Representation and Empowerment in Slave Narratives: from Literature to TV Series

Authors

  • Isabella Santos Mundim Instituto Federal de Brasília

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17851/2317-2096.28.4.87-101

Keywords:

Colson Whitehead, Misha Green, Joe Pokaski, slave narratives, television series, resistance, empowerment

Abstract

We investigate how minority artists translate subjection and violence experiences into narratives of self-representation and empowerment. The focus are two slave narratives from 2016 – the novel The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead and the TV series Underground, by Misha Green and Joe Pokaski – that propose a critical elaboration of the past. Whitehead and Green-Pokaski bring forth what America has apparently forgotten, and present slavery by narrating black experience from their point of view. The Underground Railroad and Underground rethink national history and present alternative versions to the dominant reports. Moving beyond the official version of events, both narratives create spaces and times of resistance, committed to underscoring the specific circumstances of enslaved women.

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Author Biography

Isabella Santos Mundim, Instituto Federal de Brasília

Possui graduação em Direito pela UFMG (1998), graduação em Letras (Licenciatura em Português/Inglês) pela PUC Minas (2011), mestrado em Estudos Literários pela UFMG (2002) e doutorado em Estudos Literários pela UFMG (2007). Foi professora no Centro Universitário do Leste de Minas Gerais de 2002 a 2012. Durante o ano letivo de 2013, foi professora na Fundação Helena Antipoff. Atualmente é professora no Instituto Federal de Brasília. Tem experiência na área de Letras, com ênfase em literaturas de expressão inglesa, literatura comparada e teoria literária, atuando principalmente nos seguintes temas: questões de gênero, sexualidade e identidades marginalizadas.

References

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GATES JR., Henry Louis. Introduction. In: GATES JR., Henry Louis (Ed.). The Classic Slave Narratives. New York: Mentor, 1997. p. ix-xviii.

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MINTY. Direction: Anthony Hemingway. In: UNDERGROUND. Creation: Misha Green, Joe Pokaski. Production: W. Mark McNair. [S.l.]: Get Lifted Film Company, Safehouse Pictures, Sony Pictures Television, 2016-2017. Vídeo, streaming (54 min.), widescreen, color., legend. Série exibida pela Amazon Prime. Season 2, episde 6.

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THE WHITE whale. Direction: Tim Hunter. In: UNDERGROUND. Creation: Misha Green, Joe Pokaski. Production: W. Mark McNair. [S.l.]: Get Lifted Film Company, Safehouse Pictures, Sony Pictures Television, 2016-2017. Vídeo, streaming (45 min.), widescreen, color., legend. Série exibida pela Amazon Prime. Season 1, episode 10.

UNDERGROUND. Creation: Misha Green, Joe Pokaski. Production: W. Mark McNair. [S.l.]: Get Lifted Film Company, Safehouse Pictures, Sony Pictures Television, 2016-2017. Vídeo, streaming (860 min.), widescreen, color., legend. Série exibida pela Amazon Prime.

WHITEHEAD, Colson. The Underground Railroad: A Novel. New York: Doubleday, 2016.

WHITEHEAD, Colson. Undergound Railroad: os caminhos para a liberdade. Tradução de Caroline Chang. Rio de Janeiro: Harper Collins, 2017.

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Published

2018-12-28

How to Cite

Mundim, I. S. (2018). Representation and Empowerment in Slave Narratives: from Literature to TV Series. Aletria: Revista De Estudos De Literatura, 28(4), 87–101. https://doi.org/10.17851/2317-2096.28.4.87-101

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 4 (2018): A Cultura Negra na Literatura e nas Artes

Section

Dossiê – A Cultura Negra na Literatura e nas Artes

License

Copyright (c) 2018 Isabella Santos Mundim (Autor)

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