Hannah Crafts, The Bondswoman's Narrative

R. J. Ellis (University of Birmingham)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.5: African American Writing and Culture of the United States.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Philathia Bolton (University of Akron), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), J. Michael Duvall (College of Charleston), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), A Yemisi Jimoh (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Tony Papanikolas (San Jose State University)

Domains

Political Science

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1860

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Autobiography (any)
Essays/ Lectures (any)
Non-fictional prose
Novel

Resources

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Recommended Reading

Nothing is known for sure about Hannah Crafts' life. Her existence can be inferred from the title page of the manuscript of a novel,

The Bondwoman's Narrative

, which carries her name. The name is probably a pseudonym, alluding to the names of William and Ellen Craft, immortalised in their slave narrative,

Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom, or, the Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery

, published in London in 1860. The Crafts' narrative became particularly famous because the young couple, also known as “the Georgia Fugitives”, were a handsome pair, both of them inter-racial. Ellen, in particular, was nearly white (the daughter of her first owner and one of his slaves, she was treated cruelly by his white daughter, her second owner). Consequently Ellen could pass for white,…

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4823 words

Citation: Ellis, R. J.. "The Bondswoman's Narrative". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 November 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16620, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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