''Dessa Rose'' is a novel by
Sherley Anne Williams published in 1986 by HarperCollins. The book is a
neo-slave narrative, incorporating many elements of traditional
slave narratives
The slave narrative is a type of literary genre involving the (written) autobiographical accounts of enslaved Africans, particularly in the Americas. Over six thousand such narratives are estimated to exist; about 150 narratives were published as s ...
. The book is divided into three sections: "The Darky", "The Wench" and "The Negress".
[Mildred R. Mickle, ""Dessa Rose", in William L. Andrews, Frances Smith Foster & Trudier Harris (eds), '' Oxford Companion to African American Literature'', New York/Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, pp. 210-211.] The sections represent a different stage of growth in the life of the protagonist, Dessa Rose.
Plot summary
The book begins with Dessa Rose, a pregnant slave fugitive in a prison cell in
Marengo County
Marengo County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,323. The largest city is Demopolis, and the county seat is Linden. It is named in honor of the Battle of ...
,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
. Captured along with many of her fellow runaways, Dessa's execution was postponed until the birth of her child. Shortly before she gives birth, three men appear at night and rescue her. The four travel to a small plantation in Sutton managed by Ruth Elizabeth. Her husband had departed on a business trip several years ago and never returned. The slaves took off and Mrs. Rufel (as everyone calls her) began harboring runaway slaves to replace them.
The fugitives devise a plan to free themselves. Mrs. Rufel must sell the slaves during the day, then pick them back up at night, cheating the buyers out of their money. When the small band has accumulated enough money, the slaves will flee west.
Historical context
The book is based on two historical incidents. In 1829 a pregnant slave woman led a revolt against slave traders, and in 1830 a white woman had a habit of taking in runaway slaves. The book combines the two stories, with the two women meeting and participating in a plan to free the runaways.
The novel was written as a response to
William Styron
William Clark Styron Jr. (June 11, 1925 – November 1, 2006) was an American novelist and essayist who won major literary awards for his work.
Styron was best known for his novels, including:
* '' Lie Down in Darkness'' (1951), his acclaimed fi ...
's ''
The Confessions of Nat Turner''. The white man assuming the voice of an African-American man enraged the black community. In ''Dessa Rose'', Sherley Anne Williams, a black woman takes the voice of a white woman.
Film adaptation
Irwin Winkler
Irwin Winkler (born May 28, 1931) is an American film producer and director. He is the producer or director of over 58 motion pictures, dating back to 1967's '' Double Trouble'', starring Elvis Presley. The fourth film he produced, '' They Shoot ...
was going to direct a film adaptation in 1988 starring Natasha Richardson, Angela Bassett, Donald Sutherland, Laurence Fishburne, and Cicely Tyson however the film was shut down by United Artists days before shooting with the studio writing off the $5 million cost.
Further reading
* Mary Kemp Davis, "Everybody Knows Her Name: The Recovery of the Past in Sherley Anne Williams's ''Dessa Rose''", ''Callaloo'' 40.1 (1989), pp. 544–558.
* Anne E, Goldman, "'I Made the Ink': (Literary) Production and reproduction in ''Dessa Rose'' and ''Beloved''", ''Feminist Studies'' 16.2 (Summer 1990), pp. 313–330.
* Marta E. Sanchez, "The Estrangement Effect in Sherley Anne Williams' ''Dessa Rose''", ''Genders'' 15 (Winter 1992), pp. 21–36.
References
External links
harpercollins.com
{{Slave narrative, state=expanded
1986 books
Novels about American slavery