The Known World
The Known World is a 2003 historical novel by Edward P. Jones. Set in Virginia during the antebellum era, it examines the issues regarding the ownership of Black slaves by both White and Black Americans. The book was published to acclaim, which praised its story and Jones's prose. In particular, his ability to intertwine stories within stories received great praise from The New York Times.
 Second edition cover | |
| Author | Edward P. Jones |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Cover design by Laura Blost, Cover photograph copyright Eudora Welty |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical, Novel |
| Publisher | Amistad Press |
Publication date | September 2003 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 400 pp |
| ISBN | 0-06-055754-0 |
| OCLC | 51519698 |
| 813/.54 21 | |
| LC Class | PS3560.O4813 K58 2003 |
The Known World is a 2003 historical novel by Edward P. Jones. Set in Virginia during the antebellum era, it examines the issues regarding the ownership of Black slaves by both White and Black Americans.
The book was published to acclaim, which praised its story and Jones's prose. In particular, his ability to intertwine stories within stories received great praise from The New York Times.[1]
Synopsis
[edit]The novel centers on Henry Townsend, a formerly enslaved Black man who becomes a slave owner himself in the fictional Manchester County, Virginia. The story opens with Henry's death in 1855, then shifts between past and present, exploring the events leading up to and following his demise.[2]
Born into slavery, Henry gains his freedom when his father, Augustus Townsend, purchases it for him. Yet, despite his background, Henry goes on to own more than thirty enslaved people who work on his tobacco plantation. His decision creates tension with his parents and challenges readers’ assumptions about the nature of slavery.[3]
The narrative weaves together the lives of various characters connected to the Townsend estate:
- Caledonia, Henry's widow, who struggles to manage the plantation after his death.[4]
- Moses, the overseer, who dreams of taking Henry's place.[5]
- Fern Elston, a free Black woman who educated Henry and later becomes close to Caledonia.[6]
- Sheriff John Skiffington, who enforces slave laws despite his personal opposition to slavery.[1]
As the story unfolds, it reveals the moral contradictions and social complexities of a society built on human bondage. The disappearance of several enslaved people from the Townsend plantation triggers a chain of events that exposes the fragile foundations of this oppressive system.[3]
Awards and nominations
[edit]The novel won a National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2004.[7][8] In 2005, it won the International Dublin Literary Award, one of the richest literary awards for a novel in the English language.[9] It was a finalist for the 2003 National Book Award.[10]
In 2009, the website The Millions polled 48 critics, writers, and editors; the panel voted The Known World the second best novel since 2000.[11] In 2015, the BBC polled American critics and ranked The Known World the "second greatest novel of the 21st century so far".[12][13] In 2024, the New York Times ranked it the 4th best book of the 21st century.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Vernon, John (August 31, 2003). "People Who Owned People". The New York Times. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ^ Donaldson, S. V. (2006). "Telling Forgotten Stories of Slavery in the Postmodern South". The Southern Literary Journal. 39 (1): 68–82.
- ^ a b Selzer, L. (2014). "New Exceptionalities: Race and Sexuality in Edward P. Jones's 'The Known World'". American Literature. 86 (2): 381–415.
- ^ Babb, V. (2008). "E. P. Jones's Unknown World: A Review Essay". African American Review. 42 (3/4): 735–738.
- ^ Seger, Maria (2014). "Ekphrasis and the Postmodern Slave Narrative: Reading the Maps of Edward P. Jones's The Known World". Callaloo. 37 (5): 1181–1195. ISSN 1080-6512.
- ^ Seger, M. (2014). "Ekphrasis and the Postmodern Slave Narrative: Reading the Maps of Edward P. Jones's 'The Known World'". Callaloo. 37 (5): 1181–1195. doi:10.1353/cal.2014.0204.
- ^ National Book Critics Circle Award past winners, Official Website.
- ^ 'The Known World' Wins Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, The New York Times.
- ^ "The Known World by Edward P. Jones wins the 2005 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award" Archived 2007-04-22 at the Wayback Machine, Official Website.
- ^ "2003 National Book Awards". National Book Foundation. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
- ^ "The Millions : Best of the Millennium, Pros Versus Readers". The Millions. September 25, 2009.
- ^ Ciabattari, Jane. "The 21st Century's 12 greatest novels". BBC.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- ^ "The 21st Century's 12 Greatest Novels by BBC - The Greatest Books". thegreatestbooks.org. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century". The New York Times. July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Ryan, Tim A. (2008). "Mapping the Unrepresentable: Slavery Fiction in the New Millennium". Calls and Responses: The American Novel of Slavery since Gone with the Wind. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. pp. 185–208. ISBN 978-0-8071-3322-4.
External links
[edit]Interviews
- Edward P. Jones on 'The Known World', official HarperCollins interview.
- Interview with the author, transcript from NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, PBS, September 19, 2003
- 'The Known World', audio from National Public Radio, Morning Edition, October 28, 2003
- The Known World at Open Library
Reviews
- 'The Known World', review in Pop Matters, by Stephen M. Deusner, 5 January 2004
- "A transcendent story of slavery unfolds in black and white", review in The Boston Globe, by John Freeman, October 19, 2003
- Review of The Known World, in storySouth, by Dan Schneider, 2007
- "People who owned people", review in The New York Times, by John Vernon, August 31, 2003
- A new novel charts some unpredictable relations of race and power in the antebellum South., review in The Washington Post, by Jonathan Yardley, August 24, 2003
Misc.
- Photos of the first edition of The Known World
- Two-part essay on Jones' use of a godlike omniscient narrator in "The Known World": Part 1, Part 2.
