A New Historical Interpretation Of The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman

Ernest James Gaines (1933-) is one of the most prestigious African American writers in the U.S.A.. In literary creation, Gaines endeavors to provide a faithful reflection of the past and present of his race which he believes are distorted or even lost in the main stream of American literature. His works, nearly all set in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, can be categorized into Southern fiction and African American fiction mainly centering on the themes of the searching for manhood, dignity, and freedom of his Louisianan countrymen. Up till now, he has created six novels and two collections of short stories and essays successively and most of them are widely acclaimed among readers and literary critics. As a writer, Gaines distinguishes himself among all the other Afro-American writers by his passion writing for his Louisianan people and the history of his race. Overwhelmed with a strong historical sense, he believes that the past should never be forgotten, for it can guide for a progressive future. Among all of his works, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is the first to bring him national attention. Moreover, it is because of this book that he was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize the year it was published. In the novel, the century-long history of the Afro-American ranging from about1860s to1960s is represented from the perspective of an Afro-American lady of110years old. Gaines strives to write the past for his race, for he suspects the reliability of the officially recorded history in history books and holds that there exist differences between official history and truth. His attitude toward history shares similarity with the beliefs of the New Historicism. The thesis discusses the novel from the doctrine the "historicity of text" and "texuality of history", and hold that the novel gives a reflection of social existence in and out of the text and Gaines reconstructs history for his people in the novel. Therefore, Gaines, even though never claimed to be a follower of New Historicism, reveals the essence of history and rewrites the history for his people in the novel. An interpretation of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman from New Historicism can best appreciate Gaines himself and his works.