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The Confessions of Nat Turner

1967 novel by William Styron From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Confessions of Nat Turner
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The Confessions of Nat Turner is a 1968 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by American writer William Styron. Presented as a first-person narrative by historical figure Nat Turner, the novel concerns Nat Turner's Rebellion in Virginia in 1831. It is a fictional retelling based on The Confessions of Nat Turner: The Leader of the Late Insurrection in Southampton, Virginia, a first-hand account of Turner's confessions published by a local lawyer, Thomas R. Gray, in 1831.[1]

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Time Magazine included the novel in its TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.[2]

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Historical background

The novel is based on an extant document, Turner's "confession" to his white lawyer, Thomas R. Gray.[1] In the historical confessions, Turner claims to have been divinely inspired.

Some scholars believe that mental illness may have driven Turner's actions.[3] Others believe Turner was moved by religiosity.[4]

References

Further reading

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