the OTHER Nat Turner film controversy
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get these nets
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Oct 15, 1968
Summary Transcript
William H. Booth interviews historian John Henrik Clarke, Assistant Editor of Freedomways Magazine, regarding his recent book, "William Styron's Nat Turner: Ten Black Writers Respond."
In Professor Clarke's view, William Styron's Pulitzer-Prize winning book badly distorts the facts about Nat Turner, and he believes Styron perpetuates stereotypes of African-Americans.
Clarke says the Nat Turner revolt in Virginia set in motion other slave revolts and insurrections and should be viewed in a positive light because of that.
He argues that Styron is not a historian nor authority on Nat Turner and that he has read certain contemporary prejudices into the Nat Turner story. Styron's Turner, says Clarke, has no resemblance to the real Turner in historical context by making him a vacillating 'Uncle Tom.' Clarke adds that Styron reversed many things in the history. For example, he says, Turner's parents taught him to read, yet in the novel, his master teaches him to read. In history, says Clarke, Turner ran away while in the novel the protagonist chides other slaves for running away. Clarke also maintains that the historical documents show Turner had a black wife to whom he entrusted the secrets of the slave revolution. Clarke argues that because he trusted her, this must have been a good marriage, but that Turner obviously kept many things from his 'confession' strategically for fear his wife would have been harmed.
Booth: Critics have argued that Styron has exercised literary license in places because he was writing a novel, not a non-fiction text.
Clarke says Styron made the mistake of saying his novel was a "meditation on history." If that is the case, then 'he has ignored the facts.' In particular, Clarke says Styron has disregarded the work of Herbert Aptheker, "the finest historian of the black resistance movement during slavery." The two discuss the nature of history. History by the victors, and history by the oppressed.
A summary and comments on the various essays in Clarke's book are made and reference to Higgison's work on Nat Turner and Turner's wife. Clarke argues that Styron cannot accept Nat Turner as a hero because if he did, he would also have to accept Stokely Carmichael and H. Rap Brown as heroes.
Booth: Should whites only write about whites and blacks about blacks?
Clarke: No. But "generally there is a flavor they miss.even at their best."
Clarke says Styron has put up a weak defense of his work through 'literary license.' "In taking on Styron, we not only took on Styron the novelist but we took on the white literary establishment." Clarke argues that Styron has a literary ability, but in this novel, he bit off more than he could chew.
Dr. Alvin Pousaint's criticism of Styron is further discussed as well as other distorted literary works. In particular, many histories of the Reconstruction period. Clarke: "We knew about the heroics of Nat Turner when I was nine-years-old." A survey of African History by Clarke will be coming out to counteract misinformation about Africa.