| Exhibiting Slavery examines the ways in which Caribbeanpostmodern historical novels about slavery written in Spanish, English, and French function asvirtual museums, simultaneously showcasing and curating a collection of",primary documents", withintheir pages. As Vivian Nun Halloran attests, these novels highlight narrative",objects", extraneousto their plot-such as excerpts from the work of earlier writers, allusions to specific worksof art, the uniforms of maroon armies assembled in preparation of a military offensive, and accountsof slavery's negative impact on the traditional family unit in Africa or the United States. In doingso, they demand that their readers go beyond the pages of the books to sort out fact from fictionand consider what relationship these featured",objects", have to slavery and to contemporary life. The self-referential function of these texts produces a",museum effect", that simultaneouslyteaches and entertains their readers, prompting them to continue their own research beyond andoutside the text. |
