Grégory Pierrot - The Black Avenger in Atlantic Culture

THE BLACK AVENGER IN ATLANTIC CULTURE

GRGORY PIERROT

Part of this book originally appeared, in a different form, as Droit du Seigneur, Slavery, and Nation in the Poetry of Edward Rushton, in Studies in Romanticism 56, no. 1 (Spring 2017), published by the Trustees of Boston University; as Writing over Haiti: Black Avengers in Martin Delany's Blake, in Studies in American Fiction 41, no. 2 (2014), copyright 2014 The Johns Hopkins University Press; and as Our Hero: Toussaint Louverture in British Representations, in Criticism: A Quarterly for Literature and the Arts 50, no. 4 (2009), published by Wayne State University Press.

2019 by the University of Georgia Press

Athens, Georgia 30602

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Pierrot, Grgory, author.

Title: The black avenger in Atlantic culture / Grgory Pierrot.

Description: Athens : The University of Georgia Press, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018036508| ISBN 9780820354910 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780820354927 (paperback : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Blacks in literature. | Revenge in literature. | Heroes in literature.

Classification: LCC PN56.3.B55 P54 2019 | DDC 809/.93352dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018036508

CHAPTER 1
Stillbirth of a Nation
Roots of the Black Avenger

CHAPTER 2
Genii of the Nations
The Black Avenger between England and France

CHAPTER 3
A Tale of Two Avengers
The Haitian Revolution and the Racial Politics of Novelty

CHAPTER 4
Fear of a Black America
Literary Racial Uprisings in the Antebellum United States

CHAPTER 5
American Hero
The Black Avenger in the Age of U.S. Empire

CONCLUSION
Black Avengers of America in Hollywood, 2018

Accounting for all the people Im indebted to is a daunting task.

At different times along the way I relied on funds from the Institute for the Arts and Humanities Graduate Student Summer Residency, Sparks Fellowship, George and Barbara Kelly Fellowship in Nineteenth-Century English and American Literature, Africana Research Center Research Grant, Center for American Literary Studies Graduate Travel to Research Collections Award, Philip Young Memorial Endowment in American Literature. Sandy Stelts at Pennsylvania State University, Phara Bayonne and Nancy Dryden at the library of the University of Connecticut at Stamford, and Richard Bleiler at Storrs. The publication of this book was made possible by the University of Connecticut's Humanities Institute Book Fund, for which both the press and I are grateful.

All thanks to Paul Youngquist: accepting his challenge a decade (!) ago set me off on this journey. I learned all things as I went and made one crucial discovery: somewhere along the way I had become a scholar. Not a Romanticist per se, but I think Paul will forgive me. I could not have done it without Claire Maniez, Aldon Nielsen, Linda Selzer, Shirley Moody Turner, all models of excellence, humility, and collegiality who showed me ways to do this work that would not jeopardize my soul.

There were jeopardies aplenty on the long way out of school, along with tight ranks of soul defenders, fellow students now grown older, friends now near or far who through the Pennsylvania years listened more or less patiently to this or that and gave helpful advice, read and commented, suggested and doubted, laughed and raged: the vegfest crew, Dustin Kennedy, Nancy Cushing, Hannah Abelbeck, Kristin Shimmin, Moura McGovern, Phyllisa Deroze, Micky New, Emily Sharpe, Mark Sturges, Rachel Bara, Jesse Hicks, David Green, Angela Ward, Kevin Browne, Krista Eastman, Ersula Ore, Josh Tendler, Manolis Galenianos, Steven Thomas, and in memory of Michael DuBose. Ill go to Texas yet.

Sometimes the voices that compel us belong to the people who compel us: at different times and in different ways, words from the mouths of Paul Gilroy, Vron Ware, Sibylle Fischer, Laurent Dubois, and Chris Bongie confirmed all the good things I had glimpsed on the page. I found a home at the University of Connecticut and warm welcoming people, generous with support and advice: Fred Roden, Pam Brown, Serkan Gorkemli, Ingrid Semaan, Annamaria Csizmadia, and Monica Smith. Along the years I had the chance to benefit from the remarks and feedback of many insightful scholars: Talissa Ford and the P19 Faculty Seminar at Temple University, Anne Eller, Marlene Daut, and Michael Drexler, inspired me through their own work and generously offered invaluable input that helped me sharpen my arguments at different stages of writingso did Bhakti Shringapure, Lily Saint, and Miles Grier, who managed to juggle patience, curiosity, understanding, and advice without ever dropping one.

There are people we meet just so we can ponder topics such as destiny: this project was one thing, then I met Tabitha McIntosh again, and it became a book. This book evolved in the light of her brilliant mind, wit, insight, and friendship. I typed much, deleted as much, and argued and fought tooth and nail for unnecessary plot summaries, as she patiently read and reread and helped me birth this monster: nothing I can write could accurately describe how grateful I am to have her as a friend and chapter whisperer.

I want to thank Germaine and Franois Pierrot, without whom I would not be; without their influence this book would never have been. Stories and histories started in the living room and kitchen. Vous ne lirez pas ce livre, mais je vous le raconterai.

Thanks also go to Peggy and Philippe, who were in the same living room and kitchen and everywhere else and with whom I started everything, read everything, argued about everything, and wrote about everything. Calimro vous embrasse.

Nothing would have happened without Kates love, care, and patience. I cant promise I wont do it again, but Im confident youll make it possible.

And, finally, I dedicate this book to Chlo. This project began before you were born; I wrote part of it carrying you on my chest, and youre now old enough that you could read it. Ill answer all the questions when you do.

THE BLACK AVENGER IN ATLANTIC CULTURE

This is a story about the stories men tell one another.