Beatrice Chancy [Paperback]

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.

"For booksellers uncertain about shelving this with plays or poetry, neither is apt. Beatrice Chancy is a singular creative work that should be shelved under tour de force or must read." -- Quill and Quire Starred Review

Beatrice Chancy is set in 1801 in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. Beatrice is the daughter of a black slave who was raped by her white master. Raised in the master's house, Beatrice is beautiful, clever, kind, and cultured-her father's prize possession. Her declaration of love for a slave sparks tension that culminates in a monstrous act: the rape of Beatrice by her own father. From here, violence begets violence until her father is killed and Beatrice is hanged for his death. The passion and sorrow of Beatrice Chancy's story are matched only by the brilliance of the language used to express it. "For booksellers uncertain about shelving this with plays or poetry, neither is apt. Beatrice Chancy is a singular creative work that should be shelved under tour de force or must read." --Quill & Quire Starred Review

George Elliott Clarke teaches world literature in English at the University of Toronto. Beatrice Chancy was nominated for the Dartmouth Book Award and the Atlantic Poetry Prize.