In search of home

Abstract

Secret History tells the story of two sisters, Mary and Clara, who have joined Clara’s husband as he attempts to regain his lost colonial possessions in the final period of the Haitian Revolution. In contrast to the frights she experiences in war-ridden Saint-Domingue, Mary dreams longingly of a stable home. This chapter analyzes the novel’s dichotomy of horrifying fear and happy dreams on the level of figurative language, composition, and literary geography. It argues that Secret History engages with the specific challenge of forging a North-American cultural identity. The chapter also explores Sansay’s use of the sentimental mode, showing that it is used to interrogate the humanity of friends and foes, enslaved and free.