Paper Details  
 
   

Has Bibliography
22 Pages
5503 Words

 
   
   
    Filter Topics  
 
     
   
 

Frederick Douglas

tance to believe our oppression of blacks stopped after the Civil War. In addition to fueling the growing abolitionist movement, Douglass changed the way many other Americans, including writers, thought. Reflected in the author’s of the time, Narrative of the Life pioneered a new humanitarian movement against slavery itself; his work impacted society’s actions and way of thinking. My Bondage and My Freedom also impacted society, though not as heavily as his first autobiography. As mention before, book sales reflect the acceptance of the ideas of the book. However, Douglass’s subject matter already gained recognition with his first autobiography, leaving a smaller fresh audience for his second novel. My Bondage and My Freedom sold 15,000 copies with the first two months (“Chronology”), but sales dropped off, presumably because the public discovered the similarity between the two novels. The outrage from slaveholders which accompanied the first autobiography and lead to his escape abroad, was conspicuously absent. This seems strange, considering how heavily Douglass’s friends promoted his second autobiography. “Liberty and Slavery Contrasted! Ready August 15. MY BONDAGE AND MY FREEDOM By Frederick Douglass” (Note on the texts), screamed a front page ad in Norton’s Literary Gazette. Despite the hype, Douglass’s book sold modestly, and foreign editions lost money. With his ideas already taken root, the public basically complimented Douglass on the success of his first autobiography. The first explained Douglass’s viewpoints and ideas so well that his second could hardly make an improvement or impact. The author himself said, “…I am busy at work on my book. It is more of a job than at first I supposed it would be and I am beginning to be weary of it…” (Notes on the Texts). Just as Douglass grows “weary”, so does his writing. The ideas are wo...

< Prev Page 15 of 22 Next >

    More on Frederick Douglas...

    Loading...
 
Copyright © 1999 - 2025 CollegeTermPapers.com. All Rights Reserved. DMCA