{"id":787,"date":"2023-10-22T17:52:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T17:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/?p=787"},"modified":"2023-10-22T17:59:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T17:59:06","slug":"a-paratextual-analysis-of-the-narrative-of-sojourner-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/?p=787","title":{"rendered":"A Paratextual Analysis of the Narrative of Sojourner Truth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The analysis in this essay centers on the Penguin Books Inc. 1998 publication of the Narrative of Sojourner Truth, <\/em>a version based on the 1884 edition. While Truth\u2019s narrative was originally published in 1850, the 1884 version houses content from all previous editions\u2014a compilation of material from those published in Boston, New York, and Battle Creek between the years 1850 and 1881. It is the version most imbued with context and insight into the life and death of Sojourner Truth, and therefore a treasure for paratextual analysis. The citation of the exact copy is provided below for reference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truth, Sojourner, et al. Narrative of Sojourner Truth: a Bondswoman of Olden Time, with a History of Her Labors and Correspondence Drawn from Her Book of Life; Also, A<\/em> Memorial Chapter<\/em>. Transcribed by Olive Gilbert (1884), Edited by Nell Irvin Painter, Penguin Books, 1998.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~~~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Narrative of Sojourner Truth<\/em> is a story of perseverance, of advocation for justice, and of groundbreaking movement for civil rights in the United States, it is also (and arguably more emphatically) a story of the growth, maturation, and influence of Truth\u2019s Christian faith.[1]<\/sup><\/a> The body of the text overtly presents her mission in life as an advocate first and foremost for the cause of Christianity, suggesting that the aforementioned forms of advocation were byproducts of that central mission. It is interesting, however, that while the body of the text centers primarily on Truth\u2019s religious devotion and her influence within that realm, the paratext of the book (1998 ed.) appears to complicate it in various ways, ostensibly communicating a sense of urgency within other revolutionary spaces, as well as a sense of caution regarding the overt Christian emphasis her narrative portrays<\/strong>. By examining several facets of the paratext\u2014the covers, the introductory material across three editions (1998, 1884, 1850) and the diverse voices found within each editorial paratext\u2014it becomes evident how Truth\u2014the woman primarily devoted to faith and the expansion of Christianity\u2014became not merely an influential preacher, but an American hero, representing \u201cstrong African-American women\u2026and the female strength of all women\u201d (Truth vii).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Paratext, as originally coined by the French scholar G\u00e9rard Genette, is is a \u201cfundamentally heteronomous, auxiliary, discourse devoted to the service of something else which constitutes its right of existence, namely the text\u201d (Genette 269). It is, in other words, entirely dependent on the central body of text for its meaning, existing solely to provide for it support and collateral information. In a similar manner, Marie Maclean refers to it as a \u201cframe\u2026relat[ing] a text to its context,\u201d a liminal tool employed to assist readers as they transition their minds from their physical reality into the world of a given text (Maclean 273). Thus, in assessing the paratext of Narrative of Sojourner Truth, <\/em>it is important to recognize the manner in which this collateral text frames the central, original narrative<\/strong>. The \u201cperitext\u201das Genette defines it, is all the paratextual information preceding the central body of text; the \u201cepitext\u201d is all that follows it, creating the broad, external frame (Genette 264-266). In this essay, I will trace the paratextual frame of Narrative of Sojourner Truth<\/em>, beginning with the covers to provide external context. I will then assess several editorial comments and insertions of the peritext and epitext, centering my focus on the numerous voices found therein and the messages they seek to convey; comparing all the internal, editorial information to that of the ostensible purpose of the author as evident in the central text. As Beth McCoy interprets from Genette\u2019s work, a functioning paratext is one that \u201censure[s] for the text a destiny consistent with the author\u2019s purpose\u201d (McCoy 157).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The part of the book first seen and interpreted by readers is the cover.<\/strong> It is the first source of peritextual information that initially leads readers to transition and commit to the text. As readers generally assess both the front and back covers before reading any internal text, I consider them equal parts of the peritext.