Although of historic interest simply by virtue of the fact that William Wells Brown appears to have been the first African American to write a novel, Clotel is much more than a literary curiosity: it is an eminently readable and emotionally powerful, portrait of the dehumanizing horrors of slave life in the Ante-bellum South. Brown, himself an escaped slave, tells the story of the slave Currer and her daughters, Clotel and Althesa, and of their attempts to escape from slavery. The unacknowledged father of the girls, ...
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Although of historic interest simply by virtue of the fact that William Wells Brown appears to have been the first African American to write a novel, Clotel is much more than a literary curiosity: it is an eminently readable and emotionally powerful, portrait of the dehumanizing horrors of slave life in the Ante-bellum South. Brown, himself an escaped slave, tells the story of the slave Currer and her daughters, Clotel and Althesa, and of their attempts to escape from slavery. The unacknowledged father of the girls, President Thomas Jefferson, is the reason for the title and a theme that runs through the book. There is an immediacy to the stories here--of slave auctions, of families being torn apart, of card games where humans are wagered and lost, of sickly slaves being purchased for the express purpose of resale for medical experimentation upon their imminent deaths, of suicides and of many more indignities and brutalities--which no textbook can adequately convey. Though the characters tend too much to the archetypal, Brown does put a human face on this most repellent of American tragedies. He also makes extensive use of actual sermons, lectures, political pamphlets, newspaper advertisements, and the like, to give the book something of a docudrama effect.
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Add this copy of Clotel Or the President's Daughter to cart. $3.48, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by University Books.
Add this copy of Clotel Or the President's Daughter to cart. $3.48, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by University Books.
Add this copy of Clotel Or the President's Daughter to cart. $3.48, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by University Books.
Add this copy of Clotel Or the President's Daughter to cart. $3.48, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by University Books.
Add this copy of Clotel: Or, the President's Daughter: a Narrative of to cart. $4.15, very good condition, Sold by isbnbooks rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by University Books.
Add this copy of Clotel: Or, the President's Daughter: a Narrative of to cart. $4.86, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by University Books.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Add this copy of Clotel, Or the President's Daughter: the First American to cart. $6.49, very good condition, Sold by Magers and Quinn Booksellers rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Minneapolis, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by University Books.
Add this copy of Clotel [Clotelle] Or, the President's Daughter: a to cart. $8.50, very good condition, Sold by Gils Book Loft rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Binghamton, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1969 by University Books/ Carol.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good+ Book 9700 shelf. ISBN: 0-8216-0180-6. Trade paperback, pictorial black & brown covers. A few small inked marks through pg 34, else clean. First pub. 1853. Intro by W.E. Farrison. With b/w illus, James Victore cover. 254 pgs.
Add this copy of Clotel: Or, the President's Daughter-a Narrative of to cart. $12.00, very good condition, Sold by JB Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Garrison, ND, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by University Books: Carol Publishing Group.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine. Book A classic novel of slave life in the American South, authored by an escaped slave-and making various claims about President Thomas Jefferson and his own slaveowning habits-including allegedly fathering numerous children by slave women. Softcover, illustrations, notes, 254pp. A nice copy. Size: 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall.