In the decade following the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, abolitionist essays, pamphlets and novels were a major trend in American literature, with Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin leading the way in terms of popular success. A lesser known work, but one that has emerged as an essential text in the nineteenth century canon, is Frederick Douglass’s 1853 novella, The Heroic Slave. One of the earliest examples of African-American fiction (William Wells Brown’s novel Clotel was published the same year), The Heroic Slave recounts an 1841 mutiny aboard the slave ship Creole while painting a compelling portrait of the rebellion’s leader, Madison Washington. …
3085 words
Citation: Chura, Patrick. "The Heroic Slave". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 April 2020 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39083, accessed 18 April 2024.]
