Sacraments of Memory: Catholicism and Slavery in Contemporary African American Literature

Catholic themes and imagery in the work of writers including ToniMorrison, Leon Forrest, Phyllis Alesia Perry, and Charles JohnsonSacraments of Memory is the first book to focuson Catholic themes and imagery in African American literature. Erin MichaelSalius discovers striking elements of the religion in neo-slave narrativeswritten by Toni Morrison, Leon Forrest, Phyllis Alesia Perry, and CharlesJohnson, among others. Examining the emergence of this major literary genrefollowing Vatican II and amidst the Black Power and civil rights movements, sheuncovers the presence of Catholic rituals and mysteries—including references tothe Eucharist, Augustinian theology, spirit possession, and stigmata. Thesetextual references occur alongside and in tension with criticisms of theChurch's political and social policies.  Saliusoffers a nuanced reading of Beloved thatinterprets the novel in light of Toni Morrison's affiliation with the religion.She argues that Morrison, and the other novelists in this study, draw on aCatholic countertradition in American literature that resists Enlightenmentrationality. She highlights allusions to Catholic tropes such as theconnections between spirit possession and the hijacking of Jane's narrativevoice in Ernest Gaines's TheAutobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Salius also identifiesAugustinian theology on the prescience of God in the flash-forward narrativetechniques used in Edward P. Jones's TheKnown World.  Theseauthors use Catholicism to challenge the historical realism of past slaveautobiographies and the conventional story of American slavery. Ultimately,Salius contends that this tradition enables these novelists to imagine andexpress radically different ways of remembering the past.  Publication of the paperback edition made possible by a Sustainingthe Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the NationalEndowment for the Humanities. Read more