[2]<\/sup><\/a> The front cover of this edition is simple, with the top two-thirds of the page occupied by only an image of a bronze statue of Sojourner Truth.[3]<\/sup><\/a> Directly below the photo is the Penguin Classics emblem and title, and directly below that is the title of the book in white, italicized font over a black background (see Appendix A). Of the external peritext, this image provides the most insight into the content of the text. The photo captures only the bust of the statue, taken from a low angle, and thus appears to be looking up at the upward-looking Truth. Her gaze is fixed heavenward, and her bonnet encircles her head like the halos in medieval depictions of saints. It is this angle, this representation of Truth\u2019s eyes set on things above the realm of Earth that provides the only indication (subtle as it may be) that Truth\u2019s life and narrative were devoted primarily to furthering the Christian faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The synopsis on the back cover focuses on her involvement in other revolutionary spaces, not once mentioning her influence in the Christian world (see Appendix B)<\/strong>. It refers to her as a \u201csymbol of the strength of African American women,\u201d \u201cchampion of the rights of all women,\u201d \u201cformer slave,\u201d and \u201cpowerful orator,\u201d painting a picture for the readers of an iconic African American woman who spent her life and earned her fame by fighting centrally for the rights of African Americans and women of all races (Truth). It is no surprise, then, as Painter communicates in her introduction to the text, that \u201cReaders looking for an account of Truth\u2019s initiation into feminism and abolitionism\u2026find, instead, Truth the itinerant preacher\u201d (Truth xvi). It appears this is a common misconception, and ostensibly not accidental as the editors of this edition selected to refrain from overtly depicting her Christian life in the external peritext of the book. Interestingly, the back-cover synopsis begins with a bolded block quote from Frances Titus\u2019 Preface of the 1883 edition. It reads, \u201cSojourner has stood before this nation many years, advocating the cause of human rights, and yet she presses on\u2026\u201d (Truth 4). In its original context, this excerpt is surrounded by biblical scriptures, referring to Truth\u2019s work as \u201cservice of her Divine Master,\u201d and equates it to laboring in a vineyard of lost souls, as the biblical parable implies (4).[4]<\/sup><\/a> Yet based on the context of the synopsis, it appears to convey only her devotion to abolitionism and feminism. Thus, it is evident that Truth\u2019s primary message is obscured by the paratext.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            This, however, seems to be an intentional move by modern editors due to the controversy of Christianity as the religion that justified and defended the state of slavery (as well as the marginalization of women) in the United States<\/strong>. In Myths America Lives By, <\/em>Richard Hughes explains that as racial discrimination was practiced to such a great extent in Christian churches throughout American history, many African-Americans viewed it \u201cat best, as complicit in the oppression of blacks and, at worst, as responsible for that oppression\u201d (Hughes 96). Likewise, Fredrick Douglass observes, \u201cthe church of this country is not only indifferent to the wrongs of the slave, it actually takes sides with the oppressors\u201d (Douglass). Thus, it is not surprising that modern editors would tread lightly on a subject as complex and controversial as this, regardless of how vital it is to the accuracy of Truth\u2019s life and mission. This sensitivity does not erase the Christian aspects from Truth\u2019s story, but softens them by balancing the attention her narrative gives to Christian revolutionary work with paratextual attention to other spheres of revolution (abolitionism and feminism) in which she also maintained a remarkable influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            By turning to the internal contents of the book, the paratextual frame becomes more complex.