Douglass's Accessibility

In some ways, Douglass’s Narrative of the Life seems to be the “easiest” thing we’ve read so far this semester. It moves quickly through years of Douglass’s life, contrary to the often-slow-paced writing of Cooper. It carries almost none of the abstract, occasionally prolix tendencies of Emerson. The drama is straightforward and constant, unlike the distinct style of Poe, which draws things out as long as possible before smashing an ending over the reader’s head, and often attempts to disorient the reader as well.

As such, it makes sense that Narrative was a best-seller in its time. Not only is Douglass’s writing accessible, but it tells a true story– for the most part. His small biography at the beginning of the reading indicates that some of his accounts changed over time, depending on the effect he wanted to impart to his readers. I assume the details he tweaked also made his story more readable, and more enjoyable to the public. Some parts of his story, especially the detailed cruelty of some of Douglass's masters, remind me a lot of a comparable, but entirely fictional book– Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Other parts, such as his friend Sandy Jenkins’s seemingly magical root, seem impossible in real life and implausible even if read as a fictional addition. I suppose I’m curious as to how Douglass spun his life into something at once powerful and accessible, and at once true but also consciously structured. Is his story more powerful than an Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or less? What would it be like if it were written in the slower style of Cooper, or the wordier style of Emerson? The suspense of Poe?