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Bibliography
Course Hero. "The Confessions of Nat Turner Study Guide." Course Hero. 27 Mar. 2020. Web. 8 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Confessions-of-Nat-Turner/>.
In text
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Bibliography
Course Hero. (2020, March 27). The Confessions of Nat Turner Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 8, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Confessions-of-Nat-Turner/
In text
(Course Hero, 2020)
Bibliography
Course Hero. "The Confessions of Nat Turner Study Guide." March 27, 2020. Accessed June 8, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Confessions-of-Nat-Turner/.
Footnote
Course Hero, "The Confessions of Nat Turner Study Guide," March 27, 2020, accessed June 8, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Confessions-of-Nat-Turner/.
William Styron
1967
Novel
History, Historical Fiction
The novel is narrated in the first person by Nat Turner, leader of a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831. In prison and awaiting execution, Turner reflects on his life and makes his confession to lawyer Thomas Gray, who transcribes the confession, embellishing and altering it. However, the novel is narrated in Turner's voice, not in Gray's edited version.
Nat Turner narrates in both the present tense and the past tense. Some of his visions and dreams are written in the present tense, as are some of his memories.
The novel is set in the days immediately preceding the execution of the slave Nat Turner, an actual historical figure who led a rebellion in 1831. The novel shares its title with a historical document, a pamphlet called "The Confessions of Nat Turner." In the novel Nat Turner's "confessions" relate the story of the rebellion and the story of his life.
This study guide for William Styron's The Confessions of Nat Turner offers summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.
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