Please click on the literary analysis category you wish to be displayed. She is the first writer in this genre to receive the mcauthor foundation genius grant. Octavia butler takes you through the emotional and psychological tolls of slavery far better than any history book ever could. Butler is known throughout the science fiction world as the dame of science fiction. See a complete list of the characters in kindred and indepth analyses of dana, kevin franklin, rufus weylin, and alice greenwood. Octavia butler biography and list of works octavia butler books. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. In kindred, octavia butler creates a road for the impossible and a balm for the unbearable. Kindred is a novel by octavia butler in which dana, a modern black woman, is periodically transported back in time to the antebellum south, where she must save her ancestor rufus. In fact, critics have had a tough time categorizing the book ever since it first appeared in 1979. Its author, octavia butler, has gone on record saying that the book is a sort of grim fantasy, although it includes elements of both science fiction like time travel and high literature like difficult themes.
Introduction this study guide kindred is a 1979 novel by octavia butler. Kindred looks at the practice of slavery in the american south from the perspective of a black woman in the 1970s. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and. Article continues after advertisement when i first heard butler speak, i was surprised for a moment by her androgynous voice, then fell in. The immediate effect of reading octavia butler s kindred is to make every other time travel book in the world look as if its wimping out. I first read octavia butler s kindred in high school, but, looking back, i dont really know that i was ready to process the novel for what it truly was. Parable of the sower 1993, the first of her earthseed series, was a finalist for the nebula award as well as a new york times notable book of the year.
While most of butler s work is classified as science fiction. Kindred by octavia butler a learned behavior racism and the institution of slavery are sometimes thought to be interconnected to how people perceive others that are different from them. Octavia butler s kindred is a novel which fits into many literary niches. Were not quite sure how this could happen, but it seems to be something dana cant explain to the police or the hospital doctors. Dana travels back in time to the early 1800s because her distant relative named rufus weylin calls her whenever he is in trouble. Dawn 1987, adulthood rites 1988 and imago 1989, and a short story collection, bloodchild and other stories 1995.
Back and next buttons can guide you through all the sections or you can choose to jump from section to section using the links below or the links at the left. She was the recipient of a macarthur award and a nebula award, and she twice won the hugo award. Kindred, first published in 1979, would become her most bestselling novel. Butler 19472006 was the author of many novels, including dawn, wild seed, and parable of the sower. It is a shattering work of art with much to say about love, hate, slavery, and racial dilemmas, then and now. Like many of butler s other books, this one engages the reader with themes of race, power, gender, and class through the use of skillful storytelling. The innovative blend of historical fiction and science fiction is fairly genius and butler executes it expertly. The visionary authors masterpiece pulls usalong with her black female herothrough time to face the horrors of slavery and explore the. Butler that incorporates time travel and is modeled on slave narratives. The first thing we hear in this book is that the narrator dana has had her arm crushed inside one of the walls of her house.
First published in 1979, it is still widely popular. Butler skilfully juxtaposes the serious issues of slavery, human rights, and racial prejudice with an exciting sciencefiction, romance, and historical adventure. Dana is forced into the past where she sees people bought and sold, sees families torn apart, and experiences torture at the hands of her owner. Octavia butler is a writer who will be with us for a long, long time and kindred is that rare, magical artifact. Butlers groundbreaking dystopian novel in this graphic novel adaptation of octavia e. Kindred, by octavia butler essay 1679 words 7 pages. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are rufus, dana. If you enjoy reading sff, or even an interest in speculative fiction, you would like her work. Butler 19472006 was the author of many novels, including dawn, wild seed, andparable of the sower. Kindred literature essays are academic essays for citation. Survivor, 1978 who tap out their tales so fast and fine and clear that its impossible to stop reading at any point.
Start studying kindred by octavia butler all chapters. This combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literar. The first edition of the novel was published in june 1979, and was written by octavia e. A graphic novel adaptation, the author portrays a searing vision of americas future. The first science fiction written by a black woman, kindred has become a cornerstone of black american literature. In kindred, dana, a modern young african american writer who recently married an older white man, gets mysteriously transported back in time to a precivil war plantation owned by the family of her oldest known relative, rufus. The first important theme is that of the horrors of slavery. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Walter mosley butlers characters are so vivid and the racist milieu in which they struggle to survive so realistically depicted that. The marker you should judge all other timetravelling narratives by guardian octavia e. Kindred is primarily about a a young black women named dana living in the 1970s with her husband kevin, an older show more content. A century of speculative fiction from the african diaspora, edited by sharee.
In octavia butler s novel kindred, she creates a unique science fiction, first person slave narrative that illustrates the structures designed by white people to suppress black people in america. Octavia butler biography octavia estelle butler june 22, 1947 february 24, 2006 was an american science fiction writer, one of very few africanamerican women in the field. This is also a painful book to read because of its graphic depiction of slavery and butler wastes no time in demonizing what was demonic. My last book hangover came from octavia butlers most notable work about time travel, family ancestry, and sacrifice, kindred. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 287 pages and is available in paperback format. A list of important facts about octavia butler s kindred, including setting, climax, protagonists, and antagonists. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. I never expected it to get as much attention as it has. Kindred is a novel by octavia butler that was first published in 1979. In the book kindred by octavia butler, this notion of varying perspectives is tackled very head onwards. When dana, a modern black woman from 1976, gets transported to the antebellum south in order to.
It could be seen as a milestone in both africanamerican literature and science fiction. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of kindred. Kindred, read through the prism of butler and her family, becomes a representation of invisible women, forgotten women. Analysis of one of the assigned texts through the lens of two of the keywords text. Butler is a time for reflection and rejoicing for fans of speculative fiction, black issues book.
Kindred is a required text in high school and college classes around the world. The statements it makes about race, gender, and history are absolutely crucial to american public consciousness right now. I waited far too long to read kindred by octavia butler, and i was riveted from the first page. It has been frequently chosen as a text for communitywide reading programs and book organizations, as well as being a common choice for high school and college courses. The first science fiction written by a black woman, kindred has become a. Octavia butler s 1979 science fiction novel, kindred, is absolutely begging to be made into a feature film. I love scifi, so when i first heard about octavia butler, i jumped on amazon and bought the first book i saw. Harlan ellison one cannot finish kindred without feeling changed. Kim stauntons narrative talent magically transforms the listeners earphones into an audio time machine. Octavia butlers 1979 novel kindred takes place in two periods of time, 1976, when the protagonist, dana, has just turned 26 yearsold, and 1819, decades before the civil war would finally put. Kindred kindle edition by butler, octavia e literature. Kindred is butler s seminal work, but, really, you should try and read as many of her books as possible. Kindred is about a woman from the 1970s getting called back in time to save the life of her white, slave owning ancestor from the early 19th century.