<\/strong> As Painter explains in the 1998 introduction, \u201cthe Narrative <\/em>is not only heavily mediated, it is twice mediated at three different moments in time\u201d (Truth xii). This mediation consists of the voices and messages from Olive Gilbert, the original transcriber of Truth\u2019s story, whose edition was published in 1850; and Frances Titus, Truth\u2019s friend and assistant, whose editions were published in 1875 and 1884. On top of these editions and voices lies the outer layer of paratext, that of Nell Ervin Painter, the editor of the 1998 edition. Thus, looking at the frame broadly, the peritext consists first of the voice and messages of Painter (the Introduction), then of Titus (the Preface). The central body of text is infused with the voice of Gilbert, as Painter explains she \u201cinserts her own views\u201d (Truth xii). Finally, the epitext consists of the compilation work of Titus (\u201cBook of Life\u201d and \u201cMemorial Chapter\u201d), and ends with Painter\u2019s Explanatory Notes. For simple visualization, the paratextual frame exists in this manner: [Painter \/ Titus \/ TEXT (Gilbert) \/ Titus \/ Painter]. With each of these insertions, the authors contribute their own voice into the conversation surrounding Truth\u2019s Narrative<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            In the introduction, Painter provides contextual information detailing not only Truth\u2019s history but a more general history of the period in which she lived. It is from this peritext that the readers learn of the aforementioned inconsistency between her popular renown and the content of her narrative<\/strong>. She notes that Olive Gilbert, the original author, was an abolitionist, and during the interviews would \u201cprod Truth for stories of cruel owners\u201d so as to turn the narrative toward abolitionism (Truth xiv). Yet while Truth complied to an extent, \u201cThere are some things,\u201d as Gilbert explains, \u201cshe has no desire to publish, for various reasons\u201d (Truth 55). One of these reasons was that many of her abusers had \u201crendered up their account to a higher tribunal,\u201d or rather had passed and now stood before God\u2019s judgement seat (56). Her refusal to center her narrative on the cruelties of slavery reveals a desire to center it elsewhere, as Painter previously suggests, on her vocation as an itinerant Christian preacher. Yet, centering her focus in this religious manner could also be a result of, what Frances Smith Foster calls the \u201cdifficult situation\u201d slave narraters faced in the nineteenth-century\u2014a sense of obligation to not tread too harshly on the subject of slavery so as to \u201cappease without neutralizing their position,\u201d which often manifested in a compromise that \u201cfor every two or three bad experiences related, one good experience must be recounted\u201d (Foster 14). Of course, Americans on both sides of the abolition argument could relate in one way or another to the more neutral ground of religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Regardless of Truth\u2019s central focus, Gilbert manages to insert her voice\u2014a voice centered on abolitionism\u2014into the text, creating the first layer of paratext and pulling Truth\u2019s narrative toward this secondary revolutionary space. In a similar manner, Frances Titus inserts her voice into the 1875 and 1884 versions through the Preface and the compilation of epitextual resources situated after the Narrative\u2014<\/em>the second layer of paratext<\/strong>. Titus\u2019 editorial paratext, although maintaining Christian undertones by citing scriptures and praising Truth\u2019s work as inspired by God, again expands the Narrative<\/em>\u2019s focus by depicting Truth as a prodigy, an influential presence across many revolutionary spaces. In the Preface, she calls her readers to honor Truth as \u201ca woman who\u2026despite all these disabilities [her race and station as a slave], has acquired fame, and gained hosts of friends among the noblest and best of the dominant race\u201d (Truth 3). She emphasizes Truth\u2019s position as an advocate for \u201chuman rights,\u201d noting multiple times her \u201cfame\u201d and deservedness of honor and praise. Supporting this peritextual information, she introduces the epitext, the \u201cBook of Life,\u201d by expanding the ostensible heart of Truth\u2019s mission to all the \u201ccalls of humanity,\u201d explaining that Truth \u201ccheerfully lent her aid to the advancement of other reforms, especially woman\u2019s rights and temperance\u201d (Truth 89). By emphasizing Truth\u2019s fame and powerful influence within many revolutionary spaces, Titus also pulls the narrative away from its centralized focus on religion and toward the the more holistic, inclusive cause of humanity for which Truth is more widely known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Thus, it is evident that the editorial paratext across multiple editions serves to transform the Truth of the Narrative<\/em>\u2014the zealous itinerant preacher\u2014into the popularized iconic Truth, representative of strong African American women and human rights<\/strong>. The third and final layer of paratext frames and encompasses all. Painter\u2019s Introduction and Explanatory Notes, as well as the editorial decisions of material and design, all manifest throughout the book as informants of Truth\u2019s life and narrative. As the editor of the 1998 edition, Painter ostensibly selected to fill each page with text, flush on both the right and left sides, reflecting the full and expansive life of Sojourner Truth. With little margins, single-spacing, and a relatively small font size, every page shouts complexity and an overflow of information, as if there is hardly the space to contain it. Yet it reads smoothly, the paper of the pages soft and fluid in the hand. It is well-designed and well-constructed to fit and reach a vast array of readers. Whether to those inspired by Truth\u2019s faith and Christian influence, those leaning upon her legacy of female strength, or those encouraged by her devotion to the cause and equality of mankind, the paratext of her Narrative<\/em> gathers and unites every facet of the remarkable figure, Sojourner Truth, presenting her as an exemplar to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 18, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appendix A: Image of Front Cover (photo from amazon.