作為一種文學體裁,奴隸敘事指的是前黑奴在逃離奴隸制之后關于自己生平的自傳式敘述。奴隸敘事具有很強的政治色彩,它揭露了奴隸制的罪惡以及奴隸對于自由的向往與追求,曾在反對奴隸制的斗爭中扮演了重要角色。即使在奴隸制被廢除之后,奴隸敘事也在保存奴隸制記憶、維護黑人尊嚴、記錄黑人種族進步方面繼續發揮著作用。這一體裁在20世紀后半葉發展成為回顧奴隸制的虛構作品,展現了人們對于奴隸制的持續的歷史反思。奴隸敘事作為非裔美國文學的濫觴,更是對后者的發展具有不可忽視的重要影響。

As a literary genre, the slave narrative refers to a written account of a fugitive or former slave about his/her life under and after slavery. Politically oriented, the slave narrative revealed the evil of slavery, expressed slaves’ strong desire for freedom, and played an important role in the abolitionist movement. The slave narrative after the abolition of the slavery served the purposes of preserving the memory of the slavery, safeguarding the dignity of the black people, and recording the progress of the black race. The slave narrative developed into retrospective fictional works during the latter half of the twentieth century, showing the contemporaries’ sustained historical reflection on the slavery. As the source of the African American literature, the slave narrative has exerted significant influence on its development.