Document Type

Honors Project

Publication Date

6-2021

Abstract

This honors thesis will explore the thematic relationship between Jamaican-British pioneer Mary Seacole’s autobiography, The Wonderful Adventures of Mary Seacole in Many Lands (1857) and the BBC docudrama Mary Seacole: The Real Angel of Crimea (2005) directed by Sonali Fernando. In this paper, critical conversations around race, gender, class, and citizenship in both literature and cinema will contextually add to the dynamic between literature and film adaptations, while contextually contributing to the lack thereof for intersectional experiences in narrative media. Moreover, the paper will consult both literary and film theorists such as Homi Bhabha and bell hooks to understand postcolonial voices framed through the perspective of a black woman, in both text and screen. By looking at this adaptation through a literary and cinematic lens, this paper intends to uncover the film’s veracity in honoring the legacy and tenacity of the woman who has been called England’s best black Briton.

Level of Honors

magna cum laude

Department

English

Advisor

Karen Hoffmann

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