Frederick Douglass -- Discussion Questions -- Part Two

1.) Do you notice any subtle or obvious changes from the “first half” of Douglass’s Narrative to the “second half” -- e.g., changes in tone, style, approach, intent, etc.

2.) How does Douglass’s autobiography compare to the other autobiographies we’ve read -- e.g. John Smith, Mary Rowlandson, Samuel Sewall, Cotton Mather, Sarah Kemble Knight, William Byrd, Benjamin Franklin, Samson Occom, Olaudah Equiano, Henry David Thoreau -- in intent/purpose, effect, style, etc.?

3.) Would you consider Douglass’s narrative to be “equal” in “literary quality and style” to other, more “canonical” prose writers -- e.g., Benjamin Franklin, Washington Irving, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, or Henry David Thoreau?

4.) How does Douglass obtain his “literary authority”?

5.) Since we are now somewhat familiar with elements of “romanticism” in American literature, what are the “romantic” elements in Douglass’s Narrative?

6.) How might we account for the popularity of slave narratives in general and the popularity of Douglass’s Narrative in particular?