Reading through the slave narratives is what Eugene Genovese did in the 1960s and 1970s when he researched and wrote "Roll, Jordan, Roll" and developed his theory of plantation paternalism, a theory which has dominated academic discussion of slavery ever since. Genovese helped overturn Kenneth Stampp's view of plantations as brutal work camps; in his time Stampp had overturned U.B. Phillips's "Gone With The Wind" view of plantations. Today's scholars seem to be edging away from Genovese's paternalism theory into a kind of Venn diagram view of slave agency within/clashing with master hegemony. In my own work, I try to stay away from over-arching theories and look at the microcosm. Right now, having done a book on George Washington and slavery, I'm working on Jefferson and his slaves. It is fascinating to see how Mount Vernon and Monticello, both run by presidents and so close in time, place, and size, were nonetheless so different from each other. Henry Wiencek To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html