The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Ernest J. Gaines
- First Published: 1971
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Historical realism
- Time of Work: 1864–1963
- Setting: Rural Louisiana
- Principal Characters: Miss Jane Pittman, Big Laura, Ned Douglass, Albert Cluveau, Joe Pittman, Robert Samson, “Tee Bob” Samson, Jimmy Aaron, The Editor
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Historical fiction
- Subjects: African Americans, Segregation or integration, Values, Racism, Love or romance, Race, South or Southerners, Twentieth century, Nineteenth century, Slavery or slaves, Courage, Protests or demonstrations, Social issues
- Locales: South (U.S.), New Orleans, LA
The Novel
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is the life story of Jane Pittman as purportedly told to an unnamed schoolteacher, who edits the interviews into a continuous narrative of life among slaves and other Louisiana blacks from 1864 to 1963, from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. The “editor” is a fictional personage whose interests in Jane become a motive for learning about life among poor black people in the South, about their individual trials, hopes, and aspirations as they battle for dignity and self-esteem long...
[The entire page is 2830 words long]
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