Race, emotions and rhetoric in British anti-slavery literature, 1787-1833

Abstract

My research investigates the different emotions used in British anti-slavery literature. Abolitionist (anti-slavery) writers used sentimental tropes (expressions of sadness, such as slave's tears) to evoke sympathy, and gain the reader's support for the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. This will be compared with portrayals of anger, manifested in slave revolts, violence, and vengeance, although this was problematic as it highlighted the threat posed by slaves. Therefore, abolitionists portrayed slaves praying for divine vengeance, depicting natural disasters (such as earthquakes) as manifestations of God's wrath. Such fear tactics portrayed slavery as a national sin, with abolition as the only way to avoid divine punishment. Current scholarship concerns abolitionist's use of individual emotions, which my research develops with a comparison of these emotions. It will impact both historical studies of the anti-slavery campaign and literary studies of emotions, as well as potentially influencing persuasive techniques of future political campaigns.