: These accounts, such as those by Frederick Douglass or Harriet Jacobs, often contrasted the impossibility of true romance under chattel slavery with the deep-seated familial and marital roots enslaved people fought to maintain.
For a paper on this topic, the following works provide diverse perspectives: longmint sex slave full
: In some narratives, like those discussed in JSTOR's The Subject of Romance Revisited , romance is framed as an "unavoidable aspect of human life" that enslaved people maintained in secret to reclaim their humanity from a society that denied them the space for it. Recommended Reading for Further Study : These accounts, such as those by Frederick
Historical analysis often complicates the "romance" found in fiction by examining the power dynamics and lack of consent inherent in these relationships. : These 19th-century works often portrayed the American
: These 19th-century works often portrayed the American South as a paternalistic society where "loyal" enslaved people shared deep, albeit unequal, emotional bonds with their enslavers.
: Historical records show that enslavers frequently forced enslaved couples together for "breeding" purposes, a practice that fundamentally stripped them of romantic autonomy.