The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is the foundational text of africanamerican autobiography. Kidnapped in africa as a child, equiano was transported to the caribbean and then to virginia, bought by a quaker. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of. In 1789, a middleaged africanborn man in london published the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, laying the foundations for new genres of literature and new ways of understanding the experiences of enslaved people. An american literary genre, a slave narrative is an autobiographical account of life as a slave. The interesting narrative equianos narrative is a firsthand account of africa, african slavery, and the middle passage. Olaudah equiano writing styles in the interesting narrative and other writings olaudah equiano this study guide consists of approximately 30 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of. Each represents some interesting scene of real life, such as a great. A teaching guide from the antislavery literature project, with a crosscultural study guide coauthored by shi penglu. The habitations of the slaves and their families are distributed throughout the rest of the enclosure. I used frequently to have different cargoes of new negroes in my care for sale.
Written and published by equiano, a former slave, it became a prototype for the narratives that followed. Free the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. According to the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano wikipedia. Olaudah equiano was born in 1745 in a village east of the niger river in what is now nigeria. Equiano thus makes a case for the vibrant cultural life of african peoples, which europeans at the time tended to belittle. Passage the stench of the hold while we were on the coast was so intolereably loathsome, that it is dangerous to remain there for any time, and some of us had been permitted to stay on the deck for the fresh air. Equianos interesting narrative is to some extent marked by ambiguity. The book describes equianos time spent in enslavement, and documents his attempts at becoming an. His interesting narrative of the life of oaudah equiano, or gustavas vassa, the. Full text of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african.
Olaudah equianos life as a slave would have never been known to the world if he had not have survived enslavement. Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Historians look more closely equianos narrative includes a wealth of specific details, most of which check out against other sources. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. I hanover historical texts project scanned and proofread by kathleen diekhoff, may 1998. Describing an intense journey of being captured, enslaved, and freed, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavas vassa, the african is a book, which provides firsthand details of the traumatic stronghold slavery held over those directly and indirectly affected by slavery. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah pdf printer.
Equiano bibliography 2015 keywords for american cultural. Editions of the interesting narrative of the life of. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. What we know of olaudah equianos life is mainly derived from his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. Many of you have read slave narratives before, and will want to consider equianos narrative in the context of other examples of this genre. Logically, ethically, and emotionally, equiano allows the reader to relate to the appalling journey of the slaves. Benjamin franklin, the autobiography and olaudah equiano.
Sep 05, 2011 benjamin franklin, the autobiography and olaudah equiano, the interesting narrative posted on september 5, 2011 by allyn west the literary world in the eighteenth century was a unique crucible for experiments in identity and the performance of self. If then the following narrative does not appear sufficiently interesting to engage. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah pdf. The interesting narrative is africanborn olaudah equiano s firsthand autobiographical account of his sea voyages around the west indies, the mediterranean, and elsewhere. Spiritual metaphors of being in olaudah equianos interesting narrativ. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano 2. The project gutenberg ebook of the interesting narrative of the life.
An autobiography is a person s life story told from their own perspective. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is olaudah equiano s autobiography. Olaudah equiano recalls the middle passage 1789 olaudah equiano 1745. Carretta himself points out that even if the narrative is based on the oral accounts of other slaves, its descriptions still provide a valuable portrait of early african life and the middle passage. Olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself. Hml1182 author online 82 ri 1 cite textual evidence to. This welcome edition, ably edited by angelo costanzo, provides readers of today a generous introduction to equianos life and times in a highly readable and informative format. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, first. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is olaudah equianos autobiography.
Proofread and posted by raluca preotu, august 1999. The invisible chi in equianos interesting narrative. What literary genres does the interesting life combine. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa the african was published in london in 1789. Often written to ex pose the horrors of human bondage, it documents a slave s experi ences from his or her own point of view. Pdf the invisible chi in equianos interesting narrative. Olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african written by himself author. Equianos autobiography is in part a reaction against this type of prejudice. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. Pdf on oct 1, 2009, jutta schamp and others published transfiguring black and jewish. Proofread and pages added by jonathan perry, march 2001. Eboe, country, nation and gustavus vassas interesting narrative, william and.
Linebyline modern translations of every shakespeare play and poem. Start studying the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. His stylistic nature along with rhetorical devices contributes. Mar 17, 2005 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african written by himself language. The interesting narrative is known for being one of the first widely published slave narratives. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa the african paperback published august 15th 2006 by waveland pr inc paperback, 190 pages. The narrative is argued to represent a variety of styles, such as a slavery narrative, travel narrative, and spiritual narrative.
