Neo Slave Novel - Secondary Sources

I was really excited to have the opportunity to focus on "neo slave novels" within my genre group (novels). I've always been interested in the history of slavery and through my time at Santa Clara have taken many classes that have expanded my knowledge of the subject (African American Literature, Theater from a Black Perspective, History of Malcolm X, etc). Although I was able to read many accounts of slavery through these classes, I never really took the time to differentiate the different genres that they encompassed. Through my recent research I've begun to understand some of the most important differences and how they work to make the neo slave genre powerful and effective.
 

For those of you who aren't quite sure what the genre "neo slave novel" really means, I'll give you a quick summary. Neo slave novels don’t focus on the abolition of slavery but rather focus on the amelioration of the wounds that slavery has left behind. These novels seek reconciliation with the past that still haunts them. Furthermore, these novels focus on the effects of slavery upon slaves, slaveholders, and their descendants. Many critics use the term “contemporary trauma novel” to describe neo slave narratives. Additionally, many utilize aspects of science fiction as their plot includes traveling back in time to specific instances during the slave period. Although most neo slave novels focus on the American slave experience, more recent descriptions of the genre also reference human trafficking, also known as the modern day slavery.

During my research, I found it extremely easy to find examples of neo slave novels such as Kindred and Beloved. However, the difficult part was finding criticism about the genre overall. When I was able to find criticisms, they were usually on the novel itself and the specific aspects of a neo slave novel that the plot emphasized or encompassed. Because of this, I had to search key terms such as "african american literature", "slavery" or "oppression" rather than "neo slave novel". Also, if I narrowed down the time period it helped to exclude slave narratives which are primary sources and typically not included within the neo slave genre. Once I got past this obstacle I was able to find some super interesting, in depth sources that not only furthered my knowledge about specific themes within neo slave novels, but also gave a good over view of the genre itself.

One of the most interesting theories that I came across was written by Sofía Muñoz-Valdivieso. She argued that neo slave novels are even more effective in communicating the atrocities of slavery because their authors have the opportunity to "fill in" what slaves chose to omit when writing their personal narratives. Because slaves could be killed for writing in general, let alone writing about their experiences, many neo slave authors believe that they did not include all that they could have about the horrors that slavery was. They can add in the even more violent and atrocious acts to make these novels as accurate as possible and give the slaves who have written about their experiences the voices that they deserve. Muñoz-Valdivieso says that the neo slave authors have a responsibility to use these narratives to further society's understanding about just how awful slavery was and still is today. Although this is an interesting theory and one may see some of the positive sides of essentially filling in the blanks of a story, we must be sure to remember that neo slave novels are fictionalized accounts of history. Although they are supported by intense historical research and facts, not every aspect of the novel may be absolutely true. This theory was particularly interesting to me and I'm excited to continue my research as I compare the critiques from the secondary sources to the primary sources (novels) themselves.