Subject
Enslaved persons -- Drama Books
Best books
Dion Boucicault
The Octoroon; or, Life in Louisiana. A Play in Five acts
"The Octoroon; or, Life in Louisiana. A Play in Five acts" by Dion Boucicault is a play that opened in 1859. Set on a failing Louisiana plantation, it tells the story of George Peyton, who falls in love with Zoe, an enslaved woman of mixed race. Their romance faces insurmountable legal and social barriers in the antebellum South. When the villain McClosky commits murder to seize the property and claim Zoe for himself, tragedy unfolds. This anti-slavery melodrama sparked fierce debates about abolition and theatrical politics.
William Wells Brown
The Escape; Or, A Leap For Freedom: A Drama, in Five Acts
"The Escape; Or, A Leap For Freedom: A Drama, in Five Acts" by William Wells Brown is a play written in 1858. This pioneering work of African American dramatic literature tells the story of two enslaved people from different plantations who secretly marry. When the wife catches the dangerous attention of her owner, Dr. Gaines, and his jealous wife seeks deadly revenge, the couple must flee for their lives. Their desperate journey follows the North Star toward freedom in Canada, with slave hunters in close pursuit.
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