Black Thunder (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Arna Bontemps
- First Published: 1936
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Historical realism
- Time of Work: 1800
- Setting: Virginia, in and around Richmond
- Principal Characters: Gabriel Prosser, Pharaoh, Mingo, Old Ben Woodfolk, Ditcher, M. Creuzot, Alexander Biddenhurst, Juba, General John
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction
- Subjects: African Americans, Racism, South or Southerners, Nineteenth century, Slavery or slaves, Revolutions, Capital punishment
- Locales: Richmond, VA
The Novel
Black Thunder, Arna Bontemps’ second novel, tells the fictionalized story of a historical slave revolt that occurred near Richmond, Virginia. The revolt is led by a twenty-four-year-old slave named Gabriel, who is sometimes assigned the surname of his owner and referred to as Gabriel Prosser. Inspired by Toussaint L’Ouverture’s slave revolt in Haiti, Gabriel develops a simple plan that falls apart as the result of bad weather and betrayal.
The novel begins by telling of the murder of a slave known as Old Bundy, whom Thomas Prosser, in possession of...
[The entire page is 2746 words long]
Navigate
- Black Thunder (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
- Black Thunder (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
- Black Thunder (Magill’s Choice: American Ethnic Writers)
- Black Thunder (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
- Black Thunder (Cyclopedia of Literary Places)
See Also:
Arna Bontemps (Cyclopedia of World Authors)Arna Bontemps (Short Fiction)Arna Bontemps (Long Fiction)Arna Bontemps (Identities and Issues)
- Add Black Thunder to your favorites