Olaudah equianos classic 1789 autobiography, the interesting narrative. Equiano published his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, in 1789 as a twovolume work. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the life of olaudah equiano, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. This edition is the first in more than twentyfive years to offer the complete text of the life together with a comprehensive. Pdf the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. The interesting narrative and other writings summary. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african is an autobiographical chronicle. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano was a key work of nineteenthcentury slave narrative autobiography.
Clarifying how does a personal account such as this one help historians analyze the past, and. His interesting narrative is a spiritual autobiography, captivity narrative, travel book, adventure tale, slavery narrative. Pdf teaching guide to the interesting narrative of the. Teacher editions with classroom activities for all 1297 titles we cover. In order to read online or download the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano ebooks in pdf, epub, tuebl and mobi format, you need to create a free account. Ramsays mature portraits combine his unique penetration. This study, however, will focus on equianos narrative as a conversion text. He was sent to barbados, then to colonial virginia, and then sold to a british naval officer. The narrative was not ghostwritten and was not endorsed by whites at the time. Equianos life story exposed the cruelty of the slave trade and made him an important public figure. The interesting narrative is africanborn olaudah equianos firsthand autobiographical account of his sea voyages around the west indies, the mediterranean, and elsewhere. Often written to ex pose the horrors of human bondage, it documents a slaves experi ences from his or her own point of view.
Equiano and slavery equianos main purpose in writing this narrative was to inspire parliament to abolish the african slave trade, which he stated at the beginning when he presented it in 1789. His narrativem the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, recounts his life in africa, his service as the slave of an officer in the british navy, and his years of labor on slave ships until he was able to purchase his freedom. In olaudah equianos interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself 1789, we take on a new genre. The interesting narrative has long been recognized as a seminal slave narrative. Equiano purchased his freedom in 1766 and became active in the british antislavery movement. He, however, is an obscure person not known to the public. In olaudah equianos the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, he depicts the horrid nature of the middle passage journey of the african slaves. Olaudah equiano the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african london, 1789. In telling the story of his life from his childhood to the present day, olaudah equiano seeks to acquaint his british readers with the richness of life in his african home by detailing the dances, rites, and other social customs of his village.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. Equiano is kidnapped into slavery at age eleven and fights for many years for his freedom, becoming a significant voice in the. Unit 3, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african is considered the first major slave autobiography in english literature. He later worked on board royal navy vessels, receiving an education and converting to christianity. Understanding gustavus vassa, or olaudah equiano, was the first successful professional author of african descent in the englishspeaking world. Written by himself 1789 is one of the most frequently and heatedly discussed texts in the canon of eighteenthcentury transatlantic literature written in english. Olaudah equianos interesting narrative latin american studies. Here equiano recounts the middle passage, the trip that slaves made from africa to the western hemisphere.
More than just a fascinating story, olaudah equianos autobiography the first slave narrative to be widely read reveals many aspects of the eighteenthcentury western world through the experiences of one individual. What we know of olaudah equiano s life is mainly derived from his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. Equiano acknowledges the difficulty of escaping the charge of vanity for writing a memoir, a genre usually dealing in remarkable events. An autobiography is a persons life story told from their own perspective. Editions of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. Sep, 20 the interesting narrative equianos narrative is a firsthand account of africa, african slavery, and the middle passage. Equianos account of the middle passage is an early example of a slave narrative. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, first published in 1789 in london, is the autobiography of olaudah equiano. He died in 1797, just ten years before britain abolished the slave trade. While i was thus employed by my master i was often a witness to cruelties of every kind, which were exercised on my unhappy fellow slaves. This article directly addresses vincent carrettas questions of equianos birthplace identity, explores the possibility that equianos book tour was both a political act in itself and a demonstration that his interesting narrative was an equally and intentionally performative manifesto, and discusses the extent to which equiano. Olaudah equiano the interesting narrative of the life of.
Dec 11, 2018 20 jun 2016 the following page uses this file. Interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. When he was about ten years old, he was kidnapped by africans known as aros and sold into slavery. Equiano s account of the middle passage is an early example of a slave narrative. The doctor shewed his people the example, by immediately joining the. He wrote and published his narrative in 1789, at the height of the movement to abolish slavery in the british colonies. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african written by himself language. Equiano the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. Benjamin franklin, the autobiography and olaudah equiano, the interesting narrative posted on september 5, 2011 by allyn west the literary world in the eighteenth century was a unique crucible for experiments in identity and the performance of self. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavas vassa, the african.