The Bondwoman's Narrative
by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., editor
At a glance:
- Author: Henry Louis Gates, Jr., editor
- First Published: 2002
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Bildungsroman
- Time of Work: Mid-nineteenth century
- Setting: North Carolina
- Characters: Hannah Crafts, The Mistress, Mr. Trappe, Mrs. Wheeler, Aunt Hetty
- Genres: Long fiction, Slave narrative, Novel
- Subjects: African Americans, Virginia, Freedom, United States or Americans, Blacks, Escapes, Nineteenth century, Slavery or slaves, Literature, New Jersey, Women, Domestic work or workers, Captivity, Literacy
- Locales: United States, North America
The Novel
The Bondwoman’s Narrative, a nineteenth century novel by Hannah Crafts, is believed to be at least partly autobiographical, and its narrator shares the name of the author. It is impossible, however, to determine how much of the text is a factual account of the Crafts’s life and how much is fiction based on the author’s general experience. In the novel, Hannah—a young slave girl on a North Carolina plantation—demonstrates an unusual desire to learn to read. A kind old couple that lives nearby breaks the law by teaching her. They also convert her to...
(The entire page is 1480 words.)
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