The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Gustavas Vassa
- First Published: 1789
- Type of Work: Autobiography/slave narrative
- Time of Work: c. 1750–1789
- Setting: West Africa, Virginia, and the Atlantic Ocean
- Principal Characters: Olaudah Equiano, Richard Baker, Daniel Queen, Thomas Farmer
- Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography
- Subjects: Virginia, Freedom, Africa or Africans, Slavery or slaves, Religion, Friendship, Middle Passage, England or English people, Eighteenth century, Christianity, Ships, Reading, Sailing or sailors
- Locales: Virginia, Africa, Oceans
Form and Content
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African is considered the first major slave autobiography in American literature. It served as the prototype for the numerous fugitive slave narratives used in the fight against slavery by the abolitionist groups during the period prior to the Civil War.
In the mid-1750’s in West Africa, the eleven-year-old Olaudah Equiano and his sister are kidnapped and sold into bondage. After serving for a short time as a slave in Africa and being separated from his sister, he...
[The entire page is 1904 words long]
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