Beatrice Chancy [Paperback]

George Elliott Clarke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

The legend of Beatrice Cenci has intrigued writers such as Antonin Artaud, Stendhal, Mary Shelley, Alexandre Dumas, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Browning, and Kathy Acker. In Beatrice Chancy, a verse play set in Nova Scotia in 1819, Clarke boldly reimagines Beatrice as the daughter of a white master and a black slave.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This verse play by the award-winning black Nova Scotian poet George Elliott Clarke presents a poignant picture of slavery in colonial Canada. Set in 1801 at a Nova Scotia plantation owned by Francis Chancy, the drama centers on Beatrice Chancy, his black, beautiful, and cultivated 16-year-old daughter, born after the rape of a household slave. Beatrice's passionate love of a young black plantation slave results in her being raped by her own father. Pregnant, she plots parricide with her barren, long-suffering stepmother; both are hanged. The beauty of the lyric is a stark contrast to the drama entailed. Illustrations include prints of an antique Italian map of Nova Scotia, and background materials comprise an essay "On Slavery in Nova Scotia," early notices from the Halfax Gazette, the playwright's visions of the many altered sources of the story of Beatrice, and the casts of various stage and operatic productions. A powerful literary work; recommended for academic and larger public libraries.AMing-ming Shen Kuo, Ball State Univ. Lib., Muncie, IN
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Raincoast Books, Polestar; First Edition first Printing edition (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896095941
• ISBN-13: 978-1896095943
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,410,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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