Douglass should have written more fiction. He's good at it. The contemporary responses, newspaper excerpts, and contextual research included in this edition = a great snapshot of a volatile moment in U.S. history. I learned a TON.

That. Prose. Though.

Frederick Douglass' NovelAlthough he is best-known for his autobiographies, the great abolitionist and African American leader Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895) also wrote an important novel. I learned of it in reading about Douglass. I was pleased to have the opportunity to find the book and to discuss it here. Douglass's novel, in fact an extended short story, is available in this new, inexpensive edition as well as in anthologies of his writings."The Heroic Slave" (18530 is among the first wor...

Fascinating novella that jumps around quite a bit, wherein Douglass tells the story of Madison Washington and the events that led up to his eventual leading of a slave revolt. What is particularly intriguing to me about the novella is how Madison's story is often framed by the perspective of whites, both sympathetic (the abolitionist convert Mr. Listwell) and abhorrent (slave traders, though Grant does have some degree of shift in his view of slavery by the end). Thus, Douglass not only interrog...

Frederick Douglass's The Heroic Slave is a fine entry in a genre of literature from the 19th century that dramatizes a then real-life slave rebellion aboard The Creole, a slave ship that, post rebellion, docked in England, freeing nearly 20 slaves. I much prefer "A Dash for Liberty" by Pauline E. Hopkins, but this is not to suggest that The Heroic Slave is without merit. What Douglass offers that Hopkins, by contrast, does not, is a clear and compelling articulation of freedom. Douglass's hero,

"The hope of freedom seemed to sweeten...the bitter cup of slavery" Pt. IFrederick Douglass's 1852 venture into fiction is a short tale of a slave, Madison Washington, and his attempts to escape enslavement and flee to Canada. Along the way, Madison meets Mr. Listwell, a white abolitionist, who befriends him and aids him in his escape. For fear of giving too much away - you'll have to read it for yourself - in the end, we hear of Madison landing on the shores of Nassau, Bahamas.Although it didn'...

A slave escapes from Virginia and travels through Ohio on his way to sanctuary in Canada, and that's only the beginning.Book Review: The Heroic Slave is the only work of fiction written by the great abolitionist, Frederick Douglass. Who knew? My reading of this was inspired by reading Ta-Nehisi Coates' first novel, The Water Dancer. The Heroic Slave is more short story than novella and more advocacy than story, but an interesting rarity nonetheless. As might be expected of a first piece of ficti...

Really short book my Mom picked up for me at an African American History Museum. I had read his autobiography and it was excellent. This one was just OK. I think it was mainly the 19th century writing style with its lengthy descriptions and habit of addressing the reader directly. But that's not Douglass' fault. He wrote it in 1853 and I'd say it was perfect for the time. Actually, it was incredibly bold and progressive for the time. This passage towards the end is incredibly progressive conside...

this was extremely beautifully written. my physical copy of the book is just absolutely ruined with annotations lol. douglas really has a way with words that can take some time to unpack, but once you do it’s incredibly thought provoking.

Reading this on the heels of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, it’s fascinating to see how Douglass was inspired by that excellent work to write one of his own. The narrative pacing feels at times abrupt, delivering these miraculous chance encounters between the protagonist and The Heroic Slave without much interlude. It’s more or less a vehicle to deliver antislavery arguments than a great work in its own right, but there are moments which stand out as impressive, and it’s certainly a creative way to approach...

Douglass is an interesting writer. We read this book for class and mostly discussed the importance of the portrayal of Washington in a novella meant to evoke a change in white readers. Washington is a man of leadership and intelligence which I haven't seen of a slave character before. It's almost as if he could do no wrong.

The depiction of women in this was really something oh man, but I guess it's a product of its time. I think we're going to discuss that aspect in the accompanying seminar I had to read this for which I'm excited for. Loved the intertextual references even though I had to look most of them up, but figuring them out made it kinda exciting.

An incredible read. Although fictional, Douglass sheds light on the biggest hurdles involving freedom and liberty. It’s a simple, short read with absolutely beautiful language. While having a seemingly relaxed tone, the time passes quickly while reading this novel. This is definitely a great introduction to American Literature and, specifically, the slave narrative.

I thought Douglass, perhaps understandably, went a bit overboard on describing the heroic nature of the Heroic Slave, Madison Washington. But I enjoyed the book just the same and was glad to see the final happy outcome for the heroic slave, much better than the unhappy outcome for Nat Turner in his rebellion.

My only problem with this book is it's too short.There's so much that could be expanded upon and make for a really wonderfully thrilling and heartbreaking full novel.The story is great, I just wish there was more to it.

Douglass's only work of fiction is decidedly interesting, though the plot is simple. I love the description of Madison Washington as a Black Hercules. The ending is somewhat ambiguous and leaves the reader confused. This book asks us can you be racist & an abolitionist?

4.5 Read for school.

Enjoyed reading this and viewing it in relation to douglas’s non-fiction abolitionist works

"The Heroic Slave," by Frederick Douglass (published in Autographs for Freedom, edited Julia Griffiths [Cleveland: John P. Jewett & Company, 1853])Available online: http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/africam/... [date accessed 31 July 2021]

When I learned that Frederick Douglass had written just one piece of fiction, I was interested in tracking it down. As one would imagine, Douglass’s fiction is very much fiction for a purpose, to make clear to his audience the evils of slavery. And apparently the initial purpose of the work was for abolition fund-raising. It is a work of historical fiction. The main character of the story — Madison Washington — is a historical figure. The work, a novella in length, is composed of 4 different par...