The Chaneysville Incident (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: David Bradley
- First Published: 1981
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: The late 1970’s, 1930–1965, and precolonial days to the twentieth century
- Setting: Philadelphia, the mountains of central Pennsylvania, and some areas southward, near Virginia and Maryland
- Principal Characters: John Washington, Moses Washington, Judith Powell, Peter John “Old Jack” Crawley, Yvette Franklin Stanton Washington, Bill Washington, C. K. Washington
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Historical fiction, Neorealist fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, African Americans, Teaching or teachers, 1960’s, 1970’s, Family or family life, Self-discovery, Suicide, Nineteenth century, Slavery or slaves, 1940’s, 1930’s, Alcohol, Blackmail, Eighteenth century, Historians, Seventeenth century
- Locales: Pennsylvania
The Novel
In The Chaneysville Incident, David Bradley employs a dual narrative that simultaneously follows John Washington for ten days in March, 1979, when he returns to the hill country of his origin to care for and then bury “Old Jack” Crawley, and also follows the course of John’s thoughts as he reconsiders the facts of his family’s history while he tries to solve the mystery of the “Chaneysville Incident,” which contains the key to his father’s existence. As the narrative begins, John appears to be in an admirable position as a respected young...
[The entire page is 2921 words long]
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