for many of the works included.
Trade ReviewCOMMENTS ON The Broadview Anthology of American Literature
“The expansion, diversification, and revitalization of the texts and terms of American literary history in recent years is made marvelously accessible in the … new Broadview Anthology of American Literature.” — Hester Blum, Penn State University
“The Broadview Anthology of American Literature is, quite simply, a breakthrough. … Meticulously researched and expertly assembled, this anthology should be the new gold standard for scholars and teachers alike.” — Michael D’Alessandro, Duke University
“So much thought has been put into every aspect of the Broadview Anthology of American Literature, from the selection of texts to their organization to their presentation on the page; it will be a gift to classrooms for years to come.” — Lara Langer Cohen, Swarthmore College
“The multiplicity of early American locations, languages, and genres is here on wondrous display.” — Jordan Alexander Stein, Fordham University
“Above all, this is a volume for the 21st century. … Its capaciousness and ample resource materials make for a text that is always evolving and meeting its readers in new ways.” — Russ Castronovo, University of Wisconsin-Madison
“a rich collection that reflects the diversity of American literatures…. [and] that never forgets its most important audience: students. There is a wealth of material here that will help them imagine and reimagine what American literature could be.” — Michael C. Cohen, UCLA
Table of Contents- Preface
James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, from A Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Gronniosaw, an African Prince, as related by Himself
Briton Hammon, A Narrative of the Uncommon Sufferings and Surprising Deliverance of Briton Hammon, A Negro
Boyrereau Brinch, from The Blind African Slave, or Memoirs of Boyrereau Brinch, Nick-named Jeffrey Brace
Venture Smith, A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, A Native of Africa
Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano- In Context:
- Equiano's Narrative as a Philadelphia Abolitionist Pamphlet
- Reactions to Olaudah Equiano's Work
Mary Prince, The History of Mary Prince, A West African Slave, Related by Herself - In Context:
- Mary Prince's Petition Presented to Parliament
- from Thomas Pringle, Supplement to the History of Mary Prince
- from The Narrative of Ashton Warner
David George, An Account of the Life of Mr. David George, from Sierra Leone in AfricaSolomon Northrup, from 12 Years a Slave- In Context
- Roaring River [sheet music]
- Solomon Northrup in the Popular Press
Sojourner Truth, from The Narrative of Sojourner Truth, A Northern Slave- In Context
- Speech at the Akron, Ohio Women's Rights Convention
- Sojourner Truth's Cartes de Viste
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written By Herself
