Is Clotel a true story?

Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States is an 1853 novel by United States author and playwright William Wells Brown about Clotel and her sister, fictional slave daughters of Thomas Jefferson. The women’s relatively comfortable lives end after Jefferson’s death. …

What is the theme of Clotel?

In Clotel, the author focuses on the experiences of a slave woman: Brown treats the themes of gender, race, and slavery in distinctive ways, highlighting the mutability of identity as well as the absurdities and cruelties of slavery.

How is Clotel described?

Sold as a Slave All three women are mulatto, or mixed-race, and described as ‘near white’. They were still considered slaves under the law of the time. Clotel is the luckiest one at the auction. She is bought by Horatio Green, a wealthy Richmond man, who marries her.

Why was Clotel written?

First published in December 1853, Clotel was written amid then unconfirmed rumors that Thomas Jefferson had fathered children with one of his slaves.

How long is Clotel?

The average reader will spend 5 hours and 3 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute). First published in December 1853, Clotel was written amid then unconfirmed rumors that Thomas Jefferson had fathered children with one of his slaves.

Who wrote Clotel?

William Wells Brown
Clotel Or The President’s Daughter/Authors

Clotel; or the President’s Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States by William Wells Brown was published in 1853 in London. It is considered the first African American novel.

How did William Wells Brown escape?

In 1834, Brown made a second escape attempt, successfully slipping away from a steamboat when it docked in Cincinnati, Ohio, a free state. In freedom, he took the names of Wells Brown, a Quaker friend who helped him after his escape by providing food, clothes and some money.

Where does Clotel take place?

Brown’s text includes a number of tragic mulatta (or mixed-race female) figures, although Currer, Althesa, and Clotel are the most prominent. The novel follows their three intersecting plot lines, which transpire in Natchez, Mississippi; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Richmond, Virginia.

Did William Wells Brown escape slavery?

After twenty years in slavery, Brown escaped to freedom in January 1834. He spent the next two years working on a Lake Erie steamboat and running fugitive slaves into Canada.

Why is William Wells Brown important?

William Wells Brown, (born 1814?, near Lexington, Ky., U.S.—died Nov. 6, 1884, Chelsea, Mass.), American writer who is considered to be the first African-American to publish a novel. He was also the first to have a play and a travel book published. Brown was born to a black slave mother and a white slaveholding father.

How did Wilson Brown escape slavery?

In March of 1863 at the age of twenty-one, Brown escaped his life of bondage and enlisted in the Navy on the Mississippi River. He was trained and assigned to the duty of shell-boy aboard the flagship, USS Hartford, under the command of Admiral D. G. Farragut.

How did William Wells Brown contribute to society?

William Wells Brown was an African American antislavery lecturer, groundbreaking novelist, playwright and historian. Known for his continuous political activism especially in his involvement with the anti-slavery movement, Brown is widely acclaimed for the effectiveness of many of his writings.

Who is the author of the book Clotel?

Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter, published in 1853 by former slave William Wells Brown, is considered the first African-American novel. Drawing on what were, in the 19th century, rumors that Thomas Jefferson had children with his slave Sally Hemings, the novel follows the slave Clotel and her family as they are sold to different masters.

What happens to the slaves in the book Clotel?

In Clotel, Brown depicts the suffering of the slaves as they endure family separation, sexual exploitation, and dehumanization. He also condemns Christian slave owners who, rather than embracing their fellow man, manipulate Christianity to oppress them for personal gain.

How did Clotel get out of her master’s house?

Clotel, along with another slave named William, escapes the home of their master Mr. Cooper by disguising herself as a white man and boarding a steamship to Ohio, pretending William is her slave. When they reach Ohio, Clotel returns to Virginia to look for Mary.

Why is Clotel considered a novel of passing?

Drawing heavily upon the conventions of sentimental fiction, Clotel also is considered one of the earliest novels of passing—that is, a novel in which a character with African American heritage passes as white in order to escape slavery and/or enjoy greater opportunities.