“Sufficiently Interesting to Engage General Attention”:The Rhetoric of Interest in Olaudah Equiano’s Interesting Narrative
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This article examines the ways in which Olaudah Equiano employs the various forms and meanings of the word “interest” in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789). Despite the word occupying a central place, both in the title and main text, its significance has not received much critical attention. It is my argument that Equiano employs “interest” to address the limitations of sentimental rhetoric, a key device that critics assert abolitionists used in their writings during this period. Although he draws from the well-established conventions of sentimental literature to argue for the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, Equiano also adopts a critical stance towards the rhetoric of sensibility. He claims that in addition to arousing boredom and revulsion with its detailed descriptions of the slaves’ sufferings, sentimental rhetoric does not necessarily lead people to engage in benevolent behavior and can also help reinforce the hierarchical relationship that exists between the British and the slaves. By examining how Equiano not only uses the emotional and moral meanings associated with “interesting” to sustain the attention of his readers, but also employs the economic meanings associated with “interest” to foster benevolence and envisage a more equal partnership forming between Britain and Africa, I argue that he utilizes the rhetoric of interest to supplement that of sensibility. In so doing, I seek to defuse some of the criticism Equiano has received from modern critics for appealing to economic interest as a means of bringing an end to the slave trade.
Abstract
This article examines the ways in which Olaudah Equiano employs the various forms and meanings of the word “interest” in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789). Despite the word occupying a central place, both in the title and main text, its significance has not received much critical attention. It is my argument that Equiano employs “interest” to address the limitations of sentimental rhetoric, a key device that critics assert abolitionists used in their writings during this period. Although he draws from the well-established conventions of sentimental literature to argue for the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, Equiano also adopts a critical stance towards the rhetoric of sensibility. He claims that in addition to arousing boredom and revulsion with its detailed descriptions of the slaves’ sufferings, sentimental rhetoric does not necessarily lead people to engage in benevolent behavior and can also help reinforce the hierarchical relationship that exists between the British and the slaves. By examining how Equiano not only uses the emotional and moral meanings associated with “interesting” to sustain the attention of his readers, but also employs the economic meanings associated with “interest” to foster benevolence and envisage a more equal partnership forming between Britain and Africa, I argue that he utilizes the rhetoric of interest to supplement that of sensibility. In so doing, I seek to defuse some of the criticism Equiano has received from modern critics for appealing to economic interest as a means of bringing an end to the slave trade.
참고문헌 (31)
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