From Trickster to Badman : The Black Folk Hero in Slavery and Freedom

To protect their identity and values, Africans enslaved in America transformed various familiar character types to create folk heroes who offered models of behavior both recognizable to them as African people and adaptable to their situation in America. Roberts specifically examines the Afro-American trickster and the trickster tale tradition, the conjurer as folk hero, the biblical heroic tradition, and the badman as outlaw hero. -- Publisher description from http://www.upenn.edu (Oct. 11, 2011)

To protect their identity and values, Africans enslaved in America transformed various familiar character types to create folk heroes who offered models of behavior both recognizable to them as African people and adaptable to their situation in America.

Roberts specifically examines the Afro-American trickster and the trickster tale tradition, the conjurer as folk hero, the biblical heroic tradition, and the badman as outlaw hero.

Contents Acknowledgments One: Introduction Two: Br’er Rabbit and John: Trickster Heroes in Slavery Three: The Power Within: The Conjurer as Folk Hero Four: Christian Soldiers All: Spirituals as Heroic Expression Five: “You Done Me Wrong”: The Badman as Outlaw Hero Six: Conclusion Bibliography Index