During the Civil War, blacks referred to slave catchers as “soul catchers,” due to the idea that they were not only capturing the physical body, but taking the soul back to oppression as well.
Read more about Professor White and see his upcoming speaking engagements here
Fairfield English professor Michael C. White used this idea as the premise for his fifth novel, “Soul Catcher,” which he presented at the Author’s Forum in the Quick Center on Oct. 25.
Using both history and illusion as a basis for the story, White tells the story from the point of view of a slave catcher, Augustus Cain.
At the Forum, a series which is a part of University College and grew out of the Open VISIONS Forum lecture series, White was given the opportunity to showcase his latest novel. He said the event was one he “looked forward to.”
White began by discussing the development of the book’s concept, then provided the audience with background on the novel.
White said he got the idea for his book about five years ago, after reading two other novels told from slaves’ points of view.
He decided to “turn the screws” in his own novel and “tell it from the slave catcher’s point of view,” because he was interested in what drove one human to such cruelty, and “show how this man could be redeemed.”
He describes Cain as a man from Virginia who grows up on a plantation, and whose family is comprised of slave owners. After serving time in the Mexican War, Cain returns to the South, physically and emotionally scarred. He falls into slave catching and is given the assignment of catching a slave named Rosetta.
White said he chose to tackle the topic of slavery because he thinks “we are all fascinated by the nature of evil, and slavery, arguably, has been America’s supreme manifestation of evil.”
“I wondered how such a man could justify his life to others, but more important to himself,” White said.
“Soul Catcher,” published in September, is White’s fifth novel. Others include “A Garden of Martyrs” and “A Dream of Wolves,” a novel that was recently optioned for a movie by Alex Kitman Ho, according to a press release.
During the month of November, White will be a part of the Barnes and Noble Book Club, discussing his new novel and answering readers’ questions in an online format.
White said he wanted this novel to address the “unstated racisms” in our society today and make a connection between the stereotypes of an individual and the world around him.
“When writing, it is only good if you make it relevant to today because racism today is as bad as it was in past,” he said.
Many students said they were inspired by White’s lecture.
Emily Norberg ’10 said she is “intrigued” by White’s book and is eager to read it.
“He critiques our work in class so it’s interesting to have it turned the other way around,” she said.
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