Oxherding Tale (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Charles Johnson
- First Published: 1982
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Bildungsroman
- Time of Work: 1838–1862
- Setting: South Carolina
- Principal Characters: Andrew Hawkins, George Hawkins, Mattie Hawkins, Ezekiel Sykes-Withers, Minty, Flo Hatfield, Reb the Coffinmaker, Horace Bannon, Peggy Undercliff, Dr. Gerald Undercliff
- Genres: Long fiction, Bildungsroman
- Subjects: African Americans, Racism, Blacks, Biracial people, South or Southerners, Nineteenth century, Slavery or slaves, Interracial relationships, Intermarriage
- Locales: South Carolina
The Novel
Oxherding Tale depicts the startling and varied adventures of Andrew Hawkins as he attempts to negotiate the perilous passage from slavery to freedom, crossing racial barriers and throwing his identity into crisis along the way. Born into slavery on a cotton plantation, Andrew at the same time becomes an exceptionally sophisticated thinker after being tutored by an intellectual from an early age. His status at Cripplegate, a plantation owned by Jonathan Polkinghorne, is deeply ambiguous; conceived by an enslaved butler, given birth by Polkinghorne’s wife,...
[The entire page is 2939 words long]
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