Clotel
A Tale of the Southern States
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Clotel
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Narrated by:
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Peter Jay Fernandez
About this listen
William Wells Brown's Clotel (1853), the first novel written by an African American, was published in London while Brown was still legally regarded as property within the borders of the United States.
The novel was inspired by the story of Thomas Jefferson's purported sexual relationship with his slave Sally Hemings. Brown fictionalizes the stories of Jefferson's mistress, daughters, and granddaughters, all of whom are slaves in order to demythologize the dominant U.S. cultural narrative celebrating Jefferson's America as a nation of freedom and equality for all.
The documents in this edition include excerpts from Brown's sources for the novel, fiction, political essays, sermons, and presidential proclamations; selections that illuminate the range of contemporary attitudes concerning race, slavery, and prejudice; and pieces that advocate various methods of resistance and reform.
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"Brother, you have often declared that you would not end your days in slavery. I see no possible way in which you can escape with us; and now, brother, you are on a steamboat where there is some chance for you to escape to a land of liberty. I beseech you not to let us hinder you. If we cannot get our liberty, we do not wish to be the means of keeping you from a land of freedom."
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- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
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-
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- Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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"Brother, you have often declared that you would not end your days in slavery. I see no possible way in which you can escape with us; and now, brother, you are on a steamboat where there is some chance for you to escape to a land of liberty. I beseech you not to let us hinder you. If we cannot get our liberty, we do not wish to be the means of keeping you from a land of freedom."
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EVERYONE!!!! Should Listen/Read This Story!!!!
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- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,122
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“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line,” writes Du Bois, in one of the most prophetic works in all of American literature. First published in 1903, this collection of 15 essays dared to describe the racism that prevailed at that time in America—and to demand an end to it. Du Bois’ writing draws on his early experiences, from teaching in the hills of Tennessee, to the death of his infant son, to his historic break with the conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington.
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Editorial reviews
Clotel is the first African American novel. An escaped slave from Kentucky, Brown wrote Clotel while exiled in London. It was inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemmings. The plot here is convoluted, and subplots abound, lending a fractious and haphazard air to the characters’ shared environment. The random, detour-filled actions and events exemplify the chaos of slavery. Brown also captures the perverse intimacy of the master-slave dynamic. Seasoned narrator Peter Jay Fernandez sounds scholarly and distant. His detached tone turns the text to reportage, enabling Fernandez to share harrowing details without resorting to hysteria. His sober performance helps listeners to thoroughly absorb the real horrors of slavery recounted by Brown via this seminal work of fiction.