Since the 1970s, historical fiction about slavery has become a popular and acclaimed sub-genre of African American literature. In this course, we will explore how and why black writers have returned to the topic of slavery with remarkable frequency and depth, over a century after abolition. Our organizing questions will include the following: How do contemporary novels and poems about the slave past reflect and address our racial present? What is the relationship of historical fiction to history proper, and to the scholarly study of history? How is the literature of historical trauma tied up with questions of moral responsibility, past and present?

Primary texts will include two nineteenth-century slave narratives (by Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs) and five or six “contemporary narratives of slavery” – late 20th and 21st-century works of literature that explicitly invoke the historical form of the antebellum slave autobiography. Assigned titles will probably include Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, among others. We will also draw on selected works of literary history and literary criticism. Students who buy all of the required books new can expect to spend about $75; buying used will bring costs down considerably.

Course Requirements:

Course requirements will likely include up to 200 pages of reading per week; attendance and active participation; several short, skill-building homework assignments (on the summary, close reading, etc.); a midterm exam; and a 5-7 page final essay.