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appendix B: Image of Back Cover (personal photo)<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Works Cited:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Douglass, Frederick. \u201cWhat to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?\u201d (1852), Teaching American History<\/em> (website), from Frederick Douglass: Selected Speeches and Writings<\/em>, ed. Philip S. Foner (Chicago: Lawrence Hill, 1999), pp. 188-206.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foster, Frances Smith. \u201cSlave Narratives and Their Cultural Matrix.\u201d Witnessing Slavery: The Development of Ante-bellum Slave Narratives<\/em>. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 1979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genette, G\u00e9rard. \u201cIntroduction to the Paratext.\u201d Translated by Marie Maclean. New Literary History<\/em>, Vol. 22, No. 2, (Spring, 1991), pp. 261-272.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hughes, Richard, T. Myths America Lives By: White Supremacy and the Stories that Give Us Meaning<\/em>. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maclean, Marie. \u201cPretexts and Paratexts: The Art of the Peripheral.\u201d New Literary History<\/em>, Vol. 22, No. 2, (Spring, 1991), pp. 273-279.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCoy, Beth A. \u201cRace and the (Para)Textual Condition.\u201d PMLA, Vol. 121, No. 1, Special Topic: The History of the Book and the Idea of Literature<\/em> (Jan., 2006), pp. 156-169.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truth, Sojourner, et al. Narrative of Sojourner Truth: a Bondswoman of Olden Time, with a History of Her Labors and Correspondence Drawn from Her Book of Life; Also, A<\/em> Memorial Chapter<\/em>. Transcribed by Olive Gilbert (1884), Edited by Nell Irvin Painter, Penguin Books, 1998.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/sup><\/a> See \u201cThe Cause of Her Leaving the City\u201d (p. 66 and p. 68) for the explicit depiction of her call eastward to preach the Gospel of Christ, and her decision to change her name in accordance with that purpose. See also \u201cA Preface\u201d (p. 3) for an overview of her life as an influential advocate for Christianity. See p. xiv for Painter\u2019s comments on Truth\u2019s religiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> The category of paratext that precedes the central body of text. See the second paragraph of this essay for descriptions of paratextual categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/sup><\/a> See Appendix A of this essay for a picture of the front cover page; Appendix B on pp. 9 for the back cover image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]<\/sup><\/a> See Matt. 20:1-16 and Matt. 9:36-38.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The analysis in this essay centers on the Penguin Books Inc. 1998 publication of the Narrative of Sojourner Truth, a version based on the 1884 edition. While Truth\u2019s narrative was originally published in 1850, the 1884 version houses content from all previous editions\u2014a compilation of material from those published in Boston, New York, and Battle…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[813,805,827,806,811,810,819,432,818,817,820,808,809,826,822,814,807,812,803,815,824,828,170,821,816,802,804,823],"class_list":["post-787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-critical-analyses","tag-813","tag-analysis","tag-beth-mccoy","tag-bondswoman","tag-book-of-life","tag-correspondence","tag-cultural-matrix","tag-faith","tag-frances-smith-foster","tag-frederick-douglass","tag-gerard-genette","tag-history","tag-labors","tag-marie-maclean","tag-myths-america-lives-by","tag-nell-irvin-painter","tag-olden-time","tag-olive-gilbert","tag-paratext","tag-penguin-books","tag-pretext","tag-race","tag-religion","tag-richard-t-hughes","tag-slavery","tag-sojourner-truth","tag-the-narrative-of-sojourner-truth","tag-white-supremacy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=787"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":793,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787\/revisions\/793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}