Eli Solt

Charlotte Dacre’s 1806 romance novel Zofloya, portrays many progressive thoughts and ideas regarding gender, specific gender roles, and the internal exploration of women’s emotions of the time. However, the novel also contains a more subtle and underlying exploration of race and racial relations of the time it was written.

While the narrative itself takes place toward the end of the 14th century, it is important to analyze the ideas regarding race in terms of when Dacre wrote the novel and look at how the political and social landscape of Great Britain influenced certain elements of her story.

An important piece of literature from that same era comes from Ignatius Sancho in his publication of a large collection of letters entitled, Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, An African. In two volumes. To which are prefixed, memoirs of his life. Sancho was one of the most important, if not the most important, black figures of the late eighteenth century and is well known for being the first black man to ever vote in a public British election. His collection of letters was not only one of the first published pieces of writing by a former slave regarding the African slave trade, it was also largely influential to the rising movement of abolitionism which was gaining popularity in England during the latter half of the 1700s. Sancho’s letters show Britain in a time of massive political shifts and social change, resulting mainly from the loss of the American colonies, popular anti-Catholic sentiments, and changes in the perception of race. His writing helps illuminate the conflicting racial themes within Dacre’s novel that are centered around the character of Zofloya and elucidates some of the fears and societal anxieties that accompanied the changing attitudes in England in this time.

The main reflection of these racial anxieties comes from Victoria’s perception and descriptions of Zofloya as the novel progresses. Her relationship with him is largely different than any other character in the entire book and often appears to be conflicted, which is not usually the case with her. With other characters, such as Lilla and Laurina, Victoria makes up her mind about how she feels about them and that feeling never changes. Even after they are dead, she mentions feeling no remorse for it. Zofloya, on the other hand, is the one character that she understands the least about; particularly his intentions and thoughts. Through his mystery, she becomes partially enamored and partially afraid of him, allowing Zofloya to possess a certain power over her than none of the other characters are ever capable of doing. Dacre describes Victoria’s vulnerability saying, “Yes, Victoria, who never before trembled in the presence of mortal being, who did not tremble to agonise and insult a father, to revile a mother, and consign a husband to the grave, trembled now, in the presence of Zofloya” (Dacre 176). She has this reaction only to Zofloya and throughout the novel, she keeps returning to him even when she doubts the nature of his intention.

Also, the use of the specific language of “mortal being,” not only foreshadows the reveal at the end but also creates the idea of “otherness” and separation from Victoria when Zofloya is still believed to be human. Sancho, in some of his letters, seems to recognize his own sense of “otherness” as a free black man in London and often appears to not completely understand what his position means. The ambiguity of his situation may have caused him doubts but, being free, he recognized the importance of his position and felt as though it was his duty to help bring about this changing tide in England saying, “Make human nature thy study–wherever thou residest–whatever the religion–or the complexion–study their hearts” (Sancho 5). Sancho’s writing, much like Dacre’s, uses reflections of middle to upper-class white people to establish how society felt about the coming of the end of slavery and racial tension. While Sancho’s letters here suggest a mild optimism toward the progress of the country, Dacre’s novel seems more preoccupied with the “dangers” she believes will come with a more diverse populous.

Dacre’s novel also shows the uncertainty about race through conflicting messages that are presented. The book can be read either as a racist novel or one that endorses abolitionist views and contains evidence for both. The racism comes primarily from the fact that the only black character turns out to be Satan and has manipulated the mind of Victoria, assisting her with her bad deeds. Clearly, this represents Dacre’s supposed fear of trusting black people and suggests a belief that in doing so, one will meet their own end. Victoria’s manipulation also reflects a common fear of the era revolving around white women and their desire for the black male body from a sexual standpoint. Victoria notes this several times including, “…she experienced something like pride, in reflecting, that a Being so wonderful, so superior, and so beautiful, should thus appear to be interested in her fate” (Dacre 226).

However, there are also shades of abolitionist ideas, primarily in the freedom Zofloya exhibits despite his servitude. As he appears and leaves as he wishes throughout the novel, Zofloya is shown to have more physical and emotional freedom of movement than any of the other characters who seem trapped within either the constraints of society or their own desires. The existence of both sides of the argument again acts as an uncertainty as to whether the abolition of slavery in British society would be a positive step or the doom of the country.

Sancho talks about slavery and its horrors in multiple letters and it is typically the most blunt and serious that he ever appears when writing to his close correspondents. He provides a highly critical viewpoint of the institution, particularly its use it Britain’s colonies and notes it’s inherent hypocrisy. “…the Christians' abominable traffic for slaves and the horrid cruelty and treachery of the petty Kings encouraged by their Christian customers who carry them strong liquors to inflame their national madness–and powder–and bad fire-arms–to furnish them with the hellish means of killing and kidnapping” (Sancho 5). He also (in responding to a letter in which the writer suggested the violent nature of the natives of the West Indies) writes about how any violent or rebellious behavior displayed by the natives should be traced as a direct result back to the brutal ways of the colonizers.

After reading Dacre’s novel and Sancho’s letters, I am very intrigued about this period in England and the broader historical context revealed through some of these literary works. While thinking about the mixed messages about race in Zofloya, I kept remembering how a similar juxtaposition occurs in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Differing interpretations proved the novel to be either racist in its usage of the creature or a proponent of progressive ideas on race. To further develop this idea, I need to look at other texts from this era of both fiction and non-fiction and attempt to discover any further examples of this strange dichotomy. The non-fiction writing, like Sancho’s letters, would be important to place the literature within the historical context. For example, Sancho writes many letters about the Gordon Riots which were a series of anti-Catholic protests that took place in London in June 1780. These riots, while not specifically about race, reflect the drastic evolution of cultural identity and the ideological battles between progressive reformists and conservative leaders. It’s interesting that, when talking about the historical and literary period of England during the 1770s and 1780s, the majority of discussion is focused on the American Revolution and the loss of the colonies. Rarely ever is there significant discussion about the domestic issues plaguing Britain as well. A deeper look at more literary texts would help reveal if there was a larger phenomenon of cultural unrest that was explicated in literature at the time.

Works Cited

Dacre, Charlotte. Zofloya; or The Moor: A Romance of the Fifteenth Century. Craciun ed., Broadview Press, 1997.

Sancho, Ignatius. Letters of the late Ignatius Sancho, an African. In two volumes. To which are      prefixed, memoirs of his life. ... Vol. 2, printed by J. Nichols: and sold by J. Dodsley, in             Pall Mall; J. Robson, in New Bond Street; J. Walter, Charing Cross; R. Baldwin,    Paternoster-Row; and J. Sewell, Cornhill, MDCCLXXXII. [1782]. Eighteenth Century           Collections Online,      http://find.galegroup.com/ecco/infomark.do?&source=gale&docLevel=FASCIMILE&pr   odId=ECCO&userGroupName=uncol&tabID=T001&docId=CW3313273989&type=mul            tipage&contentSet=ECCOArticles&version=1.0. Accessed 29 Oct. 2018.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: The Original 1818 Text. Edited by D. L. Macdonald and Kathleen     Scherf, 3rd ed., Broadview Editions, 2012.