Novel Bondage: Slavery, Marriage, and Freedom in Nineteenth-Century America

Awards:   Winner of <DIV>Selected as one of two winners of the Robert K. Martin Prize for Best Book, sponsored by the Canadian Association for American Studies (CAAS), 20 2012 Winner of <DIV>Selected as one of two winners of the Robert K. Martin Prize for Best Book, sponsored by the Canadian Association for American Studies (CAAS), 2012.</DIV> 2012
Author:   Tess Chakkalakal
Publisher:   University of Illinois Press
ISBN:  

9780252079047


Pages:   160
Publication Date:   01 May 2013
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Out of stock   Availability explained
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Our Price $58.99 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Novel Bondage: Slavery, Marriage, and Freedom in Nineteenth-Century America


Add your own review!

Awards

  • Winner of <DIV>Selected as one of two winners of the Robert K. Martin Prize for Best Book, sponsored by the Canadian Association for American Studies (CAAS), 20 2012
  • Winner of <DIV>Selected as one of two winners of the Robert K. Martin Prize for Best Book, sponsored by the Canadian Association for American Studies (CAAS), 2012.</DIV> 2012

Overview

Novel Bondage unravels the interconnections between marriage, slavery, and freedom through renewed readings of canonical nineteenth-century novels and short stories by black and white authors. Situating close readings of fiction alongside archival material concerning the actual marriages of authors such as Lydia Maria Child, Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Wells Brown, and Frank J. Webb, Chakkalakal examines how these early novels established literary conventions for describing the domestic lives of American slaves in describing their aspirations for personal and civic freedom. Exploring this theme in post-Civil War works by Frances E.W. Harper and Charles Chesnutt, she further reveals how the slave-marriage plot served as a fictional model for reforming marriage laws. Chakkalakal invites readers to rethink the ""marital work"" of nineteenth-century fiction and the historical role it played in shaping our understanding of the literary and political meaning of marriage, then and now.

Full Product Details

Author:   Tess Chakkalakal
Publisher:   University of Illinois Press
Imprint:   University of Illinois Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.254kg
ISBN:  

9780252079047


ISBN 10:   0252079043
Pages:   160
Publication Date:   01 May 2013
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock   Availability explained
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Table of Contents

"Introduction: The Slave-Marriage Plot; Between Fiction and Experience: William Wells Brown's Clotel; Dred and the Freedom of Marriage: Harriet Beecher Stowe's Fiction of Law; Free, Black, and Married: Frank J. Webb's The Garies and their Friends; ""A Legally Unmarried Race"": Frances Harper's Marital Mission; Wedded to Race: Charles Chesnutt's Stories of the Color Line; Conclusion: Reading Hannah Crafts in the 21st Century Selected; Bibliography"

Reviews

Chakkalakal's book provides a new perspective on the central figures within the black family and the ways in which that aspect of family helps create meaning within the community and identify in the individual... it is an informative and thoughtful text --The Western Journal of Black Studies Tess Chakkalakal advances important scholarship on African American marriage during and immediately following the slave era. Her readings of canonical authors are provocative and controversial, but grounded well enough to enliven conversations about these writers and their times. --Frances Smith Foster, author of 'Til Death or Distance Do Us Part: Love and Marriage in African America A must read. Highly recommended. --Choice Fresh, surprising, cleanly written, and wonderfully effective. --Legacy Exploring the paradox represented by slave marriage in nineteenth-century American fiction, Novel Bondage deftly revises our reading of canonical works, offering a clearer understanding of these texts as direct participants in critiquing marriage as a legal institution. --Kenneth W. Warren, author of What Was African American Literature?


Exploring the paradox represented by slave marriage in nineteenth-century American fiction, Novel Bondage deftly revises our reading of canonical works, offering a clearer understanding of these texts as direct participants in critiquing marriage as a legal institution. --Kenneth W. Warren, author of What Was African American Literature?<br>


Author Information

Tess Chakkalakal is an assistant professor of Africana studies and English at Bowdoin College.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

RGJUNE2025

 

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List