1.2 Thesis Structure

Over the past few hundred years, many scholars have regarded Solomon’s Twelve Years a Slave s as their research subject. This paper will analyze slavery，slave owners and African American slaves from the perspective of post colonialism.

This study can be pided into four parts. Firstly, the history of American slave documentary literature will be used to analyze the novel’s origin and background, and this paper will briefly introduce what post colonialism is. Secondly, this thesis will study three different postcolonial theories; finally, this thesis will present specific applications of post-colonial theory through postcolonial reading of slave owner, female black slaves and protagonist in this novel to better understand Twelve Years a Slave. In the conclusion part, this thesis will sum up the characteristics of slaves female black slaves and protagonist in Twelve Years a Slave, which is helpful for our further study and understanding of post colonialism.

1.3 Literature Review

1.3.1 American slave documentary literature

The slavery has a far-reaching influence on America’s politics, culture and society. Owning to the long-term racial discrimination, Afro American literature has not been given due attention.

Therefore, American slave documentary literature has long been buried in the history. White literary historians have a contemptuous attitude to it, while black academic does not have the conditions to explore. Until the end of 1960s a group of young black scholars make a new review of slave documentary literature, among whom William Andrews calls documentary literature bathed in 1760s as “the first black renaissance”.

Afro American poetry is originated from slave songs, while prose is originated from slave’s nonfiction. Slave’s nonfiction includes biographies, confessional, autobiographical fiction, biography, memoir and autobiography, but with an autobiography as its main content. In 1760 the first black slave autobiographies published, then thousands of different kinds of slave’s nonfiction have been published by year of 1865, in which United States made legislation on the abolition of slavery.

Though slave documentary literature used realism method, it was infected with times spirit more or less, shining with romantic of sparkling glory. A scholar Theo Parker thought: “Americans romantic spirit are reflected in the slave documentary literature rather than in the white”, he stressed that slave documentary literature is a treasure of American literature. The development of slave documentary literature in America is pided into three periods: 1760 to 1865 (the end of the civil war); 1865 to 1930 (economic depression began); “new” slave documentary literature after 1960s.

Twelve Years a Slave is written in the first period. The prevalent style of autobiography writing in that period is to describe how slaves fled, how terrible slavery was and how overseer or master devastated slavers, however, Solomon's autobiography portrayed his rich life experience, recorded political, economic, social and religious conditions before the civil war, especially closed psychological depiction of protagonist. Therefore, it holds a prominent position in the history of American black literature.

Twelve Years a Slave conveyed a neutral moods and perspective, which was unique among many black autobiographies. Tone of the book was much more moderate than most of people expected. If twelve of one’s best years were spent in misery life, it’s understood by everybody that she/he would blame fate. However, Solomon was very clear about the suffering of all, and did not exaggerate it. His stories were full of romantic adventures and painful emotions, and he gave us a clear insight into the functioning of slavery.