A new view of pre-Civil War slavery is depicted in Edward Jones' novel "The Known World." Unlike many well-known novels dealing with slavery, Jones chose to focus on the thoughts and emotions of slaves and their owners, as well as how they interacted with each other. Set in a wealthy Virginia county, the practice of owning slaves is equally common to the white man and the black man. The story primarily focuses on Henry Townsend, a black former slave bought back by his father, who was also a former slave. Over time, Henry never loses the admiration he has for his former master and considers him an idol. Much to his parents' disappointment, Henry not only enjoys his life as a free black man after being purchased by his parents, but also takes advantage of his right to own slaves. He does not feel guilty about owning slaves, but rather feels that it adds to his heritage and value. Henry believes that if someone does not want to be a slave, they must pay for their freedom, just like his father did. If they desire freedom enough, they can obtain it in His eyes. But when Henry dies, his widow, Caldonia, a free-born black woman, is torn between her loyalty to her race and her loyalty to her deceased husband. Ultimately, Caldonia remains true to the legacy her husband built, but it is understood that she does so under pressure from society. Jones chooses to show his characters' thoughts rather than tell them, which undeniably gives more depth to the characters as a whole. Through the actions of slaves and slave owners, "The Known World" shows that the world surrounding the institution of slavery had more to do with social status than with race and color... ... middle of paper ......e reader in the story. However, it was this detail that derailed the story during several scenes. In his writing, Jones has a tendency to talk about things and then suddenly wander off in another direction for a few pages. All of these different directions the story takes can make it difficult to distinguish between past and present and can also confuse the reader as to which character is being portrayed at any given time. The vocabulary of the novel was not difficult to understand and even the slave jargon, which can be difficult to translate, was easy to understand. Overall, as long as "The Known World" is read with enough attention and a differentiation can be made between the narratives of the past and the present, the novel succeeds in highlighting aspects of slavery of 'before the civil war that the novels of the past failed to do..