The Confessions of William Styron

Expository Writing 20 is the one universal class at Harvard College. No one can get out of it. First-year students must endure a semester of Expos for the sake of perfecting the fine art of essay writing. Expos, as the class is more commonly referred to, sometimes offers a rewarding experience, but nearly everyone knows that one person whose Expos section was the bane of their existence for the entire semester. Despite these mixed results, Expos does offer first-years more than opportunities to improve their writing; occasionally they meet famous people. Recently, the two sections of Expository Writing called “The Ethics of Fiction” met for a roundtable discussion with William Styron, author of the controversial The Confessions of Nat Turner.

Styron, a self-proclaimed “white man from Tidewater Virginia” was widely criticized in the 1960s for The Confessions, which he wrote from the point of view of Nat Turner, a black slave who led a insurrection during the height of American slavery. Because the class had just finished a critical study of The Confessions of Nat Turner and numerous primary and secondary sources, the discussion centered primarily on the nuances of the novel and the controversy surrounding it.

However, Styron also had many interesting reflections on the writing process. Since his novel would be best described as a historical novel, it is not surprising that Styron was asked how he would change his novel in the light of new historical evidence, if he were to write his novel today. With a bemused smile, Styron explained his theory: “A historical novel doesn’t profit from too much historical information,” he said. He then compared writing a novel to furnishing a room: it is necessary to add enough furniture (historical facts) to make the room comfortable, but it’s important to remember that no one likes an over-furnished room.

Styron later added, after a student had pointed out his disregard of slave spiritualism in the novel, that “there is only so much one can put in a novel.” He explained that every author must make choices when creating his protagonist and the world he inhabits. “The novel is successful in elaborating upon the character if the choices are valid. I hope that my choices add up to a mosaic that form the totality of Nat Turner,” said Styron.

Another student commented on Styron’s use of language throughout the novel, focusing upon his use of narration and dialogue, a dialogue that changes in cadence and vocabulary depending on whom Nat addressed. Styron identified Turner’s narrating voice as the most peculiar in the novel, because it is an authoritarian voice, and one of “high literacy.” According to his research, “a slave of that time, wouldn’t have [used such language].” But the most importantly, he said, the novel is a translation of Nat’s thoughts; Styron firmly believes that all authors are translators, especially those writing historical novels. When questioned about who he is targeting with his “translation,” Styron answered “the common reader.” He then defended himself by saying that it is difficult for any writer to characterize how people in the past thought and spoke.

Styron was motivated by his Southern upbringing to write the novel; “segregation left a scar on [his] psyche.” He feels a distinct connection to the era of American slavery, because his own grandmother owned two slaves at the time of emancipation.

Obviously, the writing of a novel is a daunting task, and Styron answered one student’s question about beginning the writing process. “After mastering the material of the time period, I felt comfortable assuming the skin of a slave in the 1800s. But I would never have tried to assume the skin of a black person in the 1960s, because I wasn’t familiar with the material of the time period.” Thus, it seems that familiarity with the subject matter is a crucial, if not the most important, step in writing a historical novel.

Although Styron avoided a question about the types of books he enjoys reading by saying, “I won’t answer because I don’t remember,” he talked enthusiastically about his writing process. “It’s agony. Pure agony. I just try to get the best language down on paper. I value language more than anything.” Though this venerable author cited difficulty in writing due to a mental impediment, he added, “I don’t let it daunt me if I don’t produce much in one day. I just do what I can and wait for the next day.”