Title: Genius in bondage
Description: Until fairly recently, critical studies and anthologies of African American literature generally began with the 1830s and 1840s. Yet there was an active and lively transatlantic black literary tradition as early as the 1760s.

Genius in Bondage situates this literature in its own historical terms, rather than treating it as a sort of prologue to later African American writings. The contributors address the shifting meanings of race and gender during this period, explore how black identity was cultivated within a capitalist economy, discuss the impact of Christian religion and the Enlightenment on definitions of freedom and liberty, and identify ways in which black literature both engaged with and rebelled against Anglo-American culture.
Subjects: Historiography, Blacks in literature, History and criticism, English literature, Intellectual life, Slaves' writings, English, Africans, Criticism and interpretation, African literature (English), Black authors, Slavery in literature, Literatur, Sklaverei, Interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano (Equiano, Olaudah), Schwarze, Aufsatzsammlung, Wheatley, phillis, 1753-1784, African literature, history and criticism, English literature, history and criticism, 18th century, Slaves' writings, history and criticism, Black people in literature
Places: English-speaking countries, Foreign countries
People: Olaudah Equiano (b. 1745), Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780), Briton Hammon
Time periods: 18th century